Communications Interoperability

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Communications Interoperability

• Dan Hawkins
• SEARCH
• Harlin McEwen
• IACP Communications Technology Committee
• Charles Werner
• Charlottesville Fire Department

2
Whats the Issue?

• Communications
• The Perennial Problem
• Columbine High School Littleton
• Murrah Federal Bldg Oklahoma City
• World Trade Center New York City
• Pentagon Arlington

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Whats the Issue?

• McKinsey Report
• The FDNYs urgent communications and technology
  needs fall into four broad areas
• 1) Improving communications capabilities
• 2) improving the Departments ability to receive
  and disseminate critical incident information
• 3) giving chief officers at incident scenes
  better ways to manage information and track
  personnel and
• 4) improving EMSs ability to track patients
  during incidents.

4
Whats the Issue?

• McKinsey Report
• ... the city or state governments must establish
  a much broader, detailed and more formalized
  inter-agency planning and coordination process.
  ... The process would include
• Deployment of interoperable communications
  infrastructures and protocols to improve response
  coordination and exchange of information.

5
Whats the Issue?

• After-Action Report on 9/11
• (Arlington County, Virginia)
• Information management is always an important
  command function but, during an emergency
  response of this magnitude, it is absolutely
  critical.
• Arlington County police were wholly absorbed in
  traffic direction and control. They had neither
  the time nor the means to share real time
  information with county traffic engineers.

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Whats the Issue?

• National Task Force on Interoperability (NTFI)
• Incompatible and aging equipment
• Limited and fragmented funding
• Limited and fragmented planning
• Lack of coordination and cooperation
• Limited and fragmented radio spectrum

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Whats the Issue?

• Interoperability is Information Sharing
• Interoperability
• The ability of public safety service and support
  providers to talk with each other via voice and
  data
• on demand, in real time
• when needed, when authorized SAFECOM
• Information Sharing
• The ability to share critical information at key
  decision points throughout the enterprise. SE
  ARCH

Information sharing is the critical measure of
interoperability
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Whys this Important?

• DHS Key Priorities for Year Two
• 1 - Stronger Information Sharing and
  Infrastructure Protection
• 2 Interoperable Communications and Equipment
• Source DHS press release, February 23, 2004

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Whys this Important?

• Domains span the enterprise
• Information
• Integration
• Infrastructure
• Interfaces
• Applications
• Security
• Privacy
• Systems Management
• Enterprise Architectures Need Apply!

10
Chief Harlin R. McEwen Chairman Communications
Technology Committee International Association of
Chiefs of Police Communications Advisor Major
Cities Chiefs Association Major County Sheriffs'
Association National Sheriffs'
Association Chief of Police (Ret) City of
Ithaca, NYFBI Deputy Assistant Director (Ret)
Washington, DC
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SEARCH BJA 2004 SymposiumonIntegrated
JusticeINFORMATION SYSTEMSMay 22-24, 2004
Communication Interoperability And Integrated
Justice
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Current National IssuesWireless Communications
National Leadership Coordinated Strategy
Complexity of the Problem Coalition for
Improved Public Safety Communications (CIPSC)
National Public Safety Telecommunications
Council (NPSTC) SAFECOM Program (U.S.
Department of Homeland Security) Priority 1 -
Reliable Agency Specific Voice Communications Pri
ority 2 - Interoperable Voice Communications
Interagency Police-Interagency Fire-Interagency
EMS Interdisciplinary Police/Fire/EMS/Other
Priority 3 - Operable Interoperable Data
Communications Agency Specific
Integrated Justice/Public Safety
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The complexity of the current state of public
safety communications is reflected in five key
challenges
1. INCOMPATIBLE and AGING communications equipment
Interoperability Challenges
5. Limited equipment STANDARDS
2. Limited and fragmented budget cycles and
FUNDING
3. Limited and fragmented PLANNING and
COORDINATION
4. Limited and fragmented radio SPECTRUM
Identified by the National Task Force on
Interoperability in its April 2003 final report
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Public Safety Land Mobile Radio Spectrum Bands

