Company News

on March 8, 2010

The following information is obtained directly from companies, usually from press releases. Google search the company name for more information.

Troy, Mich. (March 16, 2015) — New software purchased by the Arlington Police Department in Texas expected to bring time-saving measures and increased access to information to the law enforcement agency.

The Arlington PD licensed the following Aegis™ public safety solutions from New World Systems®:

Law Enforcement Records Management
Mobile Field Reporting
Corrections Management
Decision Support & Dashboards

According to Lieutenant Carol Riddle, New World is replacing an outdated, discontinued, and unsupported software system.

“Based on the findings during the RFP process, we believe that the Arlington Police Department will see added value in the time-saving work flow and more robust search capabilities offered by New World’s software,” Riddle said. “The software’s easy-to-use field-based reporting system also offers users better access to information.”

New World was selected after a nationwide search by a team consisting of members from the Arlington Police Department, Arlington Fire Department, and the city’s Information Technology Department. Site visits to New World customers in Colorado Springs, CO and Rochester, NY were completed by members of the Arlington Police Department who observed the software in a live environment.

Riddle said New World was also selected because of its experience and success in implementing and maintaining records management systems.

The Arlington Police Department responds to an average of 140,000 calls for service per year, has 640 sworn officers, and services an area of 99.5 square miles.

Arlington is located in the Dallas metro area. It has a population of more than 365,000 residents and is the 7th largest city in the state. Arlington is famous for its Texas Rangers Globe Life Park, Six Flags Over Texas Amusement Park, International Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame, and the Dallas Cowboy’s $1 billion AT&T Stadium Complex.

Zetron’s new Video Surveillance and Security solution improves the ways in which facilities such as government buildings, parking lots, schools, and warehouses can be monitored and protected.

Redmond, WA, U.S.A., March 16, 2015 – Zetron, a leading provider of mission-critical communications solutions worldwide, announced that it is now offering a new, advanced Video Surveillance and Security solution that is ideal for both private-sector and public-safety applications, particularly customers who oversee and protect government buildings, parking lots, schools, warehouses, and other sensitive facilities. The Video Surveillance and Security solution’s features improve property monitoring and safety in a number of important ways. It allows recorded video to be digitally “watermarked” and stored for evidentiary purposes. Because it is able to apply analytics—such as item-left-behind and motion sensing—it well suited to campuses and enterprise customers. The system is also very flexible and can scale easily from small operations to very large, enterprise-wide environments. This makes it a cost-effective solution for organizations of any size, including those that expect to expand over time. Additional features include:

Advanced video-management software for camera control and video manipulation.
Highly scalable storage.
Integrated access control, including a badging function.
Compatibility with a wide range of IP cameras from a variety of manufacturers.
Two-way audio at the camera site.
Easy set up; video-management tools that are easy to learn and use.

“Video is becoming an increasingly important tool for customers in mission-critical environments,” said Zetron V.P. of Product Management, Kathy Broadwell. “It not only improves situational awareness for first responders, but on its own, can help deter crime. Zetron’s new Video Surveillance and Security offering fits well into any organization whose overall goal includes utilizing technology to protect lives and property.”
The new Video Surveillance and Security solution enhances the scope and depth of Zetron’s comprehensive control-room solutions, which include 9-1-1 call-taking, CAD, mapping, radio dispatch, and logging recorders.

About Zetron

Founded in 1980, Zetron manufactures and provides communications systems designed to equip the entire mission-critical control room. Zetron’s integrated solutions combine IP-based dispatch, NG9-1-1 call-taking, voice logging, IP fire station alerting, CAD, mapping, and automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems. They are expandable, interoperable, and able to support remote and geo-diverse operations. Zetron backs its products with technical support and project-management services known for their expertise and responsiveness. Zetron has offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and numerous field locations; and a worldwide network of resellers, system integrators and distributors. Zetron has installed thousands of systems and over 25,000 console positions worldwide. Zetron is a wholly owned subsidiary of JVC Kenwood Corporation. www.zetron.com

GeoComm Completes NG9-1-1 GIS Assessment Project for Iowa

St. Cloud, MN – March —GeoComm is pleased to announce they have recently completed several portions of a Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) project for the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division (HSEMD). This project lays the groundwork for developing a statewide NG9-1-1 GIS dataset.

Late in 2013, the HSEMD initiated the planning process for a future migration to a NG9-1-1 system and was seeking information on determining the GIS data requirements needed. HSEMD selected GeoComm to assist in determining the GIS data requirements needed in Iowa’s future NG9-1-1 system. GeoComm completed the following items for the project:

Developed a set of authoritative NG9-1-1 GIS standards which can be used as the foundation for the statewide GIS dataset development.
Completed an educational NG9-1-1 campaign at the county level.
Rolled out the newly developed NG9-1-1 GIS standards to local jurisdictions throughout the state.
In addition, GeoComm worked with each of the 99 counties in Iowa to assess their existing GIS data, determining if it could be used in an NG9-1-1 system and will meet the minimum accuracy requirements. Once the initial GIS data review was complete, GeoComm recommended ways to fix any issues with the existing GIS data and ways to maintain the future NG9-1-1 GIS dataset.

“GeoComm has demonstrated a great level of expertise in NG9-1-1 GIS standards throughout this project. The communication from the project team has been consistent and frequent; their plan was very effective in rolling out the new standards to the counties throughout the state. As a result of this project our GIS data will be adequately prepared for an NG9-1-1 environment,” Blake DeRouchey, Iowa E9-1-1 Program Manager.

