Radically new environment for public safety

Transforming Information into Intelligence

Our communities are awash in a rising tide of information generated by the citizens themselves. Globally, 200,000 text messages are being sent this very second.* More than 30 million surveillance cameras are capturing video in the U.S alone. Smartphone users – almost half the U.S. population – are uploading videos, photos and social media posts.
The challenge for public safety is this: Hidden in this flood of raw data is intelligence that tells you how to deploy your resources… where to predict trouble… and potentially how to save a life.
This is a rich and unprecedented resource, but most agencies today are barely skimming the surface. It’s not enough to simply monitor information as it flows through the community. The hard part is filtering out the noise and transforming what’s left into actionable intelligence. The meaning of "situational awareness" changes when half your citizens are equipped to share live video as events unfold; but one thing that won’t change is the limited human capacity to process information. This is especially true for first responders under stress on the front lines. They are in no position to go hunting for needles in haystacks.
Technology – which created this resource – is our best hope for operationalizing it. Emerging solutions will enable agencies to catch up with the expectations of their constituents:

• First responders are armed with relevant information sent to rugged devices on their bodies and in their vehicles, enabling them to proceed with intelligence and be ready for what’s next.
• Agencies manage the complexity with solutions that consolidate data from multiple sources, then analyze it to recognize patterns, retrieve relevant facts, and make predictions… giving commanders guidance for mounting effective responses and preventing trouble before it starts.
• The command center connects to the city and its people, collecting information by voice, messaging, photos and video.

This is a radically new environment for public safety, but Motorola Solutions is working on developing the tools to master it. The opportunity before us is to transform the noise into information, the information into intelligence, and ultimately, the intelligence into a safer city.
Bob Schassler is Motorola's senior vice president for Radio Solutions.

Posted by Bob Schassler on Aug 16, 2012 6:37:35 PM

Street Ready Data Over Public Safety LTE

Police Stay A Step Ahead of Criminals with World’s First Handheld Public Safety LTE Device to Deliver “Street Ready” Data


<><>

<> </>

</></><><>

</></>

Watch the Video

LAS VEGAS (IWCE, Motorola Solutions Booth #5001) – Feb. 22, 2012 - Criminals are getting more sophisticated, and technology is providing law breakers new ways to plan, execute and synchronize their actions. At the same time, law enforcement agencies with fewer resources are handling increased workloads. With an always-on Public Safety LTE broadband network connecting a multimedia command center to a new category of innovative Public Safety LTE data devices like the LEX 700, first responders are ready to meet new threats on the street with powerful new tools of their own.

Moving to NG9-1-1: Insuring i3 readiness…what you need to know NOW! .

Cassidian Communications. 42505 Rio Nedo. Temecula, CA 92590 USA.

The Public Safety landscape is changing, transitioning from circuit switched to broadband, IP network technology and from voice centric to multimedia enabled operations.  This is known as Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1). NG9-1-1 supports a wide array of non-traditional communications types including but not limited to text messaging, real time text (RTT), sensors, telematics, automatic crash notification, video, shot cameras and many other new content types. Most importantly, the NENA i3, standards based NG9-1-1 environment provides fully interoperable communications capabilities thereby enabling enhanced collaboration while at the same promoting competition and cost control.

Almost simultaneously, there is a similar shift going on in Public Safety radio.  Voice centric operations are being augmented by high bandwidth data communications.  Once again broadband technology, in this case using the endorsed Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, is being employed to facilitate this shift. LTE is a powerful cellular technology standard intended to greatly increase the speed and capacity of mobile networks.  With LTE, users have the data capacity needed for anytime, anywhere access to video, high-definition imagery and other multimedia content.

Broadband LTE will enhance operational efficiency through the real-time transmission of data to/from the field and amongst agencies.  The ubiquitous deployment of broadband using a single standard (LTE) will provide a fully interoperable broadband communications environment for Public Safety, improving situational awareness and providing a common operating picture.

Taking the First Step

But, many service providers and PSAPs are now finding themselves limited by equipment and networks that are incapable of providing a cost effective evolution to NG9-1-1 and to broadband applications.  Planning is the key first step in implementing an NG9-1-1 solution and realizing the improvements that it will bring.  Solution planning considerations must include the selection and deployment of a fully NENA i3 compliant Emergency Services IP Network (ESInet) and multimedia “call” processing platform as well as identifying operational changes that are needed for the PSAP to take advantage of the NG9-1-1 data and environment.
Technology now allows the option to build an ESInet solution with the flexibility to host a single PSAP or multiple PSAPs by employing a redundant, resilient, geo-diverse  design/deployment architecture versus having separate controllers at every PSAP location. This type of PSAP design provides initial cost savings, and puts the PSAP in control of alternate routing and backup capabilities. Additional PSAPs can be added later with a minimal amount of equipment, or existing PSAPs can be consolidated in the future.Ultimately, this leverages greater economies of scale for better return on investment in these challenging budget times. It can also offer new and improved levels of service such as regional disaster recovery backup PSAPs, as well as hosted services like emergency notification or Managed Services.

As developed by ATIS, RFAI was always intended to be a voice only, transitional protocol. This can be seen in the ATIS RFAI Protocol Document which communicates that once the NENA i3 standard is approved and available for use, RFAI is no longer needed.
Implementing a NENA i3 complaint ESInet without ever deploying the RFAI transitional protocol will provide the PSAP another additional benefit…cost savings. Implementing an i3 ESInet in the beginning saves the cost and disruption associated with the inevitable later transition from RFAI to i3 and/or associated with additional interfaces required to enable multimedia processing on a RFAI ESInet.

Open Standards Improve Control, Speed Response, Save Lives

 Cassidian Communications understands that, for the call center of the future, situational awareness and the sharing of this awareness with others (known as a common operating picture) are essential. Solution decisions made today are critical. In that they could impact operational capability for many years. That’s why our vision for integrated command and control starts with a common technology framework, one that is open, standards-based, with a common IP backbone providing the unified, multimedia communications technology that underpins all aspects of coordinated emergency response. IP communications not only supports the convergence of multiple data types at a single workstation, it also makes possible the virtual and/or physical consolidation of sites, and provides the superior level of resiliency and reliability required for mission critical communications.

In addition to the convergence of voice, video and data communications, Cassidian Communications vision also includes the use of Emergency Service IP Networks (ESINets) interconnect PSAPs, Dispatch Centers and other agencies to provide full interoperability and to promote operational collaboration and through the secure sharing of relevant data bases (such as map data), incident information and multimedia content. For more information, please contact us at RCS Communications.

Proven Backhaul Advantages

If you want to avoid bottlenecks, your backhaul system has to deliver high performance. At the 2011 Animal Farm Conference, wireless service provider attendees selected five vendors of license-exempt solutions and three vendors of licensed microwave solutions to participate in an independent "Backhaul Bake-off" test program. The test results provided some eye-opening information. In the end, Motorola's Point-to-Point (PTP) 600 and PTP 800 Series systems significantly outperformed other competitors. When the tests were complete, it was clear that Motorola's products offered higher throughput, lower latency and better handling of traffic peaks, all of which can help you improve backhaul performance and avoid bottlenecks. To learn more about Motorola's PTP 800 Series, contact your RCS Communications Consultants, RCS IT Department or RCS Support.