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Although the first network-connected appliance was a Coke Machine in 1982 at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science in Pittsburgh, it didn’t win First in the Internet of Things race, as the World Wide Web did not yet exist; and the connection was over a local computer network.
Therefore, it is generally accepted that after the internet was real, along with “the web”, the First Place prize for an IoT device goes to none other than a toaster, connected in 1990 by John Romkey.
It’s safe to say that the toast is finished, and the existence of IoT and its usefulness has been significantly improved beyond a whimsical display of ingenuity and home appliances.
Like the toaster, the legacy E911 network has also evolved after a long run of 50 years and has dipped its digital toe, albeit cautiously, into the ocean of IoT, anxiously watching for the flood waters to rise along with the value of this information.
TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE
Monitoring networks and establishing workflows is a concept that has been a management practice for IT teams. For as long as networks have existed, they have used the network to monitor the network. The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) was designed and built specifically to deliver a standardized mechanism usable by devices to report error conditions to a centralized monitoring station. With the addition of two-way control and intelligent workflow on one or both sides of the connection, viola, you have IOT.
DRIVING TO A NEW PARADIGM
In 1996, GM North America Operations President Rick Wagoner officially launched OnStar at the Chicago Auto Show. 11 months later, the service was available on select vehicles, and the world of IoT was well in motion with a custom solution running on a public network.
Despite slow connection speeds, they were sufficient for the payload of data being sent back to GM’s OnStar center after a triggering incident such as a crash, airbag deployment, or an overturned vehicle. The information reported back was collected from various sensors measuring the safety devices activated, the number of occupants and where they were seated, and important deceleration data known as ‘Delta V’ that calculated the velocity of an impact. When correlated into a digital picture of the incident, all of these data points allowed GM to model the injuries and vehicle condition, providing an incredibly and statistically accurate picture to public safety responders.
With this additional data, 1st responders and dispatch personnel could make more intelligent deployment decisions, getting the right resources on-scene as quickly as possible without having to wait for an in-person on-scene evaluation.
TODAY’S LESSONS LEARNED BEING EXTENDED
With building infrastructure being developed and fine-tuned in the physical environment and the mobile IoT market already in existence covering the collection and transport side of the equation, now is the time to merge technology streams and allow the connected smart-building to emerge and flourish, providing valuable data during various incidents.
Although new processes will be developed and put into place, the collection of the relevant data points should remain relatively identical. The bulk of the work to be done will remain in use cases and user stories that will define the information collection scenarios, and the appropriate requirements those processes will demand to be put in place.
CONNECTED SCHOOL BUILDING SAFETY SOLUTIONS
There is no denying that a common problem occurring today is the scenario of protecting students in our nation’s school systems. Almost weekly, reports on the news highlight incidents involving a rouge individual entering into a restricted environment and then unleashing terror on the occupants through the use of a weapon.
Technology is readily available to detect, alert, and help mitigate incidents, as long as the information is collected, analyzed, and provided to the proper individuals in an expedient manner.
NEW INNOVATIVE DATA COLLECTION CAPABILITIES
VIDEO RECOGNITION
Most new cameras deployed today are of sufficient resolution and are IP enabled allowing them to collect the required images and communicate them back to a central processing server for analysis. Once there, images can be examined for Facial Recognition matches, Weapons Detection Matches, and even License Plate Reader matches when monitoring a parking are entrance. This capability alone is one that has drastically improved in both price and functionality and can be effectively deployed in key areas where needed.
In an area considered a high-threat area, millimeter wave technology (similar to the scanners you see at an airport) can detect anomalies under clothing or inside bags and can do it at distances of more than 100 feet. An event generated by one of these sensors could lock down a building well before an undesirable visitor even approaches the building.
In fact, if the individual was known to the facility, and specifically banned from the property, an IOT camera at the parking lot entrance could have picked up his presence before the individual even parked or exited their vehicle.
SHOT SPOTTER TECHNOLOGY
While picking up gunfire does nothing to PREVENT a situation, having gunfire data during an incident can provide responders with valuable information about the weapon types being used, and where they have been used. This contributes to the overall situational awareness aspect, allowing intelligent and educated decisions to be made by those with the experience and now the relevant data.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
This is precisely the environment we built the 911inform platform to operate in. By ubiquitously collecting data and information being delivered from various sensors in an open ecosystem, using standard communication protocols, our platform develops and renders a base-level starting map for any situation in nearly any environment. This primary command and control point provides a single pane of glass for the field responder that is web-based and available on any chrome-enabled device, as well as a highly interactive, remote-control platform for door locks, video camera feeds, as well as control of any other subsystem offering an open API interface.
In fact, for critical applications requiring resilience and redundancy, the connectivity back into Public Safety and the network core could be supplied through a cellular connection free from physical infrastructure and powered by solar. This would make it completely standalone from any external utility infrastructure.
Innovation – Gotta love how it can make the hardest problems just disappear.
If you’d like to see the 911inform solution, and what it can do for your organization to provide, Kari’s Law, RAY BAUM’S Act, and Alyssa’s Law compliance evaluation, reach out to 911inform.com on the web, or call one of our sales specialists at 833-333-1911 for a free no obligation evaluation.
Remember to follow me on Twitter at Fletch911, check out my ramblings on Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as my blogs and podcasts at http://Fletch.TV.
Take care and stay safe.
The World According to Fletch . . . 