“Accurate and up-to-date GIS map data is imperative in mission-critical emergency response systems. GeoComm is happy to have partnered with HSEMD for this NG9-1-1 GIS assessment project as they set the NG9-1-1 foundation for call routing, call handling, call delivery, location validation and emergency response” commented John Bryant, GeoComm’s President and CEO.

The project was completed in February 2015.

About GeoComm: GeoComm (www.geo-comm.com) was founded in 1995 to provide county governments with turnkey emergency 9-1-1 development services. Over the subsequent 19 years, the company has grown to serve more than 12,000 dispatchers in 750 emergency 9-1-1 call centers in the United States, helping to keep more than 84 million people safe. Today, GeoComm has a national reputation as a leading provider of geographic information and communication systems. The company’s systems route emergency calls to the appropriate call center, display caller locations on 9-1-1 call takers answering position s, and guide emergency responders to emergency incidents.

DataTech911 Releases Cloud-based Emergency Response Solution

The new cloud-based StatusNet911 application effectively coordinates pre-hospital emergency response.

Columbia, MD – Today, DataTech911 announced immediate availability of the Cloud-based SaaS version of StatusNet911, enabling owners of version 1.0 to immediately upgrade to the latest release.

“With this new version, extensive field use has yielded many new features incorporated into a platform that eliminates local support costs, improves security and greatly simplifies installation,” said Michael Salonish, President at DataTech911.

Many customers have already benefited from deploying the Cloud-based SaaS version of StatusNet911. Central CA EMS Agency, serving the citizens of the City of Fresno and surrounding counties, recently upgraded to the newCloud-based SaaS version of StatusNet911 for the 15 hospitals, and 5 emergency response agencies in its network. The Cloud-based SaaS version of StatusNet911 will enable Central CA EMS Agency to improve its emergency response coordination during Mass Casualty Incidents and as it serves its population, daily.

“StatusNet911 is one of the most important tools in our EMS System.” said Daniel Lynch, Director, EMS, Central CA EMS Agency. “We depend on StatusNet911 to send critical information to hospitals, maintain real-time status of hospitals, and to assist in the management of multi-casualty incidents.”

Cloud-based SaaS version of StatusNet911 is an update driven by customer feedback and is part of DataTech911’s commitment to deliver the latest product updates in one convenient solution. The Cloud-based SaaS version of StatusNet911 is available immediately. The first live public demonstration of the new StatusNet911will be held during the EMS Today conference in Baltimore, MD, February 26 – 28, 2015. DataTech911 will be in Booth 1525.

DataTech911 is an industry leader in EMS CAD solutions. The company is committed to building solutions that support improved efficiencies for pre-hospital care by integrating, analyzing and unifying EMS response data.

Sonim Creates Public Safety Advisory Board to Focus on First Responder Needs

SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Regardless of the emergency – be it a natural or man-made disaster, act of terrorism or any situation that requires immediate action – our nation’s first responders answer the public’s call for help. These brave firefighters, police officers, special operations and EMS men and women need immediate, reliable and interoperable communications to keep them and the public out of harm’s way.

Sonim Technologies, one of only two Tier One smartphone OEMs based in the United States and the leader in providing communication solutions to people who work in extreme conditions, is dedicated to serving first responders in a secure, reliable and cost-effective manner.

As such, Sonim has formed a Public Safety Advisory Board to ensure that first responders have the best communications devices, applications, services and tools required to get their jobs done quickly and reliably.

Sonim Technologies CEO Bob Plaschke said the goal of the Public Safety Advisory Board is to create and foster partnerships among public safety, government and private businesses, offering valuable insights and recommendations for providing first responders nationwide with a plan for “best practices.”

Sonim today announced the founding members of the board, each of whom is a nationally recognized leader in his respective area. Each of these members has been intimately involved over the last decade in efforts to make The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) a reality, a major step toward ensuring that first responders have the best, interoperable and open broadband communications capabilities.

They are:

Raymond Flynn, who serves as Chairman of the Public Safety Advisory Board. Flynn retired as an Assistant Sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after 33 years with the agency, where he served as the third-highest-ranked officer.

Richard R. Carrizzo, a public safety professional who has served as Fire Chief of a suburban Kansas City, Mo., department for the past 20 years and brings more than 33 years of experience in emergency response. Carrizzo is the Treasurer of the International Firefighters Association.

Charles F. Dowd, who retired as Assistant Chief of the New York City Police Department after 34 years. Dowd was in command of the New York City 911 center on September 11, 2001, the Northeast blackout in 2003 and during Hurricane Sandy. In 2012, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of The First Responder Network Authority.

Richard A. Mirgon, who has over 30 years of technology and first responder experience and is a past President for the Association of Public Safety Officials International (APCO) and was APCO’s lead for the reallocation of the D Block spectrum to public safety.

“We are so excited about being a part of a group of leaders who were fundamental in making the FirstNet network a reality. Our team will be working closely with the board to bring in additional members who have the knowledge, experience and relationships to meet the high standards and critical needs of our first responders,” said Plaschke.

“Ensuring that the FirstNet public safety broadband network launches is our collective priority. We’re pleased to have Sonim support our efforts to make this critical network a reality,” said Dowd.

“One of the first issues we as a board will address is how best to interact with the development of the FirstNet Band 14 first responder network,” said Chief Carrizzo.

The First Responder Network Authority has been designated by Congress to take all actions necessary to ensure the building, deployment and operation of a nationwide public safety broadband network. The FirstNet group is currently considering network sustainability, priority testing and coverage during the initial stages of deployment.

