The city of Richmond, CA has selected Ericsson, based on strong record in the Bay Area, to provide the digital access trunked radio system for all its city agencies' communications needs. Richmond will receive a five-channel, four-site GPS simulcast system with six C3 Maestro Consoles for Windows NT. They will utilize approximately 610 LPE 200 portable radios and 400 Orion mobiles. The contract will cover Richmond's police, fire and public works departments, as well as its Housing Authority.
Other Bay Area users of Ericsson's trunked radio systems such as the city of Oakland and BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit Authority) played a key role in Richmond's selection of the company.
Richmond will allow other neighboring jurisdictions to utilize its network, including the cities of El Cerrito, Kensington, Hercules, Pinole and San Pablo. Richmond is planning to link its system to the city of Oakland's as part of the East Bay Public Safety Corridor Initiative, which is seeking to interconnect cities' communications networks along Interstates 80 and 880 in the Bay region.
"We hope that linking our system to Oakland's will create a seamless line of communications between our cities during emergency situations," said Levron Bryant, interim city manager for Richmond.
According to Bryant, both the police and fire departments will be implementing mobile data on a separate, two-site Ericsson conventional system. Police will use it for vehicle identification, background checks and outstanding warrant searches. The fire department will utilized data for GIS, which will project a map of the city on the mobile data terminal to help direct fire personnel to the scene quicker.
Installation of the system is scheduled for completion in late 1999.
PriCellular, GTE and USCC Select XYPOINT for Wireless E9-1-1
PriCellular Corp., which operates cellular telephone systems in nine states, has signed a multi-year contract with XYPOINT Corp. to provide wireless E9-1-1 service that will enable public safety providers to determine the 10-digit phone number and general location of PriCellular callers in need.
PriCellular, which operates under the CellularOne® service mark, is the fifth major carrier to recently select XYPOINT's E9-1-1 solution. PriCellular will implement wireless E9-1-1 service using XYPOINT's unique ISUP-LENS solution in its mobile switching centers. XYPOINT's solution doesn't require wireless carriers to add costly new software to their switches, and helps keep the cost of the service affordable for the public safety community.
GTE Wireless and United States Cellular Corp. (USCC) also announced contracts with XYPOINT earlier this year. GTE will deploy E9-1-1 service beginning early this year in California. Implementation in other states where public safety officials have met key pre-conditions set by the FCC will follow.
USCC, the country's eight largest wireless services provider, has begun a three-year contract with XYPOINT to provide wireless E9-1-1 service to its customers. Service will began during the second quarter of 1998.
Plant Equipment in Mesa, Arizona
Plant Equipment, Inc. (PEI), has been awarded a contract to provide the City of Mesa, Arizona Police Department with a new computerized 9-1-1 telecommunications system. PEI will oversee the installation of its VESTA intelligent workstation network. The new 9-1-1 system will feature 22 intelligent workstations. VESTA combines telephony functions with a PC to provide users with instant access to an array of timesaving and life-saving features. VESTA will be deployed with the Meridian-1 (M-1) PBX from Nortel, a powerful telephone system with automatic call distribution. The integration of VESTA with the M-1 PBX will provide the City of Mesa with a flexible, highly functional telecommunications platform that will meet the City's needs well into the future.
"Mesa is one of the fastest growing area's in the United States and it is very important that the city's 9-1-1 system be able to meet its current demands while providing the capacity and flexibility to meet demands that are on the horizon," says Fuller. "Our VESTA system was chosen because it is extremely user-friendly and its open-system design allows it to integrate with a variety of current and emerging technologies."
PEI has subcontracted Williams Communications, Phoenix division, to provide and install the telephony equipment. Mesa PD's technical staff will be trained by PEI to provide the first line of support for the new system.
MDSI Mobile Data Solutions Inc. Reports that 300 mobile law enforcement officers within the state of North Carolina are now using its Advantex-Public Safety communications management solution. Advantex-Public Safety is MDSI's latest communications product offering. For this project, MDSI partnered with Motorola's Land Mobile Products Sector, the wireless data network provider, to implement an end-to end wireless connectivity solution.
The solution will initially provide 300 mobile law enforcement officers from five different public safety agencies in North Carolina with real-time access to key information in multiple state and local databases. With remote access to this important information, law enforcement agencies are no able to better protect their officers in the line of duty and ultimately provide improved safety to the communities they serve.
The Advantex-Public Safety wireless message switch provides real-time wireless connectivity and routing functions between the field officers and local, state and national crime databases, host CAD systems, and wireless networks. At the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the highly scaleable Advantex-Public Safety system was implemented as a statewide solution rather than a traditional single agency deployment.
"North Carolina was dedicated to deploying a statewide solution and MDSI has helped us realize our goal," said Captain Fred Davis, Information Management Unit, NCSHP.
