The Department of Homeland Security seeks to develop a professional solution to monitor the health and stress levels of its employees to help identify where employees need help — due to physical or mental fatigue — and to improve “human performance and resilience” among employees.
The department has issued a proposal seeking solutions that include biometric technology to monitor employee health and “mental information” installed on the software by the user. That data will be backed up by algorithms that can alert employees to future physical and mental health problems and suggest steps that can be taken to prevent such disturbances.
“The task of this project is to find new technological solutions that will improve the lives and well-being of those who remain in high-risk and dangerous conditions,” the call said. “DHS seeks skills that not only promote intervention when necessary, but also diligently and in real time improve the performance and resilience of DHS staff.”
Such solutions should be able to serve three purposes:
Develop your physical and mental self-awareness and related limits.
Improve actions or provide interventions that increase human performance and resilience.
Explain how DHS can measure well-being as a metrics over time.
The effort is aimed at Customs and Border Protection staff, although officials are seeking solutions that can be applied across the department.
Officials note that DHS employees often have stressful jobs.
“The official safety and well-being study found that compared to other professionals, officers work under stressful conditions and are always at risk for accidents, physical assault, or other trauma,” the call said. “According to various categories, law enforcement agencies are exposed to problems such as radiation, chemicals, biological and physical hazards; and job change, sleep problems and other chronic illnesses. ”
The invitation to the proposal lists many things that can accumulate in these pressures, including “long hours, shift work, hot and cold places,” and “negative perceptions of law enforcement, including media coverage and public prosecution.”
The long-term effects of these oppressors can be devastating and dangerous.
“If left unchecked, these pressures can lead a person on a path to depression, fatigue, reduced workload, injury, problems at home, chronic illness, expensive treatment, and in extreme cases, suicide,” states the article.
The phone asks consumers to deal with two cases that are detailed but have the use of speculation.
The first is about a DHS emergency responder who uses technology to monitor health levels and stress within a few days while responding to an earthquake. Imaginative theories predict long days of physical activity in 90 high-altitude climates, accompanied by insufficient sleep in beds “due to a lack of hotels, electricity and water.”
A biometric monitoring device – a potential solution for business people to consider – can monitor the respondent’s vital signs and warn him or her and his or her partner about certain problems. The utility case provides an example of how this will work
Another case of use by a cultural officer who works long hours and long lines filled with people in difficult situations. The hypothetical adds to the stress on the home life of this officer, too, all of which leads to a reduction in welfare points, as followed by an app.
“The application has issued a warning to Agent Grant and indications are that he may have a difficult time dealing with the pressures of his job and his life,” the case said. “Agent Grant has not been able to sleep well for weeks, and his alcohol consumption has risen above his normal level. In addition, biometric monitoring equipment noticed that his heart rate increased several times during operation. ”
The proposed solution should include the official’s recommendations for reducing stress levels, such as the study of reflection and meditation.
The utility case raises the issue where an employee may choose to enter into sharing that data with his or her supervisor. This document does not go into detail on which data will be automatically shared or analyzed by the agency and what may require special permission from employees.
The telephone emphasized the importance of confidentiality and data protection, urging bidders to incorporate “existing agreements and emerging standards based on standards, data exchange formats and security policy frameworks” to avoid repetitive solutions across the department.
The contract is managed through DHS ’Silicon Valley Innovation Program, which works with non-traditional technology vendors to incorporate their research into national security requirements. SVIP will enable this award to exercise another of its transactional powers – a procurement process outside the Federal Acquisition Regulation designed to support iterative development from an early perspective through prototype and production.
The project is divided into five phases, with initial funding of $ 200,000 and subsequent phases of $ 500,000. Each phase is scheduled to last for three to nine months.