“Sonim has been an active participant with public safety in the planning of mission-critical devices for public safety. It is this type of work by companies like Sonim that show there is a robust and meaningful industry that is focused on providing cost-effective solutions to public safety,” said Mirgon.

Sonim is the first and only Tier One smartphone OEM that has released a commercially available smartphone platform that enables first responders to get broadband access on the FirstNet Band 14 wireless spectrum while also working on commercial networks like AT&T’s.

“Sonim has stepped up to build a hardened, mission-critical device that is cost effective and available off the shelf and supports both Band Class 14 and commercial wireless networks,” said Flynn.

ABOUT SONIM TECHNOLOGIES:

Sonim Technologies (http://www.sonimtech.com) is the provider of mission-critical solutions designed specifically for workers in extreme, hazardous and isolated environments. The Sonim solution includes ultra-rugged mobile phones, business-process applications and a suite of industrial-grade accessories, collectively designed to increase worker productivity, accountability and safety on the job site. Sonim’s industry-leading, 3-year comprehensive warranty has redefined customer expectations of rugged technology. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., and offers its products with mobile operators around the world.

TriTech Software Systems Announces Acquisition of Tiburon, Inc.

February 6, 2015

Acquisition builds upon TriTech’s strong foundation, further strengthening its value and commitment to the public safety industry

SAN DIEGO, CA (February 6, 2015) – TriTech is honored to welcome Tiburon customers and employees to the TriTech family. For over 30 years, Tiburon has supplied public safety software to some of the largest and most advanced agencies in the United States and throughout the world. With the acquisition, TriTech’s combined customer base includes some of the most highly-regarded police, fire, and EMS agencies who protect and serve more than 250 million people in 10 countries throughout the world. Working together with the Tiburon team, TriTech is excited to build upon a strong foundation of public safety expertise and battle tested, mission critical technology to evolve the way public safety agencies protect their citizens.

TriTech’s products serve all agency types and sizes with the most comprehensive solutions for 9-1-1, computer-aided dispatch, records management, jail management, field-based reporting, analytics, patient care reporting, and ambulance billing. As Tiburon customers look to upgrade their solutions to be compliant with new technologies and industry standards, TriTech’s breadth of solutions, resources, and expertise provide new paths that were not previously possible.

Key Facts:

Continuing on its strategy of delivering software to solve the current and future challenges of public safety agencies, TriTech’s acquisition of Tiburon adds more than 350 installed sites to TriTech’s broad and diverse customer base. With the acquisition, TriTech now serves over 100,000 sworn officers and protects more than 250 million citizens. The company supports installations in every U.S. state, including 82 of the top 100 municipalities, and operations in 10 countries around the world.

Because both TriTech and Tiburon share a common product vision that historically has focused only on the public safety market, many of the company’s employees bring extensive public safety experience to the combined team. Collectively, TriTech employees have over 7,000 years of public safety experience, making it the most experienced and dedicated team in the industry.

TriTech will continue to support all of Tiburon’s currently supported products along with offering customers any of the TriTech products that may be useful to their agency.

This transaction marks TriTech’s fifth acquisition. The company has been extremely successful at continuing to effectively service the customers of its subsidiaries as well as continuing to develop innovative products to meet the needs of agencies that must adapt to rapidly changing technology and regulations. TriTech’s industry-leading platform will provide a new future for older legacy Tiburon products, and the Tiburon cloud platform will accelerate TriTech’s launch into the next evolution of hosted public safety systems.

Supporting Quotes:

Chris Maloney, CEO, TriTech Software Systems

“We welcome Tiburon customers and employees to the TriTech Family. This is a very strategic acquisition for us. Both TriTech and Tiburon are well-known leaders in the industry, and the combination of the two will be hard to beat. We look forward to supporting Tiburon customers on their current platform for many years to come while also offering them a new future with an award winning, top tier product line that will allow Tiburon customers to upgrade to the latest and greatest technology over time. The combined company is without a doubt the largest in the industry with more software and service capabilities than any other. We look forward to partnering with the blue chip Tiburon customer base as we continue to grow and evolve our capabilities.”

New World Improves 9-1-1 Center’s Functionality

Troy, Mich. (Jan. 29, 2015) — New World Systems® reputation for solid customer service solidified the decision of officials with a Pennsylvania 9-1-1 center to work with the software company.

The city of Bethlehem will replace its dispatch and record-keeping system with software from New World. According to Bethlehem’s 9-1-1 Command Center Director Robert Haffner, New World’s Aegis™ Public Safety Software Solutions will:

• Enable dispatch to save time and eliminate duplicate entry
• Increase functionality and ease-of-use
• Help rescue units respond faster and better serve the community

The city selected New World because it needed a system capable of handling validation and separation between Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management System (RMS) entries. The city also needed a system capable of integrating records sent by police, fire, and paramedics. Finally, the new system needed to support multiple jurisdictions within the region.

Haffner said New World replaces an ineffective system previously used for seven years.

“We ended up purchasing New World’s full public safety suite due to its functionality and integration,” Haffner said. “We started out with the CAD module, but quickly decided our fire and police departments could benefit from the functionality of the software, which is much more intuitive and seems to work much easier than our previous system. It’s going to make life much less stressful.”

Selecting New World was a part of an elaborate process, according to Haffner. When the city sent out its Request for Proposal (RFP), eight vendors responded. Haffner said Pennsylvania has 69 9-1-1 call centers in various regions throughout the state. Bethlehem is part of a region that includes 13 members. When the decision to select a new public safety software vendor needed to be made, Haffner asked the members of Bethlehem’s region to be a part of the process. He said eight of the 13 members participated in the demonstrations and were key in selecting New World as the city’s new vendor.

