The issues raised by this survey, simply with regard to the capability of dispatching and acknowledging emergency messages, were many. Many vendors, wireless or otherwise, are lining up to sell countless solutions for every aspect of homeland security ranging from simple economical solutions to extremely expensive and elaborate ones. In 2002, Congresswoman Jane Harmon was the guest speaker in Torrance California for a seminar titled “Technology Against Terrorism.” Many vendors attended, ranging from developers of the latest in scan technology for airports, to those of video surveillance systems, to consulting firms focused on computer security and GPS and location technology. These vendors could be placed into two clear categories: 1) new vendors with no customers pitching a solution or consulting services; 2) established vendors such as Motorola looking to maintain leadership in certain vertical markets such as homeland security. Looking long term at making any type of purchasing decision would be a difficult task for even an expert in any one of these technologies. For deciding on wireless technology, the issues are even broader.
For example, traditional paging networks such as WebLink Wireless typically have broader coverage areas, better in-building penetration and less expensive services than cellular networks. However, cellular providers such as Nextel offer voice services as well as text messaging services similar to those of the paging industry. This is why it is not uncommon to see emergency services personnel carrying a pager (or two), cell phone, and a two-way radio on their belts. No single department or agency has standardized on any single form of wireless technology because no single form of wireless technology offers every capability.
Expanding beyond just deciding on what device to carry and on what network, there are hundreds of choices to be made in applications that use these networks to send and receive data. For example, an agency may purchase phones and services from Nextel and make extensive use of software loaded on these phones to look up license plate numbers, vehicle identification numbers and drivers license numbers. This “look up” component would typically be provided by a third party vendor, and would involve a monthly service fee over and above the monthly costs for phone usage.
Study assesses 440 public safety organizations and their traditional dispatching capabilities (published feature article in Mission Critical Magazine).
