The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia is a recognized leader in promoting the health and quality of life of people in the U.S. and around the world. In today’s environment, new diseases have the potential to spread globally in a matter of days, or even hours, making early detection and decisive action crucial.

The existing CDC response system was comprised of a mixture of phones, pagers, computers and various pieces of AV equipment in a converted auditorium. The set-up created a number of issues around workflow and crisis situations. The need for a central communications and command hub was acute.

Led by Home Depot Co-Founder Bernard Marcus in April 2002, the CDC Foundation began a campaign to raise funds for a state-of-the-art control room. Donations and discounts came in from such leading companies as HP, Dell and Motorola. Christie responded by supplying its high performance projection technology at a significant discount.

The new 7,000 square foot Marcus Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Atlanta became fully operational in March 2003. Located on the main floor, the control room is a sophisticated, state-of-the-art facility with theatre-style operator seating.

At the heart of the mission critical center are two videowalls powered by eight 50" Christie GraphXMASTER CX50-100U projection cubes that utilize single-chip DLP™ technology. The GraphXMASTERs are set-up in a 2x2 array, creating two videowalls that enable the CDC staff to access, read and prioritize all incoming information.

The cubes are controlled by two Christie NetMASTER FRC-5000 multimedia wall controllers and provide the flexibility to display multiple images or one large image across the entire videowall.

“The video projection cubes are a central piece of CDC’s emergency operations center,” said Charles Stokes, President and CEO of the CDC Foundation. The videowall allows CDC scientists, doctors and researchers to view live video and data feeds from around the world, as well as hold teleconferences with scientists on location and at other healthcare organizations. Images of real-time events, statuses, alerts, news and maps are transmitted via cable, satellite and computer feeds.

“The work performed by the CDC impacts people all over the world,” says Alan Dresner, Senior Director, Control Room Sales at Christie. “We are pleased to support the ongoing efforts of the CDC and play a vital role in the new control center.”

The center has already assisted in the international investigation into the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).