“One final consideration was reputation,” Haffner said. “It was essential for me to find a vendor that I felt had a good background in customer relations and in my research, I found that New World’s reputation solidified their selection. I am looking forward to going live with the new system and have thoroughly enjoyed working with New World thus far.”

January 23, 2015

NENA Statement on FCC Commissioner Pai Event

One-Year Progress Report on 9-1-1 and Multi-Line Telephone Systems (MLTS)

On behalf of thousands of 9-1-1 professionals across the nation, NENA commends FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai for his leadership on the issue of reaching 9-1-1 emergency services via multi-line telephone systems (MLTS), such as those used in hotels and office buildings. Commissioner Pai held an event in Texas today to discuss the progress that has been made on this issue since the tragic death of Kari Rene Hunt Dunn, who was killed nearly one year ago by her estranged husband while her daughter tried and failed to reach 9-1-1 from their hotel room in Marshall, TX.

NENA is pleased by the progress that is being made on this issue, and we stand with Commissioner Pai in calling for further action. In this high-tech era, it is unfortunate that such a high percentage of MLTS still require users to dial an extra digit before 9-1-1 to reach an emergency professional.

NENA reaffirms its readiness to work with the Congress and the FCC in drafting legislation and regulations on this issue, and to work with the affected industries to implement it. NENA advocates a system in which:
Callers to 9-1-1 are able to reach help directly and immediately, with no other dialing codes or prefixes.
Precise, accurate location data is delivered automatically with every 9-1-1 call.
Systems are in place to provide on-site notifications, so that a front desk clerk, receptionist, or other “gatekeeper” will be alerted to 9-1-1 calls made from the premises and can help direct first responders to the scene of the emergency.
Policy makers ban “local termination” of 9-1-1 calls, in which callers are routed to a front desk or guard station, rather than the appropriate local 9-1-1 center.

9-1-1 professionals from across the country will gather in Washington February 22-25 to educate policymakers on this and other 9-1-1 issues, as part of NENA’s annual 9-1-1 Goes to Washington event.

NENA offers model legislation and technical guidance to help allstakeholders understand and address the issues involved in locating 9-1-1 callers in the MLTS environment. For more information, please visit http://www.nena.org/?MLTS_Legislation, or call NENA.

Otsego County, NY, chooses Tait Communications

Wednesday, January 21, 2015, Houston, TX, USA — Global leader in the design, deployment and management of critical communication solutions, Tait Communications, has won a contract to upgrade the communications system for emergency services in Otsego County, New York.

The contract, worth approximately US$3 million, is for a Quasi-Sync (QS²) simulcast system that will provide emergency services with county-wide coverage.

Otsego County will replace the Fire Department’s aged low band VHF conventional network, and upgrade the existing VHF conventional network used for law enforcement in order to provide improved coverage at an affordable price.

The new emergency communications network will operate on UHF for fire services and high band VHF for law enforcement. The system will also provide a simulcast VHF fire paging channel.

“The Tait Quasi-Sync system is perfect for public safety agencies who want to improve coverage without the high ongoing price tags for maintenance and software upgrades associated with other radio solutions. It’s flexible, easy to use and delivers excellent voice quality, which is the ideal solution for Otsego County”, says Paul Bannister, Business Development Manager, Tait Communications.

James Powers, Otsego County Public Safety Committee Board Member, said that the increased radio coverage provided by the Tait system will enhance safety for front line staff, the local community and the many tourists who visit the County annually.

“We’re happy to be working with Tait. They have listened to what we wanted, understood our challenges and presented a solution that is built around quality products, that meets our requirements and fits within our budget,” said Mr. Powers.

Tait Communications has provided communications solutions to public safety agencies in North America for more than thirty years. The company is now growing its support services in order to add more value to their communications solutions.

Tait is proud to be chosen by Otsego County for this significant project and we are looking forward to working closely with them to help deliver safer, more reliable communications for the County.

Mutualink Tactical Collaboration Nodes to Power First-Ever Public Safety Grade Mobile 4G LTE Network for the State of New Jersey

JerseyNet first responder broadband network to feature on-demand tactical and wide-area multimedia interoperability for rapid response

Wallingford, Conn., January XX, 2014 – Mutualink, Inc., a Connecticut-headquartered company specializing in real time voice, video and data interoperability for first responders and critical infrastructure, announced that its Tactical Collaboration Node™ solution was selected for inclusion in JerseyNet, New Jersey’s dedicated Band 14 LTE deployable public safety network. Mutualink’s Tactical Collaboration Nodes will enable seamless voice interoperability with other radio and communications systems, and sharing of streaming video, text and files among responders both within a tactical deployment area and with other partner agencies and personnel on a wide-area to nationwide basis via the New Jersey Interoperable Response and Preparedness Platform (IRAPP) network. The New Jersey IRAPP connects hundreds of first responder agencies, emergency operations centers, hospitals and critical infrastructure entities into a secure, on-demand multimedia collaboration environment using existing infrastructure. Mutualink’s technology will be installed in multiple JerseyNet System on Wheels (SOWs) and will also be deployed within tactical portable cases that tether to the SOWs and can also connect to other networks.

