Rowland Monk

1
Interoperability

• Rowland Monk
• Product Manager, NSPIS Command and Control
• Project Mesa
• Edinburgh, 26th October 2005

2
Interoperability

• What is Interoperability and why do we want it?
• What Interoperability can we see today?
• Where is it going?

3
What is Interoperability?

• The ability of two systems to operate in
  conjunction
• Not justifiable as an end in itself

4
What is Interoperability FOR?

• To facilitate
• improved business processes
• better co-operation between organisations
• better service to the public / community

5
What has driven Interoperability?

• Hungerford, UK, 19th August 1987
• No communication between telephone and radio
  users
• ? reduced availability of information to
  resources on the ground
• New York, USA, 11th September 2001
• No direct communication between different
  emergency services
• ? delays in communicating warnings and
  instructions
• Increase in International Crime
• Requires an increase in international co-operation

6
What Interoperability is Occurring?

• Civil Contingencies Act, 2004
• Mandates interoperability of First Response
  organisations
• Airwave
• UK Police Forces using a single, national radio
  network
• UK Emergency Services moving towards common radio
  network
• Ambulance Radio to be upgraded nationally to
  Airwave
• FireLink radio upgrade currently under tender
• NSPIS
• National Strategy for Police Information Systems
• ISS4PS
• Promoting component-based development of
  interoperable applications

7
Cooperative Policing Operations
Cross-Border
8
Cooperative Policing Operations
Overlapping BTP
9
Major Events

• G8 Summit Gleneagles
• Officers seconded from all over the country
• All could use their own Airwave radios
• Control Rooms utilised outside host force
• Trafalgar 200 Celebrations
• International Naval Event
• Led by Ministry of Defence Police
• Multi-Agency Involvement

10
System Interoperability Examples

• Police Voice Portal (PVP)
• Voice enquiries over Airwave for Vehicle checks
  on PNC
• Results spoken back and/or sent by text message
• GPS provides officer location for audit trail
• Automatic Resource Location (ARL)
• GPS provides officer location
• Grid References sent automatically over Airwave
  to CC
• CC controls the frequency of location updates

11
Interoperability in the Control Room
Call Handling
Command Control
Back Office
Command Control
Call Distribution Server
Other Agencies
ICCS
Tetra Gateway
Alias Database
Digital Trunk Radio
Public Callers
12
Interoperability Conclusions

• Interoperability is a Facilitator
• The Technology is Available
• What are the Business Processes?
• Is there the Will to see it through andrealise
  the benefits?

Rowland Monk rowland.monk_at_vivista.co.uk www.sungar
d.com/vivista