An earlier adopter
Seattle was one of the first to build a wireless data network in 1989 that has evolved over the years into an EVDO, which is a Sprint third-generation (3G) wireless network, says Bill Schrier, CTO of the city’s Department of Information Technology (See a related podcast with Bill Schrier). Schrier, a 30-year veteran of the police department, says the applications provide enhanced services to residents and better situational awareness data to first responders. “The real bottom line benefit is a more rapid dissemination of information between first responders,” he says.
Seattle uses the EVDO network because Sprint agreed to guarantee the city a direct line into their network. Specifically, data does not go into a general network. Instead, it goes to Sprint and then comes back on a private telecommunications line into the city. “That way, it is secure,” Schrier says.
Two priority mobile government applications run over the network: computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records management. The CAD systems, one for the police and one for the fire departments, use the network to transmit data from the dispatchers to the first responders and vice versa. Officers can access the records management system at an incident to automatically file reports for viewing by a sergeant at police headquarters.
In addition, the CAD system runs an automatic vehicle location application, so dispatchers can see every police or fire department vehicle in the city through a mapping graphical user interface. When the fire department is dispatched, the software also analyzes vehicles’ locations and recommends to the dispatcher strategies for a faster deployment of resources, Schrier says. “That’s all possible because of automatic vehicle location and GIS systems,” he says.
Building inspectors use network-connected laptops to access a citywide permitting system, including inspection history and active permit requests. Although Seattle has not yet used the network for automatic meter reading, it plans to incorporate that application into a future 4G network using the city’s Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, which has a price tag of $24 million and would be used for public safety. Officials are waiting for approval from the Federal Communication Commission to provide the spectrum needed to execute the city’s LTE network, Schrier says. When developed, the Seattle LTE network would support police and fire’s use of full resolution video for increased situational awareness prior to an incident, as well for additional transportation services.
“The reason government-owned [networks] work is that priority is given first to police and fire, then secondary responders,” Schrier says. “If the FCC will give us dedicated spectrum, public safety will have an exclusive network even if commercial networks are jammed.”