Motorola uses APCO for multiple announcements, product introductions

At the APCO national conference in Nashville, Tenn., today, Motorola took advantage of the public safety forum to make a series of announcements, product introductions and demonstrations.

Motorola demonstrated how it would deliver mission-critical information to law enforcement and rescue personnel as quickly as possible using a dispatch system.

“In the dispatch center, where a few seconds can make a critical difference, access to timely information through reliable delivery has never been more critical,” said Bruce Heyman, a Motorola Communications & Electronics vice president. “Motorola has designed a suite of products that will work together to power everything from emergency response to service delivery.”

Motorola demonstrated its integrated systems by following the cycle of a call, from initial dispatch through final resolution, highlighting critical functions including telephony, dispatch, police, fire and EMS alerting, and remote data access and retrieval.

The 9-1-1 call event was simulated using Vesta 911 from Plant Equipment provided by Motorola. The Vesta software-based telecommunications system allows information to flow from telephone system, through dispatch, response and incident closure. Call-takers manage multiple applications with a single keyboard and mouse.

Integrated with the call handling software is Motorola’s Customer Service Management (CSM) application that enables a caller reporting a non-emergency to be transferred to the appropriate municipal agency, it also automates resolution of the call and tracks response time.

As the call is answered, the caller’s data, including name, address and location populate Motorola’s Premier CAD Incident Initiation, simultaneously pinpointing the caller’s location on its Advanced Tactical Mapping component. Premier CAD automates the call taking and dispatching functions, giving multiple law enforcement and fire departments the ability to use the same system to initiate and manage incidents and to dispatch resources. During a major event requiring a multi-agency response, all agencies work from the same incident data and are kept advised about up-to-the minute information about resources needed and those that have been committed.

The Premier CAD dispatches the information to the Premier MDC Mobile Application software incorporated in MW520 mobile data terminals, which are installed in public safety agency vehicles.

By consolidating the transmit functions for police, fire and EMS onto one console, the Motorola Centracom Elite integrated application allows the dispatcher to manage voice and tone communication to public safety response teams easily and efficiently. The MOSCAD Fire Station Alerting application, integrated with the Centracom Elite console, allows a dispatcher to transmit a voice message and tone alert to multiple fire stations. It automatically delivers an incident-specific live or pre-recorded public address with audio routing. MOSCAD also opens doors, turns on lights, shuts off gas, activates building alarms and transmits Rip & Run printouts simultaneously to multiple fire stations.

Also featured is Motorola’s Infotrak Law Records Management System (LRMS) and Premier MD Mobile Application software that work together to enable field personnel to receive the Premier CAD dispatch, access map and route information, and retrieve data on prior incidents. Infotrak’s technology allows law enforcement agencies to effectively manage the recording, indexing and tracking of criminal and non-criminal related incidents. Infotrak electronically stores reports, which accelerates the retrieval and routing process and eliminates the need for paper records.

“Motorola’s integrated dispatch solution draws on our ability to manage multiple applications to deliver system-wide capabilities, ” said Heyman.

Also at the Motorola exhibit was the Premier Handheld Citation and Field Interview device that enables police officers to wirelessly retrieve data from the Department of Motor Vehicles, relay data, and prepare traffic citations on the spot from a single handheld device. The wireless device eliminates the need to hand-write traffic tickets, automatically preparing a clearly printed citation in seconds with only a few strokes of a stylus.

700 MHz system for public safety agencies

Motorola announced that its 700 MHz infrastructure developed in anticipation of the FCC allocation is scheduled to be ready for shipping at the end of 2002. Motorola introduced a new generation of digital mobile platform that expands the capabilities of its mobile products to accommodate the new bandwidth.

“Our newest Astro products will be designed for dual-mode use – to operate across both 800 MHz and the new 700 MHz public safety frequency bands,” said Chuck Jackson, vice president of system operations, Motorola Communications and Electronics. “This feature offers much-needed communications flexibility to users as they transition to the new platform.”

Motorola’s Astro XTS 2500 and XTS 5000 radios, introduced in 2001, already have the capability to operate on the new bandwidth.