The JerseyNet project is a first in the nation public safety-grade 4G LTE broadband network utilizing deployable network nodes. This network infrastructure will facilitate secure and reliable multimedia communications in both densely populated and rural locations for emergency response situations, as well as planned large-scale public gatherings. Mutualink’s Tactical Collaboration Node™ technology not only seamlessly bridges disparate communications and media, it also provides advanced adaptive networking allowing for the utilization of any type of available IP transport, including wireless, wireline, and satellite. These capabilities provide Band 14 LTE deployable solutions with the added flexibility to network and interoperate with other critical partners, and increase the overall operational capabilities, resilience and flexibility to collaborate during mission critical operations. According to Colin McWay, President of Mutualink, “FirstNet is a dedicated broadband capability that’s about creating a fluid and powerful multimedia environment capable of facilitating the delivery of enriched information, communication and collaboration among responders as and when situations dictate. Mutualink’s Tactical Collaboration Node™ technology was designed to complement and leverage the capabilities of FirstNet public safety networks by being able to bridge all forms of communications assets and networks, and connect other critical agencies and partners, to provide a dynamic and rich media collaboration environment.”

For additional information, please see Mutualink’s whitepaper, “Embracing FirstNet Collaboration Opportunities”.

About Mutualink

Mutualink, Inc. has developed an interoperable communications platform that enables community-wide multimedia sharing of radio, voice, text, video, data files and telephone communications in a secure environment. Mutualink’s system is currently deployed by hundreds of public and private entities worldwide, including homeland security and defense installations, NATO Special Operations Forces, police and fire departments, transit authorities, hospitals, schools, universities, shopping malls, casinos, and more. Mutualink is a privately-held company headquartered in Wallingford, Conn., with R&D facilities in Westford, Mass. and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and Defense Services office near Washington, DC. For more information please visit www.mutualink.net.

New World Helps Keep First Responders Safer

Troy, Mich. (Jan. 14, 2015) — First responders with the Lancaster County Public Safety Communications Center in Lancaster, SC are now safer than ever thanks to New World Systems®.

This increased safety comes from the decision to use New World’s Aegis™ Public Safety Software Solutions, according to Lancaster County’s Director of Public Safety Communications Chris Nunnery. The communications center licensed New World’s Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) while the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office licensed Corrections Management, Mobile Messaging, and Police Records.

“Believe it or not, we didn’t even have CAD before New World,” Nunnery said. “Everything we did was manual. We hand-processed everything two to three times and moved all forms through the system manually. Now that we’re using CAD, the amount of time saved in dispatch is tremendous.”

Nunnery said the communications center receives 185,000 calls and processes 47,000 9-1-1 calls annually. Using CAD, rescue personnel safety has been greatly improved with features like premise history information that first responders can review prior to arriving on the scene.

“Our main goal was to improve responder safety,” Nunnery said. “Now we provide them with as much information as possible about the environment they’re going into, so they can stay safe and help keep the community safe.”

Nunnery said the decision to work with New World was based on word-of-mouth support from neighboring York County along with New World’s customer support.

“What impressed me the most and what gives me the most comfort in working with New World is the relationship we have with the trainers and support staff,” Nunnery said. “These people got us through implementation and continue to be there for us. The customer service and individual touch is hard to beat. New World has some good folks out in the field and that really means a lot to us.”

GeoComm Celebrates Twenty Years of Dedication, Innovation, and Loyalty

St. Cloud, MN – GeoComm, a public safety GIS and communications company, celebrates 20 years in business in 2015. Founded in 1995, GeoComm has achieved two decades of innovation and steady growth. Throughout the next twelve months, GeoComm will commemorate the anniversary with a number of public education and promotional events.

Starting with just a few employees in 1995, GeoComm provided county governments with turnkey emergency 9-1-1 development services. Over the subsequent 19 years, the company has grown to over 90 employees throughout the United States and serves more than 12,000 dispatchers in 800 emergency 9-1-1 call centers. In mid 2013 GeoComm became a Granite Equity owned company and today, has a national reputation as a leading provider of geographic information and communication systems.

“The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), a long-term GeoComm customer, would like to congratulate them on their 20th Anniversary. Through the years, GeoComm’s customer-focused staff has always been pleasant and reliable. MARC has always appreciated GeoComm’s responsiveness to our region’s needs, their freely sharing of industry knowledge, and commitment to their customers. Congratulations and good luck in the future.” Keith Faddis, MARC Public Safety Program Director

“Ogle County has enjoyed working with GeoComm and has appreciated the outstanding service and support they have continuously provided. GeoComm’s software and services have helped us overcome the ever changing 9-1-1 technology requirements. We look forward to working with them well into the future.” Sandy Beitel, E9-1-1 Coordinator, Ogle County Illinois

“Thank you to all of our customers and employees who have helped us grow these last 20 years. By being in touch with our customers we have realized their needs and developed products to help solve their problems. In addition we are proud of our highly qualified employees whose individual talents and ambitions have been the most important aspect of our success. We are honored to have an outstanding relationship with our customers and employees and look forward to the next 20 years.” John Bryant, GeoComm President/CEO

Headquartered in St. Cloud, Minnesota, GeoComm’s systems help keep more than 84 million people safe by routing emergency calls to the appropriate call center, mapping the caller’s location on a dispatchers map, and guiding emergency responders to the accident on mobile displays within police, fire, and ambulance vehicles.

