Media Contact: Terri Bernhardt (407) 883-5181

ECS Launches New Virtual World, Enhances Communication Capabilites

December 1, 2011. Orlando, Fla. Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) launched a new live demonstration this morning on the showroom floor at the annual Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, Education Conference (I/ITSEC) called ZTech.

ZTech is an exciting new browser-based virtual world that works in almost any secure environment without security exemptions while employing an immersive environment. The new technology offers a rapid response system enabling users to react to their environments in a realistic way. ZTech also uses Flash 11, enabling users to have little or no security issues when using the new technology in a military or security intensive environment.

ZTech is quick to respond to user commands, contains an intuitive user interface, and requires no additional installs. This 3D browser based technology gives users the freedom they need to attend training or interactive meetings across the globe or in their own living room. ZTech helps to solve the problem of training personnel in a real world situation without having the time constraints, incurred costs, and travel requirements a real world scenario would entail. ECS’ newest technology provides excellent, dependable, and customizable training without a big resource price tag.

“With the combination of other ECS products such as Web Nexus and EMST, ZTech gives users the opportunity for collaboration and team work training that is simple – simple for Government use, simple interactions, and simple to meet the security requirements, stated Tracy Boyd, ECS’ ZTech Product Manager. “This is the easiest virtual world to use and to set up. That is because there is no set up.”

ZTech’s 3D virtual world ensures that users have an interactive experience that is ideal for training real world scenarios. For example, FEMA uses the ZTech to train for future disasters, so when real disasters strike, FEMA personalare prepared and experienced to handle them in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

ZTech’s robust framework includes extensive interaction and network managers, enhancing the user experience. The interaction manager gives ZTech enormous 3D object interaction capability, thus increasing user’s training and immersive experience. Also, since ZTech utilizes Flash 11; no additional installs are required and has minimum user hardware requirements. All a user needs is a browser and a willingness to learn.

About ECS

Engineering & Computer Simulations, Inc. is a software development and solutions company located in Orlando, Florida. The core mission of the organization is to provide advanced learning technology solutions to clients within the Commercial and Government sector. The company’s technology portfolio of immersive virtual worlds, serious gaming, performance assessment, staff training, and mobile innovations offers efficiencies in education, training and collaboration.

Media Contact: Terri Bernhardt (407) 883-5181

ECS Debuts Virtual Medic, Serious Game for Medical Training, at Worldwide Simulation Conference

November 30, 2011. Orlando, Fla. Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) announced today that they will be debuting an update to their serious game for medical training. The Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TC3) simulation was developed as a result of the partnership forged between Army Research Lab (ARL) Simulation Training Technology Center (STTC) and the U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School, the Department of Combat Medic Training (DCMT) at Fort Sam Houston, TX, to develop and implement new technologies to support simulation-based training environments for Army combat medics.

The United States Marine Corps leveraged the TC3 Sim game development to create the Computer Based Corpsmen Training System (CBCTS) and in the process, upgraded many of the TC3 features and capabilities. Additional research was required, however, to incorporate the CBCTS capabilities into the TC3 Sim baseline as well as migrate to an Open Source game engine, Ogre3D.

The Virtual Medic (vMedic) is an immersive, first person medical training system that presents students with an interactive 3D Serious Game for learning and practicing battlefield medicine. This system builds upon the US Army’s TC3 Sim and the US Marine Corps’ CBCTS. With vMedic, ECS aimed to improve and enhance the effectiveness of learning content delivered by state of the art instructional technologies to include porting the existing architecture to Ogre3D. The vMedic system also assists in developing new tactical environments with enhanced realism, expands from single player mode to multi-player mode allowing for collaborative training between a Combat Lifesaver and Medic, and integrates with ECS’ Learning Management System, SIMILE, for enhanced assessment capabilities and integration with other performance assessment systems such as MeTER.

vMedic represents the next generation serious game for medical training because it paves the way for collective medical training. “Much like tactical training, medical training focuses on a team. This game provides an opportunity for Combat Lifesavers and Medics to train together to save fallen warriors’ lives as they will do in theater,” stated Joe O’Connell, Vice President, Business Development, ECS. “Whether in the classroom or prior to deployment, trainees can practice critical thinking skills in collaboration with their counterparts, thus better preparing them for battlefield medicine.”

vMedic provides mission-driven scenarios that include synthetic casualties generated from realistic visual, behavioral, and physiological models. Combat Lifesavers and Medics are presented with one or multiple casualties that they must keep alive and evacuate by selecting the appropriate interventions during combat. The trainee takes on the first person view of a Combat Lifesaver or Medic attached to a unit in Afghanistan. During the mission, squad members and civilians are wounded and the injured have to be triaged, treated, and safely evacuated.