450-470
764-776 806-824 4940
MHz 25-50 150-174
220-222 470-512 794-806 851-869
4990
Requires TV Clearing
4.9 GHz
in most urban areas
New Public Safety
(TV Channels 60-69)
Broadband Spectrum
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Coalition for Improved Public Safety
Communications CIPSC
Harlin R. McEwen Chairman, IACP Communications
Technology Committee Communications Advisor,
MCC, NSA, MCSA Alan Caldwell Director of
Government Relations, IAFC Vincent
Stile President, APCO
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NPSTC Member Organizations
National Public Safety Telecommunications Council

• American Association of State Highway
  Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
• American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
• American Red Cross (ARC)
• Association of Public-Safety Communications
  Officials-International (APCO)
• Forestry Conservation Communications Association
  (FCCA)
• International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA)
• International Association of Chiefs of Police
  (IACP)
• International Association of Emergency Managers
  ((IAEM)
• International Association of Fish and Wildlife
  Agencies (IAFWA)
• International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
• National Assn. of State Emergency Medical
  Services Directors (NASEMSD)
• National Association of State Foresters (NASF)
• National Association of State Telecommunications
  Directors (NASTD)

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Governance
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

• Executive Committee (EC)
• The EC is the decision making body for the
  SAFECOM program
• All EC members are included in the other
  committees
• Will meet quarterly
• Advisory Committee (AC)
• The AC is responsible for making recommendations
  to the EC
• First meeting planned for Summer 2004
• Will meet semi-annually

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Priority Number 1 is Not Interoperability PRIORIT
Y 1 Reliable Operable Agency Specific Voice
Communications We must have reliable mission
critical every day voice communications for
Police-Fire-Rescue-Emergency Medical personnel
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PRIORITY 2 Interoperable Voice
Communications Interagency Police/Fire/EMS/Other
Interdisciplinary Police/Fire/EMS/Other
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PRIORITY 3 Operable Interoperable Data
Communications Agency Specific and Integrated
Justice/Public Safety/Other
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Public Safety Radio Interference Current 800 MHz
Systems
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800 MHz Interference
Primarily caused by the interleaving of the
Nextel cellular-type channels with public safety
and private wireless channels Adjacent
cellular-band operations (Cingular, Verizon, ATT
etc. are also a significant contributing factor -
particularly in the high end of the 800 MHz Band
(NPSPAC Channels) Case-by-case efforts to resolve
interference have been largely ineffective and,
in any event, are "reactive" to interference
after it occurs
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FCC Spectrum Allocation of 800 MHz Band
- SMR (80 channels)
- Business/SMR (50 channels)
- Industrial (ILT)/SMR (50 channels)
- Public Safety (70 channels)
825
816
809.75
821
824
806
General Category 150 Channels (EA block licenses
in 25 channels each for SMR. Incumbent operators
remain on, commercial, internal, or
public safety systems.
NPSPAC Public Safety 225 - 12.5 kHz and 5 - 25
kHz channels
Upper 200 SMR 200 Channels
TV Broadcast Ch. 60-69
Cellular A B Band
12.5 MHz
10 MHz
6 MHz
7.5 MHz
851
870
861
866
854.75
869
250 Interleaved Channels 80 SMR (EA
incumbent) 70 Public Safety 50 Business
(internal) 50 Industrial/Land Transportation
Allocation different in Mexican and Canadian
border regions
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The Public Safety Solution Is The "Consensus
Plan" ____________________________________________
____________ 800 MHz Consensus Parties 90 Of All
Affected Licensees Public Safety IAFC, IACP,
MCC, NSA, MCSA, APCO Private Wireless Numerous
Private Organizations Nextel
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800 MHz Interference
A comprehensive, one time "proactive" solution is
necessary to solve the increasing interference
problem that is becoming more widespread The
Consensus Plan calls for frequency shifts within
the 800 MHz Band, which for the vast majority of
impacted licensees can be accomplished through
re-tuning existing radios Once the Plan is fully
implemented, channel interleaving will be
eliminated and result in Nextel and other
cellular-type operations at the high-end of the
band and public safety/private wireless at the
low-end of the band (adjacent to the 700 MHz
band)
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August 2002 - Consensus Plan - 800 MHz Band
Public Safety Entities will have first access to
new channels that were vacated by the relocated
low-power, low-site SMR entities. After 5 years
of public safety relocation, B/ILT licensees will
have access to this pool of available channels.
814
825
816
809
824
806
B/ILT Systems Guard Band 2x2 MHz 4 MHz
New NPSPAC Block 3x3 MHZ 6 MHz
Low-Power, Low Site SMR 8 x 8 MHz 16 MHz
Public Safety (PS) Business (B) Industrial
(ILT) High-Site SMR Pool
Cellular A B Band
TV Broadcast Ch. 60-69
851
870
861
854
869
859
Allocation different in Mexican and Canadian
border regions
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Narrowbanding VHF 150-170 MHz UHF 421-512 MHz
2/25/03 FCC released 2nd Report Order
99-87 7/17/03 Published in Federal Register FCC
Report Order - Effective January 13, 2004 1.
No new systems will be licensed for frequencies
below 512 MHz for greater than 12.5 KHz
2. Modifications to existing systems will be
prohibited if they extend the interference
contours beyond what now licensed for
3. Manufactures may not manufacture or import
equipment with a 25 KHz Component after Jan.
1, 2008 4. Deadline for use of 25 KHz
equipment in the Public Safety market -
January 1, 2018
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Narrowbanding VHF 150-170 MHz UHF 421-512 MHz
08/29/03 Public Safety Filed Petition for Stay of
Proceeding (APCO, IACP, MCC, NSA, MCSA,
IAFC, NPSTC) 12/01/03 FCC Granted Petition
for Stay until all Petitions for Reconsideration
are addressed CURRENTLY PENDING
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• Public Safety Continues To Need
• "More Radio Spectrum"
• 24 MHz of New Public Safety Radio Spectrum