The FCC allocated an additional 24 MHz of public safety spectrum in the 700 MHz band, providing immediate capacity growth in areas not blocked by incumbent television channels.

“Many public safety agencies are in critical need of this additional spectrum to accommodate their expanding mission-critical voice and data user needs,” said Jackson. “Although the new bandwidth can be used in a large portion of the country, there are still areas that remain encumbered by incumbent broadcast channels. We look forward to the day when this bandwidth will be made available throughout the country to public safety first responders.”

CSR technology for citizen service requests

Motorola demonstrated technology to meet the growing need for local governments to respond quickly to citizen requests for non-emergency services.

Six cities now use the technology that automates and enhances 3-1-1 call center operations. The company Customer Service Request (CSR) system establishes a single point of contact for citizens to request government services and information, automatically routes service requests to the proper department and tracks those requests until they are resolved.

The cities of Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas; Baltimore, Md.; Chicago; and San Jose, Calif., have installed the CSR system. Two additional cities, Winston-Salem, N. Carolina, and Akron, Ohio, recently acquired the system and implementations are underway.

“We want to treat our citizens like customers,” said Elliot Schlanger, Baltimore’s chief information officer. “With Motorola’s CSR system, we are meeting that goal. We are going to make it a lot easier for citizens to access the city.”

CSR delivers a new level of information to agency managers and policymakers.

For example, CSR enables the city to track data that includes the nature of the problem, location, caller, time of day, which department responded and length of response time. Problems such as repairing potholes or fixing streetlights receive quick attention, which lowers the number of duplicate service requests, and reduces costly multiple responses to the same problem.

“We’ve designed the system so cities can automate their responses to citizen requests and collect important data that can be used to better manage city resources,” said Steve Reed, Motorola’s director of public service solutions. “The CSR system enables the city to get a bird’s eye view of its workflow management and make changes that will better serve its citizens.”

“Our mayor is concerned about how well we perform after we hang up the phone and the service request is initiated,” said Baltimore’s Schlanger. “And if we capture every service request in the city the same way and start to track them, this tool can be a very significant executive information system for monitoring performance through all of the agencies.”

The system’s configuration allows individual departments or jurisdictions to tailor the solution to meet their requirements. For instance, in Chicago, CSR serves 42 city departments, in Dallas, it links 33 departments, and in Houston, six departments are currently online.

The types of service requests can be customized by each city. In Baltimore, “CitiTrack,” as local officials call it, CSR defines and configures more than 250 common service requests, in Dallas, more than 425 types of requests are tracked, and in Chicago, 500 different service requests are defined.

CSR can also be accessed in a variety of ways to suit individual requirements. In Chicago, CSR links citizens to all city services simply by dialing 3-1-1, while in San Jose, a seven-digit number is used to reach a newly created Customer Service Call Center. Baltimore took advantage of Motorola’s Application Service Provider (ASP) deployment alternative for CSR, and its system is hosted at Motorola’s facilities in Schaumburg, Ill. Dallas is the first to use a new functionality that further enhances productivity-city personnel are able to receive citizen requests wirelessly, even while traveling in a city vehicle.

“We needed a partner that truly understood the government market,” said Dan McFarland, Dallas’ chief information officer. “We chose Motorola because it designed its CSR solution specifically for government entities.”

Atlantic Canadian radio systems manager wins award

During the annual meeting of Motorola’s Trunked Users Group held during APCO’s national conference, Motorola gave its Danny Smith Award to Ron Dingwell, radio systems manager for all Royal Canadian Mountain Police radio resources in Atlantic Canada.

Dingwell was recognized for his contributions to MTUG and MTUG’s Atlantic Canada chapter where he serves as vice president of technical services. He is also an active member of the national technical group.

“Ron’s contributions to the MTUG Atlantic Chapter are numerous and have done much to propel the chapter’s member programs and communications initiatives forward,” said Kevin Kerns, MTUG 1st vice president. “His activity in numerous focus groups and technical committees has provided MTUG and Atlantic Canadian radio users with a wealth of valuable resources.”

