IWCE’s IoT Saving Lives provides public-safety leaders with information about the Internet of Things

By Stacey Orlick, Conference Director, IWCE’s IoT Saving Lives

IWCE is working with Internet of Things World—our sister event—to produce a one-day pre-conference workshop on the Internet of Life Saving Things (IoLST). Called IWCE’s IoT Saving Lives, the event will take place on Monday, May 14 at the Santa Clara Convention Center’s Grand Ballroom in Santa Clara, Calif.

A call to 911 has become a standard in this country, with help just a phone call away. And now with cell phones, the demand is even greater for instant emergency services.

As the Internet of Things becomes more prevalent, more items will be connected, more network capacity is needed, and first responders are faced with information coming to them from more angles. Whether it’s users with devices and applications actively sending information or sensors, GPS systems, artificial intelligence and virtual reality passively providing details, they all can provide data that may be useful to first responders.

But questions remain about IoT, as well as the Internet of Life Saving Things:

• Reliable connectivity is the backbone for first responders, especially with so many “things” connected at a time when spectrum and network capacity is increasingly more strained. Whether it’s the density of users (and obstructions) in cities or the lack of equipment connecting rural areas, or other issues, how do first responders stay reliability connected? And what happens when that connectivity is lost during an incident or disaster?
• What other devices are being added to the ecosystem to benefit first responders, such as law enforcement, EMS and fire personnel?
• How do the clearinghouses for incoming and outgoing information—such public-safety answering points (PSAPs) and emergency operations centers—manage the sheer amount of data, and make it actionable to those in the field?
• Is the Internet secure enough for first responders to rely on it for delivering, processing and securing information? Can they trust that an alert from an individual’s wearable health device is a real cry for help, as opposed to a malfunction or a hack?
• And how does this all fit into the grand plans of smart cities, NG911 and FirstNet?

IWCE’s IoT Saving Lives will try to answer these questions and more by bringing together industry experts and leading vendors to discuss how IoT can benefit first responders in ways unimaginable even 10 years ago.

In addition, registration to IWCE’s IoT Saving Lives includes access to the Internet of Things World exhibit floor, with over 300 exhibitors and start-ups showcasing the latest IoT technology.

Register before April 26 to receive our early-bird rates. If you use promo code URGENT, you’ll get another 30% off any registration category. For government attendees (as most first responders are), you’ll pay only $139 if you register before Thursday. For others, General Admission is only $245 through Thursday.

Register today at http://www.iwceexpo.com/IoTSavingLives/. We hope to see you in Santa Clara!