TeleCommunication Systems Awarded Contract by State of South Dakota for Next Generation 9-1-1 Systems and Services

Five-Year, $16.4 Million Contract Strengthens South Dakota Public Safety Answering Points’ Capabilities for Handling 9-1-1 Wireless Communications

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Jan. 08, 2015 — TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) (NASDAQ: TSYS), a world leader in highly reliable and secure mobile communication technology, today announced that it has been awarded a contract by the state of South Dakota to provide Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) services. The contract, valued at $16.4 million, calls for TCS to provide and operate South Dakota’s NG9-1-1 system for the next five years under the direction and guidance of the South Dakota 911 Coordination Board. TCS will deliver end-to-end NG9-1-1 solutions for all 29 of the state’s public safety answering points (PSAPs).

News Facts:

§ According to Frost and Sullivan, TCS leads the nation in ESInet deployments and offers a complete NG9-1-1 end-to-end solution. TCS offerings include NENA i3 standards-compliant call-routing and call-handling systems. § TCS has signed a five-year contract, valued at $16.4 million, with the state of South Dakota to provide end-to-end NG9-1-1 services. The fully redundant system supports connections to all telecommunications carriers in the state of South Dakota, collecting all 9-1-1 traffic, and routing to the jurisdictionally correct 9-1-1 answering point among the 29 PSAPs in the state. § The seamless transition to NG9-1-1 ensures that the public will not see any disruption in 9-1-1 services. § The new TCS-enabled system will eventually allow South Dakotans to send pictures and video to PSAPs during 9-1-1 calls and will support text-to-911 across the state for any wireless carrier that interconnects via TCS’ Text Control Center. § In addition to interconnecting 9-1-1 centers in ways that greatly improve interoperability and the routing of emergency calls, the new network will automatically re-route emergency calls in the case of a PSAP service interruption or outage due to severe weather or a disaster.

TCS Senior Vice President, Safety & Security Group, Lynne Seitz said: “TCS will enable the State of South Dakota to deliver best-in-class Next Generation 9-1-1 services to its residents while establishing a seamless migration path for NG9-1-1 services as technologies and standards evolve. Our contract with the State of South Dakota is a testament to our track record of successfully empowering public safety entities through the use of new technology for improving emergency 9-1-1 services. Our goal is consistent with the goal of the South Dakota 911 Coordination Board: to protect South Dakota residents by equipping PSAPs with the right technology and tools to quickly and efficiently respond to 9-1-1 calls.”

Since deploying the first U.S. wireless Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) solution in 1998, TCS has been leading public safety solutions for wireless E9-1-1, NG9-1-1 and E1-1-2. TCS supports about half of all U.S. wireless E9-1-1 calls, serving more than 140 million wireless and IP-enabled devices. TCS is leading the enablement of text-to-911, and TCS leads the nation in emergency services IP network (ESInet) deployments. TCS is the only non-carrier TL 9000-certified company that supports E9-1-1 services. Its E9-1-1 and NG9-1-1 solutions ensure that a subscriber’s emergency call routes to the appropriate PSAP and automatically pinpoints the caller’s location information.

About TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) (NASDAQ: TSYS) is a world leader in highly reliable and secure mobile communication technology. TCS infrastructure forms the foundation for market-leading solutions in E9-1-1, text messaging, commercial location, and deployable wireless communications. TCS is at the forefront of new mobile cloud computing services, providing wireless applications for navigation, hyperlocal search, asset tracking, social applications, and telematics. Millions of consumers around the world use TCS wireless apps as a fundamental part of their daily lives. Government agencies utilize TCS’ cybersecurity expertise, professional services, and highly secure deployable satellite solutions for mission-critical communications. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, TCS maintains technical, service, and sales offices around the world. To learn more about emerging and innovative wireless technologies, visit www.telecomsys.com.TeleCommunication Systems Awarded Contract by State of South Dakota for Next Generation 9-1-1 Systems and Services

Five-Year, $16.4 Million Contract Strengthens South Dakota Public Safety Answering Points’ Capabilities for Handling 9-1-1 Wireless Communications

News Facts:

9-1-1 Industry Experts Come Together to Test Next Generation 9-1-1 Systems & Services

Beginning November 9 in Wheaton, Illinois, Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) experts and vendors participated in the latest in a series of Industry Collaboration Events (ICE) hosted by NENA: The 9-1-1 Association. The interactive event focused on the testing of end-to-end NG9-1-1 system functionality, interaction between vendor elements, and interoperability.

In order to ensure the introduction of NG9-1-1 goes smoothly, it is imperative that vendors work together. Through the ICE program, NENA provides these stakeholders with a venue for collaboration that can facilitate the building of reliable, secure, interoperable networks and NG9-1-1 services.

“I am thrilled to see so many of our 9-1-1 industry partners working together at this event for the benefit of public safety,” said NENA President Christy Williams, ENP. “I appreciate the time, talent, and energy committed by all for this important endeavor.”

Frequentis participated in the National Emergency Number Association’s (NENA’s) ICE 6 Industry Collaboration Event and demonstrated interoperability of its Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) Solutions including the Emergency Services Routing Proxy (ESRP) and PSAP Premises Software Client. The ESRP is the call routing engine and is the closest thing to a Selective Router (SR) in the NG9-1-1 architecture. “Developing standards-based systems that are interoperable with other vendors is a core goal of our product development,” said Vince Campanella, Vice President and Public Safety Business Unit Lead at Frequentis USA. “Industry collaboration events are an excellent opportunity to ensure standards are followed consistently among the public safety vendor community.” Campanella added “Promoting industry collaboration is not only good for the Public Safety end user community; it is good for the public. All participating vendors in ICE testing have made a commitment to being a part of this very important step towards NG9-1-1 realization.”