After each scenario, learners are presented with an After Action Review that analyzes and evaluates their decision-making skills. The AAR evaluates every critical measure of treatment on a casualty and provides an explanation of a learner’s performance and why it was, or was not successful. This assessment is encoded into rules that are active, based upon the casualties, or combination of casualties in any given scenario. A mission editor is also included that allows users to create and modify the environments, casualties, and scenarios a learner will encounter. New objects and environments can also be imported into the editor from a number of commercially available tools

About ECS

Engineering & Computer Simulations, Inc. is a software development and solutions company located in Orlando, Florida. The core mission of the organization is to provide advanced learning technology solutions to clients within the Commercial and Government sector. The company’s technology portfolio of immersive virtual worlds, serious gaming, performance assessment, staff training, and mobile innovations offers efficiencies in education, training and collaboration.

Media Contact: Terri Bernhardt (407) 883-5181

ECS Unveils Upgraded EMST, to Fully Customized Training

November 29, 2011. Orlando, Fla. Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) announced today added enhancements to the Emergency Manager Staff Trainer (EMST). The EMST is a simulation-based training system that allows individuals or teams to make decisions in realistic situations and see the outcomes. It is a completely web based program that does not require the user to install any software on their computer. Additionally, it is free to use.

The EMST trains novice to expert level with an emphasis on Naturalistic Decision making skills. This is achieved by first teaching the basic knowledge of a domain and tactical decision making. Once the user has a general understanding of their role, they can jump into individual training to refine their skills by exercising with simulated teammates. EMST also has the ability to run team exercises to teach the user how to make effective decisions as a team.

During an exercise, the user will be given injects from many different sources such as email, news articles, television news clips, simulated phone calls and more. These pieces of information will allow the user to make key decisions for their role within the simulation. Based on the user’s action, or inaction, there may be consequences that follow that change the outcome of the simulation.

EMST uses a variety of ways to gauge how the player is performing their role. These ways include tracking whether or not the user sent a key piece of information to another player, such as a filled out form, multiple choice questions, free response questions, and more. Throughout the exercise, these essential actions are automatically tracked and are viewable in an after action review. An instructor or facilitator also has the ability to grade the user’s free response questions and leave beneficial feedback on specific tasks to further improve training.

EMST use is on the rise, with over 1000 different users and clients. Some of the various current stakeholders include FEMA, the National Academies of Sciences, the National Guard Bureau, the Center for Disease Control, U.S. Army RDECOM, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“Looking into the near future, one of the most requested features is about to make its debut – a scenario builder that will allow users to tailor existing scenarios or even create their own without the need of any programming experience,” stated Joe O’Connell, Vice President, Business Development. “This feature will make it possible to fully customize any training event to meet your organization’s specific training needs.”

About ECS

Engineering & Computer Simulations, Inc. is a software development and solutions company located in Orlando, Florida. The core mission of the organization is to provide advanced learning technology solutions to clients within the Commercial and Government sector. The company’s technology portfolio of immersive virtual worlds, serious gaming, performance assessment, staff training, and mobile innovations offers efficiencies in education, training and collaboration.

Media Contact: Terri Bernhardt (407) 883-5181

ECS Wins Five Year NATO ACT Contract to Develop Immersive Learning

November 28, 2011. Orlando, Fla. Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) announced today that it received a five year contract from the NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) to develop its Immersive Learning Environment.

NATO ACT is continuing its training transformation through the use of new advanced learning technologies to include immersive virtual worlds. ECS has previously been awarded three contracts to provide its Nexus virtual world solutions to meet a variety of requirements for NATO ACT. This new contract leverages the award-winning “Boarders Ahoy” prototype that ECS developed to support NATO maritime interdiction training requirements. Bringing the best of two worlds together, NATO ACT required the importing of the Nexus-based Boarders Ahoy into VBS Worlds. NATO ACT currently also uses VBS Worlds/VBS2 for myriad education and training efforts.