Dingwell was instrumental in developing the first MTUG Web site for the Atlantic Chapter, allowing all members the opportunity to communicate and disseminate information more efficiently.

A significant player in the Canadian radio landscape, Dingwell manages a staff of 30 people across a geography stretching from Newfoundland on the far east and north coast of Canada to Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. He has shown tremendous commitment to the growth and influence of MTUG in Atlantic Canada and nationwide.

“Ron Dingwell exemplifies the commitment and leadership that is instrumental in the success of the MTUG organization at both the local and national level,” said Chuck Jackson, Motorola Communications and Electronics’ vice president and director of systems operations. “His past and present contributions to MTUG raise the bar for excellence for all members.”

The Danny Smith Award is named for the former manager of radio services for the city of Tulsa, Okla. Smith was instrumental in founding MTUG in 1987. He was known nationally for his dedication to public safety communications and his skill in bringing people together to find solutions to common communications challenges. Smith served on the MTUG board for six years. Members of the MTUG organization select the annual award recipients.

Astro 25 takes on rapid mobile intelligence

Motorola announced a wireless mobile data solution, ASTRO 25 with High Performance Data, that represents the first announced private wireless data system with the ability to deliver 96 kbps of data. Designed to operate in both 700 MHz and 800 MHz bands, the network will use standard 25 kHz channel allocations and will deliver a mobile coverage footprint similar to 800 MHz voice systems.

“The value of high-speed data access was demonstrated by public safety professionals in Pinellas County, Florida,” said Rich Baids, vice president and general manager, Radio Systems Division, Motorola. “We are very excited to be developing this high speed data capability in a 25 kHz solution. It’s not just the speed. The Astro 25 with High Performance Data solution will offer a performance level optimized for mission-critical private systems, and a solid migration path to even higher speed technology when 700 MHz wideband channels become available for public safety use.”

The data solution will enable public safety agencies to further leverage the investment organizations have already made in their information infrastructure by extending those desktop applications to a greater number of users for direct access from the vehicle. These network capabilities support image and file transfer as well as text and a complete portfolio of applications, including computer-aided dispatch (CAD), geographical information systems (GIS) and Motorola Public Safety software. It will also drive commercialization of new applications specifically designed for field use. The higher data rates will represent a step forward in getting the right information to the right person at the right time.

Law enforcement will be able use the technology for incident management, emergency preparedness assessment, report writing, broadcast message (BOLO) with attached digital photographs, fingerprinting, tip sheets, mugshots, data warehouse access, integration of location-based technologies and graphical presentation of information.

This will be a critical tool for firefighters as well. The wireless mobile data network will have the ability to access geographical information systems, building plans and blueprints, equipment status, Hazmat databases and up-to-date information on working hydrant locations.

“The current and future applications this network solution will support significantly enhance the efficiency, situational awareness and safety of mobile public safety personnel,” said Baids. “Investing in the Astro 25 platform today will deliver tremendous dividends in the future when High Performance Data becomes available, dramatically extending the life cycle of customers’ mobile data investment.”

New dispatch console for conventional radio systems

Motorola introduced its new MCC 5500 dispatch console designed for mission-critical dispatch communications operations of Project 25 conventional radio systems.

“The introduction of the new console exemplifies Motorola’s continuing support for public safety agencies that rely solely on conventional radio systems for their mission critical communications needs,” said Nick Rendone, a Motorola vice president and director of network infrastructure operations. “This new console adds to the growing portfolio of Motorola integrated control room applications, providing a coordinated approach to effective resource management.”

Expected to be available in the first quarter of 2003, the MCC 5500 provides a range of high-tier features, including redundancy, patch and multi-select capabilities. The console supports Stat-Alert and Astro 25 signaling, enabling push-to-talk and emergency ID. While designed specifically for conventional radio systems, the console will provide future trunking access through a wireless interface.

Using Windows XP, the console provides an intuitive icon-based GUI for the dispatcher. Integrated paging and telephony allow dispatch teams to effectively manage the communications resources at their disposal. A comprehensive management program provides the system administrator with complete diagnostics and statistical reports and the ability to log dispatch operations. And with its flexible architecture, the MCC 5500 allows for system expansion as operations demand and new features can be added through a simple software upgrade.