Unavailable to Public Safety in the most populous
areas of the U.S. until TV Broadcasters vacate
the spectrum
700 MHz (TV 60-69)
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61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
800 MHz
Public Safety
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700 MHz Television Clearing
Most Major metros blocked by incumbent TV
Stations Need Congressional action to roll back
loophole in law of 85 DTV Public Safety
Supporting HR 1425 (Harman/Weldon bill) Homeland
Emergency Response Operations (HERO) Act
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Software Defined Radio Why Is Public Safety
Interested?
National Public Safety Telecommunications Council
Ultimate interoperability solution - single on
the belt radio with todays characteristics,
supporting Public safety commercial bands
(below 1-2 GHz) Applicable commercial and public
safety waveforms Permissible communications links
as determined by the agency Graceful upgrade of
products Graceful migration of technologies Clearl
y the wireless future and already here today
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Many Integrated Justice Information Systems are
or will be accessed by wireless mobile and
portable devices
Wireless Connectivity Data Options
Traditional Land Mobile Systems Government
Owned or Leased Wide Area Networks Hot
Spots Commercial Services Cellular Type Data
Services Satellite Services Unlicensed
Spectrum WI-FI (802.11)
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4.9 GHzLand Mobile Public Safety Broadband
NPSTC 4.9 GHz Working Group
Currently examining new technologies and
developing a strategy for future public safety
applications
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Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs)for Public Safety

• Rapid set up and deployment
• Local distributed Command Control
• Situational Awareness
• People and asset tracking management
• Multi-hop to avoid building obstructions and
  line of sight challenges
• Highly mobile users, bread crumbs
• Interoperable IP-based
• Greater efficiencies in spectrum utilization
• Low costs due to leverage of off-the-shelf
• computing and networking equipment Highly
  reliable
• Redundant packet routes
• No single point of failure