In partnership with Bohemia Interactive Simulations, ECS will develop a series of training scenarios to be used by NATO ACT Joint Force Trainer. Potentially, these will include Counter IED and Security training.

ECS Vice President and Chief Technologist Matt Spruill stated, “The merging of ECS’ and Bohemia’s technologies makes perfect sense for NATO given the synergies of both organizations and our solutions for joint force training.”

NATO ACT’s Immersive Learning Program Manager Paul Thurkettle stated, “Following the success of the Boarders Ahoy! prototype, NATO has fully recognized the potential value of this type of learning and working with VBS Worlds. We plan to develop a series of training scenarios to support NATO’s education and training needs.”

About ECS

Engineering & Computer Simulations, Inc. is a software development and solutions company located in Orlando, Florida. The core mission of the organization is to provide advanced learning technology solutions to clients within the Commercial and Government sector. The company’s technology portfolio of immersive virtual worlds, serious gaming, performance assessment, staff training, and mobile innovations offers efficiencies in education, training and collaboration.

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Media Contact: Terri Bernhardt, 407-883-5181

August 29, 2011. Orlando, Fla.  Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) announced today that it has again made the prestigious TOP SIMULATION & TRAINING COMPANIES for Military Training Technology.

KMI Media Groupand Military Training Technology proudly announced the list for the 10th Annual MT2 Top Simulation & Training Companies, ECS making the list for the seventh consecutive year. The MT2 Top Simulation & Training Companiesis a listing of companies that have made a significant impact in the military training industry throughout the current fiscal year; whether it is in simulation, distributed learning, serious gaming, visual systems, embedded training, targets and ranges, database modeling or any other training component. Companies were selected based on various criteria, which, in part, include total military sales, end-user feedback, innovations and need for the solution.

“ECS is honored to be placed in this category,” stated Joe O’Connell, VP Business Development, ECS. “We respect our industry partners and are pleased to be recognized along with them.”

About ECS
ECS is providing its customers innovative, high tech learning solutions through virtual worlds and gaming technology. This month the company delivered to the government its first mobile apps, TraumaCon™, for the iphone and android. The app is providing learning and collaboration capabilities for the U.S. military. The company is a software development and solutions company located in Orlando, Florida.  The core mission of the organization is to provide advanced learning technology solutions to clients within the Commercial and Government sector. Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS)

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Media Contact: Terri Bernhardt, 407-883-5181

August 26, 2011. Orlando, Fla. Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) announced today recent contract awards associated with supporting the National Guard’s Professional Education Center (PEC).  Located at Camp Robinson, North Little Rock, AR, the PEC is home to the Installations, Logistics, and Environment Training Center (IL&ETC), among other training centers.

The training center contracted ECS to augment its blended learning portfolio by leveraging the Guard-based Nexus virtual environment.  Specifically, ECS is developing an Ammunition Supply Point Course.  The use of the Nexus virtual environment enables students to not only learn within the classroom, but also immerse themselves into a contextually relevant environment. As part of this course Soldiers learns how to protect and provide accountability for weapons and ammunition.

Under a modification to the project, ECS is also developing a Supply Room Orientation interactive media presentation that will be used by the National Guard to demonstrate the requirements of a first class awarding- winning Army Supply Room.  This effort will allow students to clearly see a supply room that is effectively laid out with all requirements necessary for safe accounting of Government equipment.  This capability is currently unavailable on the PEC campus since it does not have a training supply room.

ECS’ President, Waymon Armstrong, commented  “The ECS blended learning technologies are supported by scientific metrics which show increased learning and sustainment.  We are excited that the Guard’s hallmark educational institution has chosen to employ these technologies in training its Soldiers.”

About PEC

The Lavern E. Weber Professional Education Center, located at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas, is the national training center for the Army National Guard.  We annually provide instruction to over 20,000 members of the military force. The Professional Education Center is on the leading edge of providing Distributed Learning Courses to all members of the National Guard. Its unique mission has allowed the means to prepare, deliver, and provide the training that is necessary to train the entire military force by utilizing the latest technologies to accomplish its mission.