Ruggedized mobile and portable data solutions

Motorola has expanded its data products portfolio to offer a ruggedized data solution for mission-critical public safety applications, with the introductions of its Mobile Laptop 800 (ML 800), Portable Tablet 800 (PT 800) and Mobile Workstation 800* (MW 800).

Both the ML 800 and PT 800 are available now. The MW 800 will ship in early 2003.

“Motorola’s new mobile and portable data products significantly expand the family of data solutions available to public safety agencies,” said David Nairn, Motorola Communications and Electronics vice president. “The new offerings directly address our customer’s requests for ruggedized, portable and versatile data solutions that meet their unique communications needs.”

The sealed ML 800 meets environmental specifications, including Military Specs MIL-STD-810E. Its high resolution XGA LCD panel, with optional transflective coating, provides detailed, sunlight readable graphic images, fingerprints and mug shots. It runs on Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems and is compatible with Motorola’s public safety applications such as Premier MDC, Tx Messenger and Airmobile software packages. The ML 800 can be used in or out of a vehicle without having to power it up or down and has complete integrated hot docking capabilities.

The Motorola Portable Tablet Computer 800 combines portability, accessibility and versatility. It docks in a vehicle and can be carried in hand. A high-resolution LCD screen, also available with transflective coating, provides complete “touch screen” capabilities and a dispensable on-screen keyboard. Like the ML 800, the PT 800 runs Windows2000 and WindowsXP operating systems, as well as all Motorola public safety software. With a high-capacity 20GB hard drive and Intel Mobile Pentium III processor, the PT 800 can handle a vast array of data quickly and efficiently.

The Motorola Mobile Workstation 800 (MW 800) is Motorola’s highest-performing and most ruggedized data computing solution. Available in early 2003, the MW 800 has a Pentium IV 1.7 GHz processor, and its memory can range from 256MG to 1GB. A single CPU can support dual displays and keyboards and two simultaneous independent applications. The CPU can also sustain multiple internal radios including private wide area modems, 802.11B, Bluetooth and GPS. The MW 800 also offers digital VCR capabilities allowing users to download/upload videos to a server.

“Motorola is proud to offer a broader range of ruggedized computer data solutions for mission-critical public safety applications,” said Nairn. “These products will continue to evolve to ensure users have instant mobile access to the most complete data available.”

Next generation of digital mobile radios

Motorola announced a new generation digital mobile radio expanding its portfolio of Project 25 compliant trunked communications solutions. The new high-end mobile radio delivers a wide variety of user features ranging from dual band operation to data communications capability and is part of Motorola’s extensive portfolio of integrated communications and information solutions to address mission-critical safety and security requirements worldwide. This new two-way mobile radio is scheduled to be available for shipment in the first quarter of 2003.

Designed to support both 800 MHz and the new 700 MHz public safety frequency bands, this next generation digital mobile will have the ability to provide greater communications flexibility for users to move from 800 MHz systems to 700 MHz systems in the future. The radio’s initial release will feature existing control head designs from the Astro Spectra mobile radio series, so users can transition to the new platform without retraining.

“We are excited to offer public safety users the additional flexibility and communications capability this new digital platform affords,” said Steve Young, director of subscriber operations for Motorola. “Utilizing the same radio, public safety agencies will have the ability to transition from 800 MHz to 700 MHz communications systems seamlessly and cost-effectively. The added functionality of this new digital mobile platform makes it an excellent choice for public safety agencies looking to expand system capabilities in the near future.”

Additional features of this next generation digital mobile include increased memory, encryption capability, dual control head functionality, 512-channel operation and integrated voice and data network capability. Future additions being planned for this new mobile platform include models for motorcycle applications and support future control head designs for greater upgrade flexibility.

This next generation digital mobile radio platform supports 3600 Astro trunking and 9600 Astro 25 trunking, and Project 25 conventional communications systems. Designed to meet the reliability and performance specifications of the Astro Digital Spectra mobile radio series, the new radios will also accommodate select Astro Digital Spectra accessories.