In an earlier era, dispatching consisted of a cradle-type telephone--or maybe even a cord-type switchboard--and a push-to-talk desk microphone. Incident information was written down in hard-bound journal books, and your memory was the status screen.

Everything changed in 1968, when the telephone company took over the task of handling 911 calls and routing them to the proper agency. Computers arrived in the late 1980s, and comm centers have been going "techno" ever since. Now comm centers are a collection of networks, systems and communications links. Since all these systems were developed over time and by different companies, much of today's technology isn't as integrated as it could be.

But several companies are working to bring more features and improved integration to the technology so that it offers more information and operates easier. However, progress is slow.

Here's a diagram that summarizes the various technology systems that a typical comm center might have:

Many of these systems are discussed here on the DISPATCH Monthly Web site, including 911, CAD, 311.

I've collected links to other Web sites that have information about technology and all of these various systems.

Addressing ordinance sample from NENA [Web site]
Address Standards from the U.S. Postal Service -- excellent reference
Alaska Land Mobile Radio System - state-wide public safety system
Antenna site info & maps, for cellular and PCS sites
Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) - DOJ advice on 911 access
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - public safety issues, 1994, pdf
Arizona Public Safety Advisory Commission - statewide interop plan
AVL Introduction
AVL Products
AVL Latest
California Highway Patrol (CHP) radio history
Citizen's Guide to the Airwaves - allocation & auction issues
Communications Purchase Guide - excellent DOJ guide
Communications, History of law enforcement tech [Acrobat, pdf format 224k]
Computer gear - Belkin keyboard-screen switches
Converters/Formulas for communications
Criminal History records systems - excellent fed report
Delaware Division of Communications - video training
Digital Wireless - encyclopedia & history
Digital Radio info - good compendium of info
Disaster Recovery resources
Distributed Antenna System Forum - indoor antenna org
Electro-magnetic spectrum chart - amazing photo of old GE chart
Emergency Medical Dispatching (EMD)
EMS report by ITS America medical subcommittee (pdf, 850k)
European Telecommunications Standards Institute
Fire alarm systems - San Francisco FD history
Frequency assignments, U.S. Gov. - chart from NTIA
Funding emergency communications - policy analysis - pdf
Future Spectrum & Technology Assessment - pdf
Glossary of telecom terms - from NTIA
Government Frequency allocations - chart by NTIA, Chapt. 4
GPS Overview - Garmin Web site
GPS Info, U.S. Naval Observatory
GPS Primer
GPS Satellite list
History of early mobile radios -- excellent summary & photos
History of CHP radios systems -- post-war photos & summary
In-Building Radio Coverage study - various bands (pdf)
Indiana State-Wide Radio Project
Inmarsat
Interoperability - 2004 GAO report and recommendations [pdf]
Interoperability - Field Operations Guide [pdf]
Interoperability - Kansas City metro report (pdf)
Interoperability on radio - on-line DOJ videos
Interoperability - White Paper (Acrobat, pdf 176k)
Interoperability - federal "Agile" program Web site
Interoperabilty - Assessment & Implementation Guide [pdf]
Interoperability - Project Safecom, Requirements [pdf, 2.2 Mb]
IP Telephony & 911 - a Cisco solution
IP & 911 - good article from IEEE magazine [Acrobat, pdf format
Keyboard/terminal switches - Belkin Rose
Law Enforcement Tech Guide for Interoperability, pdf 2013
LTE radio presentation by Andy Seybold (pdf), April 2012
Mapping Crime - NIJ publication [html] [Acrobat pdf]
Mapping, advance crime mapping, NLECTC [Acrobat, pdf file]
Michigan statewide radio system
Mobile Radio, tech & trends - excellent NTIA site
Mobile data primer
Narrowbanding, FCC regulations - deadlines, tech specs [pdf]
Washington State Patrol, guide to narrowbanding [pdf]
National Fire Protection Assn. standard on fire alarm centers [NFPA #1221]
National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA)
NIST list of links to public safety wireless technology
NCIC 2000 Code Manual - Acrobat chapters of data field codes
NENA Review of Non-Traditional 911 Committee (ACN, VoIP, ITS)
Open spectrum - white paper explanation
Out-bound emergency call statistics
'PBX-911 model legislation, fromNENA, Acrobat (pdf 87k)
PBX-911 legislation by state, from NENA
Phoenix Regional Wireless Network - 800 MHz radio project
Priority Access Service - map of T-Mobile PAS regions