About ECS
Engineering & Computer Simulations, Inc. is a software development and solutions company located in Orlando, Florida. The core mission of the organization is to provide advanced learning technology solutions to clients within the Government sector. The company’s technology portfolio of immersive virtual worlds, serious gaming, performance assessment, staff training, and mobile innovations offers efficiencies in education, training and collaboration.  www.ecsorl.com

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Media Contact: Terri Bernhardt, 407-883-5181

August 26, 2011. Orlando, Fla. Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) announced today recent contract awards associated with supporting the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Homeland Response Forces (HRFs).  HRFs will increase the focus of DoD Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High explosive (CBRNE) Consequence Management Response forces on lifesaving objectives and increase operational flexibility while recognizing the primary role that the governors play in controlling the response to CBRNE incidents that occur in their states.  The ten National Guard-sourced HRFs will be comprised of National Guard soldiers and airmen. Regionally oriented, each of the ten HRFs will be hosted by one state in each of the FEMA regions.

Leveraging their staff training platform, the Emergency Management Staff Trainer (EMST), ECS will deploy a HRF Headquarters Element training solution representing the doctrinal responsibilities of key HRF leaders and staff personnel.  The solution will fully support the National Guard Bureau (NGB) deployment of the HRF training and validation strategy, while additionally meeting all goals and objectives of the NGB CBRNE enterprise strategy.  Additionally, ECS will create a series of immersive 2D/3D scenarios that train and test HRF leaders and staff members on appropriate actions relevant to their particular role with the HRF.  An engaging After Action Review (AAR) provides feedback to the leaders and staff personnel upon completion of the scenario.

ECS Principal Investigator, Mary Ann Pigora, stated “The initial feedback from the NGB on this training was very positive.  The EMST training provides the Crawl and Walk capabilities, prior to the HRFs being validated in a live training culminating event.”

About ECS
Engineering & Computer Simulations, Inc. is a software development and solutions company located in Orlando, Florida. The core mission of the organization is to provide advanced learning technology solutions to clients within the Government sector. The company’s technology portfolio of immersive virtual worlds, serious gaming, performance assessment, staff training, and mobile innovations offers efficiencies in education, training and collaboration.  www.ecsorl.com

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Terri Bernhardt (407) 883-5181

Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) Named to INC Magazine “Americas Fastest Growing Private Companies” 3 Years in a Row

August 24, 2011. Orlando, Fla.  Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) announced today that it has been named on Inc. 5000’s prestigious list, ranking number 1422 of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The Inc. list represents a comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy-America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs.

This honor marks the third consecutive year that ECS has been acknowledged by the magazine for its consistently rapid revenue growth. The company’s exponential growth is a direct reflection of the superior training and simulation products and services they deliver to ECS customers.

“It is an honor again to be ranked with the nations’ fastest growing companies,” said Waymon Armstrong, president of ECS. “I give credit to our team, their relentless drive to succeed and our insightful and dedicated clients, America’s military service members and first responders.” he added.

About ECS

ECS is providing its customers innovative, high tech learning solutions through virtual worlds and gaming technology. This month the company delivered to the government its first mobile apps, TraumaCon™, for the iphone and android. The app is providing learning and collaboration capabilities for the U.S. military. The company is a software development and solutions company located in Orlando, Florida.  The core mission of the organization is to provide advanced learning technology solutions to clients within the Commercial and Government sector. www.ecsorl.com

About Inc 5000

There are nearly 7 million private, employee-based firms in America. Only the very best are awarded the distinction of being named to the Inc. 500|5000, the gold standard of entrepreneurial success, according to Inc.com. The magazine has been the premier print publication for entrepreneurs and business owners for more than 30 years, and more recently has become known for its Inc. 500|5000 list and the annual events it hosts. Since 1996 Inc.com has also been providing access to current online issues and archives of back issues.

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Media Contact: Terri Bernhardt (407) 883-5181

Orlando, Fla. August 3, 2011. Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) announced that it received a contract from the NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) to develop its Augmented Virtuality Environment.

