Saturday, February 28, 2009

'Public agencies should adopt interoperability': "There is a snowballing chorus across various stake holders in Bangalore city that there should be an effective disaster management programme and it should be backed by robust communication tools and technology."
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"Detailing how various government agencies should swing into action during a emergency, experts details that public safety agencies must act immediately and coordinate with ambulance service, fire safety department, special task force, and riot and traffic control police. In such an environment quick action is of utmost importance. Present communication system handles only day-to-day operations of individual agencies and not cross-functional requirements."
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"Technology analysts detail that without good Interoperable communications, state and local agencies cannot communicate as one entity and respond in a coordinated and effective manner to save lives, homes and establishments. “An avalanche of voice communications over different network solutions can simply overwhelm you. If vital organisations like police, fire and other emergency communications systems failed to “talk” together at a moment’s notice when an emergency situation cropped up, the result would be disastrous,” he noted.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Twisted radio beams could untangle the airwaves: "The human race is not only exhausting tangible resources such as oil. The radio frequency spectrum available for wireless communication is becoming the increasingly crowded, with virgin 'veins' of frequency running short. However, Swedish physicists say that twisting radio beams into a helical shape as they are transmitted could help ease the congestion. Radio frequency encompasses electromagnetic waves between 3 kilohertz and 300 gigahertz, and as wireless communications technology advances much of that range is being used."

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Georgia Public-Safety Radio Network Years in the Making: "Having interoperable communications during an emergency can be priceless for first responders and the public, but rolling out the network can take years. The Georgia Interoperability Network allows statewide communication for first responders without requiring counties to replace existing radio equipment. By retaining the counties' current radio equipment, the state has achieved widespread buy-in among first responders in Georgia's 159 counties.

The Georgia State Patrol owns the network, which was funded by a multimillion dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program. The state patrol, Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) collaborated on the network. Production on the network began two years ago and is expected to be completed December 2009."