Public Safety Strategic Planning / Calif. - regional inter-op plans
Public Safety Wireless Network - excellent resource on interoperability and original Public Safety Wireless Advisory Committee report on spectrum
Portable Radio -- Circa 1958
Portable radio -- Motorola HT-220 excellent history!
Portable radio -- old photos [HT200 photo] [handpack]
Radio technology - various topics by the FCC
Radio acronyms - a list of over 3,200!
Radio callsign history & policies - fun stuff!
Radio Communications Guide for Fire Service by FEMA (pdf)
Radio booster ordinances - collection of law requiring in-building boosters
Radio history - Lake County (Ill.)
Radio history - Detroit Police Dept.
Radio history - old Calif. Highway Patrol radios
Radio interference - 800 MHz issues, Nextel plan
Radio equpment purchase guide - DOJ, excellent!
Radio sounds - all the strange sounds you'll hear on a scanner
Radio System RFP, from Washington, DC, (pdf)
Radio system replacement cost study - Acrobat (pdf)
Radio system comparisons, east coast agencies - Schoenberger's "Monroe Report"
Radio - talk-in and talk-out solutions by Simulcast Solutions Inc.
Radio Technology, excellent basic explanations
Radio Technology - fundamentals of the technology
Radio tower maps - fee service for maps of tower locations
Radio tower sites - Crown Castle's interactive tower-finder
Radio terminology - FCC policies & procedures
Radio Frequencies, Talk Groups excellent listings by private owner!
Repeaters - ordinances to require in-building repeaters to extend radio coverage
SAFECOM - program of DHS, technology links
San Mateo County (Calif.), summary of technology they use
SigAlerts, the history and story behind them
Simulcast Solutions - radio talk-in and talk-out products
Software-defined radio forum - group setting standards
Spectrum Assignments for Public Safety
Spectrum Management, Office of -- NTIA
Spectrum resources -- from PSWN Web site
Spectrum Chart - cellular, PCS and other personal comm bands
Spectrum Chart - for "dummies" as of 12-2001, Acrobat/pdf
Spectrum Chart in color Acrobat (pdf) format
Spectrum Chart in HTML format
Spectrum Chart order large paper chart from Govt. Printing Office
Spectrum Chart - accompanied FCC report on planning, Acrobat
Spectrum Chart FCC's Acrobat-pdf format chart (556k, 126 pages)
Spectrum Chart - government allocations, from NTIA
Spectrum Guide allocation and regulation matters
Spectrum Management NTIA, - all things about federal radio
Spectrum Policy Task Force - FCC's main page
Spectrum Requirements, 1995 NTIA report - good background
Stolen radio database - specific info from companies, agencies
links to guides and other resources for tech
Technology, Report on Law Enforcement Tech [Acrobat, pdf format, 768k]
TDD/TTY Accessibility - Checklist for PSAPs
Telematics information
TTY Compliance Checklist-Link to Texas-NENA Web Site
TTY compliance training materials
TTY computer software & info
Telecom company search - FCC, wired/wireless
Telecommunications Service Priority program
Telematics - article describing types of services offered
Telephone Service Priority (TSP)
TETRAPOL radio page
Trunked Radio, Best Practices, from PSWN (pdf, 637k)
Trunked Radio story
Trunked Radio, another excellent explanation
Trunked Radio, yet another excellent collection
Trunked Radio, complete info on Lancaster County (Penn.) plan
Trunked Radio, South Dakota VHF state-wide system slides
The Radio Spectrum
Tunnel Radio - considerations on in-building/tunnel sytems [pdf]
TV tower/channel interactive map
Ultra wideband radio [Assn.] [USRadar] [Zircon]
U.S. Postal Service street abbreviations
U.S. Postal Service secondary identifier abbreviations
Wireless Communications for Public Safety - excellent guide to technology, issues, planning and management, 174 pages, Acrobat format