NATO ACT is transforming the way the NATO prepares and assists future decision makers and leaders to employ joint operational art, understand the common operational picture, respond innovatively, and adapt quickly to our adversaries. The responsibility of delivering knowledge through technologies, such as virtual worlds, will take on many forms, including education, training, learning, and human expertise. It is the goal of the NATO ACT to make this knowledge available anytime and anywhere, using a state-of-the-art distribution process to match advanced knowledge content with individuals and groups to improve joint operational proficiency and effectiveness. To support this, ECS is delivering its Nexus Virtual World platform and associated tools to facilitate the training of military, other government and non-governmental organizations on all perspectives and processes in that operational environment. This application of Nexus specifically highlights the different ways that military service members and civilians visualize and perceive the same information in an operational setting.  The application will be demonstrated live today during Advanced Learning’s annual ImplementationFest.

Since 2003, NATO ACT has been seeking methods to improve civil and military interaction. From the birth of a Civil-Military Interaction concept, to the establishment of a functioning organization, there are many challenges that must be overcome in developing an emerging operational capability. Recognizing this, NATO Supreme Allied Command Transformation Headquarters dedicated the manpower and resources to establish the “Civil-Military Fusion Centre” and its “CimicWeb” portal, with the office commencing operations in January 2008. The Centre was founded as a functioning prototype and tool to facilitate information sharing between civilian and military actors during natural and man-made crisis situations in order to enhance their sense of shared situational awareness. The Centre has now successfully entered its third year of operation and continues to serve as a unique and world class organization promoting closer relationships between civilian and military actors by providing a venue to communicate and collaborate to create a shared holistic view of the civil-military engagement space.

NATO ACT Project Manager, Wayne Buck stated, “Based on their training and experiences, civilians representing any of the myriad non-governmental and private volunteer organizations, and military members have different perspectives of our operational environments. There is a distinct requirement to educate each other, military and civilians alike, so that we can collaborate and assist each other in performing our individual missions.”

ECS President, Waymon Armstrong, stated “The use of the Nexus virtual world as a venue for the interchange between civil and military organizations is a natural extension of NATO’s current use for a diverse set of requirements and an enhancement that adds significant benefits for future users of the Nexus virtual world.”

About ECS
Engineering & Computer Simulations, Inc. is a software development and solutions company located in Orlando, Florida. The core mission of the organization is to provide advanced learning technology solutions to clients within the Commercial and Government sector. The company’s technology portfolio of immersive virtual worlds, serious gaming, performance assessment, staff training, and mobile innovations offers efficiencies in education, training and collaboration.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Terri Bernhardt (407) 883-5181

Orlando, Fla. June 22,2011. Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) announces the establishment of its Cognitive Training group which will lead the company’s learning and cognition research. The group’s mission will be to design and develop cognitively authentic technology solutions that help learners construct knowledge, practice critical skills, and gain realistic experience. ECS understands that meaningful learning is an active mental process; therefore our technology solutions will incorporate both the cognitive and behavioral dimensions of human performance.

ECS is a software development company located in Orlando, Florida that develops useable technology solutions for individuals, teams, and organizations to perform at the highest cognitive levels and be better decision makers..  The launch of the cognitive training group will bring yet another dimension to the company’s product line by providing innovative instructional technologies and learning solutions for new and existing government clients.

The new group will be led by Jeff Sestokas, a senior instructional systems designer and research scientist specializing in application and diffusion of instructional technologies.   Sestokas holds a M.A.Ed. in Instructional Design and Technology and a B.A. in English specializing in secondary integrated language arts from Baldwin-Wallace College (Berea, Ohio).  His previous work centered on developing training for complex, multi-agency and military command environments with a focus on designing scenarios, evaluation and assessment tools within computerized and live environments.

“Being part of the ECS Cognitive Training team is extremely motivating,” said Sestokas.  “We are already working on new technologies that will help our end users gain the experience needed to make critical decisions and develop the necessary mental models for long-term sustained performance.

Waymon Armstrong, company President and CEO stated, “At ECS, we always want to focus on innovation while consistently providing our customers, our military and first responders, the best learning experience possible.”  The new group stood up in the Spring and is working on a standardized certification solution for emergency management personnel at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in addition to supporting the US Navy on the use of 2D/3D technology for training Integrated Product Teams charged with Acquisition responsibilities.

About ECS
Engineering & Computer Simulations, Inc. is a software development and solutions company located in Orlando, Florida. The core mission of the organization is to provide advanced learning technology solutions to clients within the Commercial and Government sector. The company’s technology portfolio of immersive virtual worlds, serious gaming, performance assessment, staff training, and mobile innovations offers efficiencies in education, training and collaboration.