Coral Springs, Florida Adds Lightening Protection System
The City of Coral Springs, FL has added an integrated Lightening Master lightning protection system to prevent recurring structural and equipment damage and operational problems caused by lightning strikes at its public safety facilities.
The integrated system, encompassing bonding and grounding, surge suppression and Streamer Retarding brand structural lightning protection, will protect the city's public safety building and communications tower which serve the police and fire departments, emergency medical services and 9-1-1 dispatch.
The City of Antwerp, Belgium, has awarded INES N.V. a contract to provide a computer aided dispatch (CAD) system for the new Command and Control Center of the Antwerp Police Department. The system will be based on the I/CAD product from Intergraph Public Safety (IPS). IPS will provide software, hardware, and implementation services to INES. "We are very pleased with our partnership with IPS that enables us to provide a state-of-the-art CAD solution to our customer," said Mr. Meijer, Managing Director of INES.
The IPS CAD system will enhance productivity in the command and control center, improve communication between the Center and the officers in the field, and improve communication with police forces of the neighboring municipalities. The first phase of the system will go into production by year-end.
The City of Antwerp, with a population of nearly 500,000, is home to the second busiest seaport in Western Europe and several large petro-chemical plants. The police force has a staff of over 1,800.
U S WEST and SCC Deploy E9-1-1 Wireless Services
Last July, U S WEST became the first PCS carrier to deploy wireless enhanced 9-1-1 services in Colorado. When a U S WEST Advanced PCS user dials 9-1-1 in Adams County, the caller's wireless phone number and approximate location is routed to the public safety agency.
This new emergency service, CELL TRACE PLUS, enables emergency dispatch centers to identify callers' cellular phone numbers and approximate locations, aiding them in response and assistance, which means more effective emergency aid in Adams County.
U S WEST partnered with SCC Communications in this public safety breakthrough. CELL TRACE PLUS identifies the cell sector where a wireless 9-1-1 caller is located and routes that location information, along with the caller's number, to the appropriate public safety provider.
Wireless 9-1-1 calls made by U S WEST PCS customers in Adams County are routed to the Adams County 9-1-1 Communications Center. There, 9-1-1 dispatchers will be able to call back the caller if disconnected, and locate the area from where the call is originating to provide a more timely response from emergency services such as fire, police and emergency medical response.
"With the number of calls we get from wireless phones, it will be extremely helpful for us to receive the phone number and location information so that we can dispatch emergency services more efficiently," said Phil Davey, director, Adams County Communications Center.
U S WEST and SCC will also team to manage a broad spectrum of services related to the deployment of wireless 9-1-1 services, including management of the equipment and software infrastructure that connects a 9-1-1 call to the appropriate PSAP. SCC also manages U S WEST's massive databases, which contain more than 16 million records of subscriber information that are shared among PSAPs, existing local carriers and the wireless carriers for emergency response.
Baker Acquires Georesearch, Inc.
Michael Baker Corporation has acquired GeoResearch, Inc., the first company to fully integrate global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) to solve business problems. The purchase has created Baker GeoResearch, Inc., which combines the market position of Baker in geospatial information technology services with the innovative technology development of GeoResearch, Inc.
GeoResearch, Inc., is a leading provider of GPS and GIS mapping and automated vehicle locating technology (AVL), and the developer of the GeoLink7 GPS/GIS mapping system. The company also provides real-time GIS field data collection services to the utility, transportation and telecommunication industries. Dr. Douglas Richardson, formerly president of GeoResearch, will serve as vice president- business development of Baker GeoResearch.
According to John Voycik, general manager of Baker GeoResearch, "We have created a company with a total capability to provide the full range of geospatial information technologies to improve our customer's business processes. Baker GeoResearch is poised to address the emerging markets in mobile computing, AVL systems and enterprise-wide, geospatially referenced business solutions."
TCI (Tel Control Inc) has added Matt Fueston and Mike Roberson to the company's Sales staff. Matt Fueston is the new Regional Sales Manager in the Midwestern United States, responsible for managing TCI clients in a 12-state region. Matt has a well-rounded knowledge of the 911 industry and was previously employed with another 911 PSAP equipment provider. Mike Roberson is the new Regional Sales Manager for the East Coast, responsible for managing a 17-state region. Mike comes to TCI from Dade County, Florida, one of the few E911 PSAPs which owns and supports its premise based telephone equipment. Mike served as the designated 911 systems engineer since 1988.
Advanced Charger Technology (ACT), developer of battery charging systems, has appointed Cathy Hellming to the position of Chief Financial Officer. Hellming's 20 years of financial and strategic management experience were critical to her being chosen for ACT. The privately owned company, which has grown from 12 to 30 employees in less than two years of operation, determined that it was time to select a CFO that could guide its transition from a small, one-product company to a large, multi-faceted organization. Prior to joining ACT, Hellming was Vice President, Finance for National Data Corporation from 1992-1997, previous experience in financial management positions at PepsiCo and LTV Steel.
