Newswise — In an emergency, broadband networks can quickly become overwhelmed. This makes passing vital data such as messages, pictures and videos, nearly impossible. Since losing communication is not an option for responders, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) First Responders Group began assessing broadband networks and looking for alternatives to deliver content.
In this effort, S&T partnered with cities and local police departments to pilot technologies and get firsthand input from responders. Houston and Chicago have been two valuable partners in piloting several technologies. Our partnerships go beyond individual projects to create meaningful, productive relationships between the federal government and our first responder communities.Twitter chat announcment
One of the pilots aiming to make beneficial improvements in public safety broadband is the Chicago LTE Video Pilot. This pilot test served as a Proof of Concept to help identify baseline capabilities for broadband networks and determine potential network saturation levels and capacities in a real-world use case.
The Chicago LTE project piloted a broadband network to deliver information to police and public safety vehicles in Chicago. S&T partnered with the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications. The testing produced a wealth of valuable data and lessons learned, which can be found in a recently-released technical report.
In addition to this pilot, S&T worked with Chicago and Houston to pilot the Video Datacasting technology during the summer of 2015. Datacasting transmits encrypted live video and data over existing broadcast television signals to a targeted audience within public safety, improving data sharing and interoperability at minimal cost and effort.
The pilot exercises demonstrated the ability to support public safety communications in an operational environment. It also focused on how public/private partnerships can be leveraged to address growing content delivery needs. Participants touted the installation and operation of the system as user-friendly and even described datacasting as a potentially life-saving tool.
Datacasting is currently available using existing infrastructure and covers 97 percent of the of the U.S. population, including territories. It also uses broadcast (one-to-many) technology without running out of bandwidth. This lessens congestion on commercial networks. Datacasting will not only provide speedy transmission of video and data as we wait for the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network to become available, but it will also serve as a complement upon its release by providing enhanced capabilities.
Please join @dhsscitech on Wednesday, January 27 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET for a chat to discuss the importance of building relationships with the state and local response community and learn about some of S&T’s ongoing partnerships testing video datacasting and LTE technologies. Submit your questions and comments before, during or after the chat and use the #STTechTalk hashtag to engage in the two-way discussion.
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