As high-speed data technologies for ‘critical broadband’ users begin to take shape, Euros Evans examines the potential for delivering enhanced and cost-effective data services for public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) agencies

We are moving inexorably towards a data-centric world. For the public safety services, fast and reliable access to data is becoming critical to the way in which they operate.

Our customers use data across the Airwave network every day for short messaging and image transfer, and there is an increasing desire for higher bandwidth, data-rich applications and business intelligence to drive efficiencies across operational services.

It’s important to recognize that when we talk about public safety and disaster relief agencies (PPDR), we are talking about a broad range of users and an equally broad range of requirements. Even as we focus here on the blue light services – fire and rescue, ambulance and police – we can see how their needs for data differ in day-to-day operations and responses to major events.

Critical information

Typically, fire and ambulance crews are sent to locations to deal with an incident, and they act on arrival – putting out the fire, rescuing flood victims, treating casualties. They operate as self-defined units, and rapid access to data can be of critical importance. Data is, of course, only another word for information – and the more information that fire and rescue and ambulance services can gain about an incident, the more effective their response will be in terms of resources and reaction. Other functionality becomes equally critical when responding to major events that require co-ordination across a wide geographic area.

Fire and rescue crews can access information about the location of possible casualties, trapped individuals and potentially hazardous materials, and the layout of the area affected by the incident.

Paramedics with access to data can treat casualties at the scene of an accident, or patients at home. This means less stress for the patient and his or her family, and relieves the pressure on hospitals. If doctors and nurses can obtain as much information on their patients as possible, they can increase the effectiveness of the National Health Service ‘see and treat’ initiative that aims to reduce the time patients have to wait for treatment.

Unfolding events

Police forces need different types of data: they need to see an overall ‘picture’ of unfolding events, and they need completely reliable and immediate group communication.

In terms of overall efficiency, all the ‘blue light’ agencies need services such as an automatic vehicle location system (AVLS) and the ability to track the movements of their colleagues to ensure the safest and most effective response. Imagine the transformation of major event management if the location of each public safety officer was visible to colleagues on an interactive map on a hand-held device.

The challenge for us is to equip the end user with data capability in the field, to enable full interaction. Data communications are more efficient, use less human resource, and offer less opportunity for error than speech. As consumers, we are all far more data-savvy with our smartphones and tablets, so there is a step change in user acceptability.

Dedicated bandwidth

Some data communications capability is available today, offered by Tetra and the various public network data bearers, including 3G. However, to ensure that public safety services have the capabilities they need to operate effectively into the future, we need more dedicated bandwidth to handle the growing demand for data.

Some of the applications touched on earlier in this article do not exist in a reliable form yet because of this lack of bandwidth – particularly on the uplink – i.e. from the user back to the control room. In the consumer world, we ‘consume’ data and so the downlink is the important connection in terms of speed and capacity. For the emergency services, there is a critical requirement to be able to get information back from the user, so the uplink has greater significance.

Future solutions

The future solution will undoubtedly be LTE – dependent on spectrum – but until LTE networks are widely available and the standards issues have been addressed, there is a gap in data bearer capability. This needs to be addressed now, to ensure the public safety services have the capacity they need to take advantage of developments in data services and communications.

At Airwave we are working on a number of ways to enable information to move faster, more efficiently, and more reliably, across the networks that exist today. Looking to the future, individual users’ priority will be based on the user’s role, the application or service in use, and the corresponding situation. 
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