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Public Safety First Responders

• NO Infrastructure needed
• Rapidly field deployment
• Scalable
• Peer-to-peer or distributed client-server for
  reliability
• Off-line user functionality
• Data can originate anywhere in system
• Robust and fault tolerant
• Interoperability

EMS/Fire 1st Responders
Law 1st Responders
Commanders
Vehicles
Current Communication Links
Mobile Command
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Public Safety Personnel Monitoring

• Electronic References
• SOFMH
• Handbook of Veterinary Care
• Mosby Rx/Ix
• Medical NBC Battlebook
• MEDIC, Medical Environmental
• Disease Intelligence Countermeasures
• Field Operators Guide

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Why Should This Interest You ? There will
continue to be a growing reliance on
wireless mobile and portable devices to
access Integrated Justice Information Systems
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The Common Sense Approach for Achieving Local
InteroperableCommunications/Data
Charles L. Werner, Deputy Fire ChiefCharlottesvil
le VA Fire Department International Association
of Fire ChiefsCommunications Committee Facilitat
or First Responder Interoperability Working Group
Commonwealth of Virginia SAFECOM Advisory
Committee Member
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A NEW WORLD

• More than ever before, Law Enforcement and the
  Fire Service must stand back-to-back and be
  prepared for any type of attack!
• ITS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS!

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TODAYS INFO-SHARINGSOLUTIONS
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LOCAL INTEROPERABILITY

• Essential elements
• Regional Planning/Cooperation
• A New Way of Thinking
• Standard Operating Guides (SOG)
• Wireless Interoperability (technology)
• Common Language/Terminology
• Routine use of Technology
• Joint Training and Practical Exercises

True Interoperability requires a comprehensive
strategy that incorporates all of these these
elements
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CHALLENGES

• Funding
• Maintain progress in preparedness and developing
  new solutions
• Build cultures of coordination/collaboration
• Expand interoperable data exchange beyond
  locality
• Creating a national vision/plan

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CHALLENGES (continued)

• Expand interoperable data exchange beyond first
  responders (transportation, health, medical
  centers, etc.)
• Train with new technology
• Implement Technology Support
• Practical exercisesto evaluate understanding and
  system integrity

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MINIMIZE THE AVALANCHE EFFECT

• avalanche (v-lnch) n.
• A fall or slide of a large mass, as of snow or
  rock, down a mountainside.
• A massive or overwhelming amount a flood
  received an avalanche of mail.
• A massive or overwhelming amount an avalanche of
  voice communications overwhelmed system
  capabilities.
• DATA SYSTEMS CAN DRAMATICALLY HELP OVERCOMING
  THIS PHENOMENON

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INTEROPERABILITY FACTORS
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THE POLICE-FIRE CONNECTION

• Working together for public safety
• Law Enforcement information to Fire Departments
• Credible threats
• Types of devices being used
• If there are secondary devices dangerous to
  responders
• To see the big picture

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THE POLICE-FIRE CONNECTION

• Working together for public safety
• The Fire Service info for law enforcement
• Suspicious response information
• Communication for HM danger areas
• Toxic chemicals (Ricin, etc.)
• Radioactive materials (Dirty Bomb)
• Biological attack (Anthrax, etc.)
• Establish/communicate safe zones

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OPPORTUNITIES

• Capital Wireless Integrated Network (CAPWIN)
• Disasterhelp.gov bulletin/info/notify
• Law Enforcement On-line (LEO)
• Inexpensive GPS technology available
• A national strategy
• Shared Situational Awareness Software

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TECHNOLOGY ISSUES

• No single technology can solve every
  interoperability situation
• Often, more than one technology solution is
  required to accomplish the desired outcome
• Technology alone CANNOT achieve effective
  information-sharing

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THE ENVIRONMENT
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THE PLATFORM
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THE ENVIRONMENT
TECHNOLOGY


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Thank You! Questions???
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Questions?