Frequentis was an active participant in both bilateral and multi-vendor “end to end” test cases where they initiated and received calls from their PSAP call taker positions and routed calls between other vendors through the County and Public ESRP elements. In addition Frequentis provided NENA standard logging events to the multiple Recorder vendors.

“It has been exciting to watch successful end-to-end NG9-1-1 system testing,” Williams continued. “We thank the Illinois Institute of Technology for hosting this critical event and INdigital Telecom for assisting in establishing the network connectivity between participants.”

Additional ICE program details are available at http://www.nena.org/ice.

New World Systems Helps Kansas City Public Safety Agencies Increase Availability and Efficiency

Troy, Mich. (Dec. 10, 2014) — Public safety personnel in Kansas City, Kansas soon will provide residents with greater availability by using New World Systems® Aegis™ Public Safety Software Solutions.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County in Kansas City, KS will implement these Aegis solutions:

CAD Enterprise for Law Enforcement, Fire & EMS
Mobile Enterprise, with such features as:
Mobile Messaging
Mobile Field Reporting
Automatic Vehicle Location
Law Enforcement Records Management
Fire Records Management
Decision Support & Dashboards

This selection will improve performance and efficiencies of the Kansas City Kansas Police Department (KCKPD), Kansas City Kansas Fire Department (KCKFD), and Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office, according to KCKPD Information Systems Manager Larry Owens.

Aegis will also help agencies reduce their time spent creating reports and accessing information, increase availability of public safety personnel to residents, and improve information sharing with the community.

“Our public safety agencies wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to improve performance and efficiencies as well as utilize new technologies and capabilities that New World’s solution promises to deliver,” Owens said. “New World’s ability to integrate various disparate databases into a single collaborative solution was the key functionality required in selecting a new software system provider.”

The KCKPD, KCKFD, and Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office performed a two-year Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The RFP committee narrowed its selection to four vendors before selecting New World.

“Our requirements in selecting a vendor included a company with a proven public safety track record that could be verified by current customers,” Owens said. “In addition, we also wanted the vendor we selected to possess financial stability and the ability to respond to our specific needs, and New World does.”

Owens said the county’s search committee was especially confident in its decision to select New World after receiving positive feedback about the public safety software provider from several agencies including those in Saline County, KS and Buchanan County, MO.

“The public safety agencies of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County look forward to networking with other New World Customers,” Owens said. “We expect this interaction to enhance our experience while at the same time positively impacting the development of future functionality.”

Lavallette Police Department Chooses Spok to Enable Effective 9-1-1 Community Response

December 10, 2014 — SPRINGFIELD, Va. — The beach community of Lavallette, N.J. has selected Spok’s 9-1-1 call center solution for its new police headquarters. The police department picked Spok to provide the foundation for its 9-1-1 community response because of its scalability, the ability to use off-the-shelf equipment, and rave reviews from other users, said Lavallette Police Chief Colin M. Grant.

“Our headquarters was destroyed during Superstorm Sandy, and we’ve been operating out of three trailers”

“Our headquarters was destroyed during Superstorm Sandy, and we’ve been operating out of three trailers,” Grant explained. “When we started considering a PSAP (public safety answering point) for our new building, we decided to go in a different direction from our previous vendor. The Spok® pc/psap solution gives us exactly what we were looking for today – and in the future.”

Grant said he likes the scalability of the Spok pc/psap system to handle the current call volume as well as potential increased call loads in case other local jurisdictions contract with Lavallette to handle their calls. The ability to use readily available commercial equipment means that the town is not limited to one hardware vendor, another important consideration.

But the deciding factor for Grant and other town officials was the enthusiastic reviews dispatchers from another town gave Spok pc/psap. “Our technology consultant put us in touch with the Stafford Township Police Department, which uses Spok,” Grant said. “We brought some of our dispatchers down to talk to their dispatchers, and they really raved about the system, how well it works, and how easy it is to use. Dispatcher to dispatcher – that’s really what sold us.”

When someone dials 9-1-1 for emergency assistance, the call goes to a dispatch center for response. With Spok pc/psap’s easy-to-use graphical interface, emergency dispatchers are able to involve police, fire, EMT, and hazmat personnel instantly with a click of the mouse or a touch of the screen, saving precious time in emergency situations.

Spok pc/psap is used by military bases, local governments, hospitals, colleges, and universities because of its track record and the software’s ability to integrate smoothly with existing systems such as phone and mapping. The system integrates with existing PBX or CENTREX telephone systems and third-party systems for CAD, mapping, and network time sources. Spok pc/psap has received Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) certification and is listed under the Department of Defense’s Unified Capabilities Approved Products List.

The Lavallette Police Department has 13 sworn members and three full-time dispatchers to serve the emergency needs of the 2,700 year-round residents, a number that swells to 22,000 during the busy summer months. During the summer, the department hires an additional 19 special officers and often has a second dispatcher on standby during special events such as Fourth of July festivities. The department fields 5,000 emergency calls annually but received nearly 8,000 in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy slammed the Northeastern United States.

“I’m not a technology guy, but the Spok sales staff explained the solution, provided consistent follow-up, and answered my questions about integration,” Grant said. “They made the whole process very easy for us.”

About Spok

Spok, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPOK), headquartered in Springfield, Va., is proud to be a leader in critical communications for healthcare, government, public safety, and other industries. We deliver smart, reliable solutions to help protect the health, well-being, and safety of people around the globe. More than 125,000 organizations worldwide rely on Spok for workflow improvement, secure texting, paging services, contact center optimization, and public safety response. When communications matter, Spok delivers. Visit us at spok.com or find us on Twitter @Spoktweets.

