New approaches to age-old threats

Now we get to the innovation side of things. It’s no secret that mobile technology is changing the very nature of communication by making it possible to share diverse data in real time from point A to point B, instantaneously.  How is this changing the landscape for first responders?

Let’s imagine the following scenario. A town is in the path of a violent storm. Evacuation warnings are issued, but some residents aren’t able to leave in time, putting them in significant danger. After the storm passes, emergency-management crews rush to the scene with ruggedized tablet PCs, so they can to record and geo-tag the damage. Once their survey is complete, they can transmit the information to their central office, where coordination can be made for a rapid, effective response that potentially saves the lives of those still caught up in the aftermath.

Just to clarify, a tablet is an excellent choice in this kind of environment for a number of reasons. First, the form factor. Most smartphones are too small for the kind of applications needed to carry out the actions described above, and many don’t feature a stylus for quick notetaking and other tasks. Furthermore, a laptop is too bulky and oftentimes not equipped with LTE or other data transmission capabilities that are essential when Wi-Fi is not available.

Second, the durability of some tablets is more advanced than many people may realize. There are tablets on the market today that meet military standards for ruggedness, which is an absolute must in a chaotic scene such as a disaster zone. On top of that, many of these models have hot-swappable batteries that ensure the tablets keep on running, even when it isn’t feasible or possible to recharge.

Finally, there is the issue of compatibility. I touched on the ubiquity of Windows in public-safety environments, but when every part of the team is using the same operating system, smooth coordination between the backend and frontline is more likely, which can be the key to a successful response when disaster strikes.