GeoComm Publishes 3D and Indoor 9-1-1 Caller Location Mapping White Paper

December 8, 2014

St. Cloud, MN – GeoComm is pleased to announce the release of a white paper describing a successfully completed 3D and indoor 9-1-1 caller location mapping pilot project. Under an innovative new partnership, GeoComm and Saint Cloud State University (SCSU) jointly conducted research and development that produced a 3D and Indoor Tactical Mapping System capable of tracking location and movement of mobile phones on campus and inside buildings. The project combined highly accurate and detailed exterior 3D building models provided by GeoComm business partner Pictometry Inc., with indoor maps for buildings on campus created by SCSU researchers, and GeoComm location tracking and communications technology.

The pilot project follows NENA NG9-1-1 and IETF standards for indoor 9-1-1 caller locations that include sub-address elements such as building name, place type, floor, suite, room, and seat. In February 2014, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed new rules to improve indoor and mobile phone 9-1-1 call location accuracy. In November 2014, the nation’s major wireless carriers and public safety industry groups reached a consensus plan for improving cellular 9-1-1 caller location detection both outdoors and indoors.

The GeoComm pilot project and white paper examines benefits, challenges, and practical considerations for 9-1-1 PSAPs and emergency responders, in advance of 3D and indoor location tracking improvements to the nation’s 9-1-1 system.

About GeoComm: GeoComm (www.geo-comm.com) was founded in 1995 to provide county governments with turnkey emergency 9-1-1 development services. Over the subsequent 19 years, the company has grown to serve more than 12,000 dispatchers in 800 emergency 9-1-1 call centers in the United States, helping to keep more than 84 million people safe. Today, GeoComm has a national reputation as a leading provider of geographic information and communication systems. The company’s systems route emergency calls to the appropriate call center, map the caller’s location on a dispatchers map, and guide emergency responders to the accident on mobile displays within police, fire and ambulance vehicles.

London’s Metropolitan Police puts its faith in FREQUENTIS

Collaboration is the key

Procured from Frequentis in 2005 and fully operational since early 2007 the Met Police’s Integrated Communication Control System (ICCS) is in daily use handling all the vital radio transmissions that underpin thousands of mission critical policing operations each year. Originally supporting Met Control Room and Special Operations Room staff at over 500 working positions, the Met ICCS was extended and enhanced in preparation for the successful London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games demonstrating its flexibility and value. In addition to radio capability, the ICCS additionally facilitates access to and management of the Met’s significant CCTV resources. The Met Police ICCS is based on Frequentis’ VCS 3020 platform which is in widespread use globally in support of Public Safety, Air Traffic Management, Defence, Maritime and Public Transport.

Also covered by the new contract is the Met’s Automatic Personnel Location System (APLS) designed by Frequentis that allows the location of field based officers to be reported and displayed within Met Control Rooms and elsewhere to support the dispatch decision, improve officer safety and inform new operational processes.

This new contract will be delivered by Frequentis as prime contractor with its service partner telent Technology Services Ltd and has a continuous improvement ethos through collaborative working at its core. Reflecting on the contract award Managing Director for Frequentis UK operations, John Gurney, said: “This contract award comes at a fascinating moment in the development of UK Public Safety telecommunications and Frequentis is very proud and pleased to be able to continue its 9 year partnership with the Met through this critical period of change.”

Spillman Citadex named one of APCO’s 2014 Hot Products

New web-based CAD from Spillman Technologies included on list of 13 innovations

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Dec. 3, 2014 – The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), the world’s largest organization of public safety communications professionals, has named Citadex a Hot Product of 2014. Citadex is the new web-based, or hosted, Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) solution from Spillman Technologies, Inc., a leading public safety software provider headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Spillman’s Citadex CAD gives call takers and dispatchers a comprehensive tool to dispatch calls, manage information from multiple calls, and provide the most up-to-date information to responding field personnel. Other Citadex modules include a hosted Records Management Solution (RMS) and Jail Management Solution (JMS).

As a web-based, or hosted, software system, all Citadex data is securely stored and maintained offsite, eliminating the need for a dedicated server administrator. By removing this expense, Citadex provides access to a world-class software experience that has previously not been available to smaller public safety agencies. Citadex can be used on any device with Internet access and a web browser, including a desktop computer, a laptop, or smartphone, and does not require lengthy or rigorous setup. Originally designed for users with minimal experience in public safety software, the Citadex platform requires little upfront training.

For more information about Spillman Citadex, visit www.citadex.com.

Established in 2007, Hot Products is an annual editorial program by APCO International and Public Safety Communications magazine that identifies products and features that meet a newly identified need, make substantial improvements over previous releases, or improves health, safety, or otherwise makes the job easier for both telecommunicators and personnel in the field. Products are submitted for review during the annual APCO International conference and are selected by an anonymous team made up of public safety communications professionals that specifically examine new products that have been released, or substantially revised, since the previous conference. After the conference, the editor and the APCO Editorial Advisory Committee select the best new products to be featured in the Hot Products article in the November issue of Public Safety Communications.

Spillman Technologies serves more than 1,200 sheriff’s offices, police departments, communication centers, correctional facilities, and fire departments nationwide. Spillman specializes in integrated software solutions, including Computer-Aided Dispatch, Records Management Systems, Mobile Data & Field Reporting, Mapping & GIS, Jail Management Systems, Fire, Data Sharing, Personnel & Resources, and Analytics & Intelligence-Led Policing. For more information about Spillman, visit www.spillman.com.