Communications of the ACM
'turtle Mike' Bridges Communications Systems
Credit: Phandroid.com
In the midst of an emergency, communication is critical. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is working to keep lines of communication between multiple first responder organizations open, separate, and clear in order to assist efforts to coordinate victim care, prevent further injuries, and ensure available resources. Recent two-week field tests in Nebraska of the Hybrid Public Safety Microphone — nicknamed Turtle Mike — allowed law enforcement, medical, fire and rescue, and public works personnel to test a merge of land mobile radio (LMR) and broadband systems to enable first responders to communicate with each other. Funded by S&T's First Responders Group (FRG) at the request of DHS, Turtle Mike bridges these normally standalone systems and offers a platform that links different systems together.
FRG telecommunications specialist Tom Chirhart says that during an emergency, first responders, medical teams, and other supporting elements use standard LMR radios like walkie-talkies or two-way handsets, which have limited frequencies and bands, and augment them with smartphones or other smart devices that use cellular broadband networks. As these LMR and broadband systems operate independently of each other, Turtle Mike allows responders to create a teleconference platform that can be accessed by both of these systems.
"The Turtle Mike takes the conversation off the frequencies and bridges them together," Chirhart says. "You can talk radio-to-radio or broadband-to-broadband or radio-to-broadband. It connects everyone together."
The hardware solution can be added to any existing LMR system to provide access to cellular networks and a Turtle Mike app can be downloaded onto any smart device. The app allows a first responder to access LMR channels and set up separate broadband conferences on cellular networks from a smartphone device. These supplemental broadband conferences allow first responders to create unlimited separate conferences that can be tailored for each incident.
"If you have an incident, there are many different people who have to communicate at the same time on the same system. The Turtle Mike allows direct contact easily between police, medical, and fire responders and the hospital using different communications equipment; this is vital," Chirhart says.
For instance, Chirhart says, multiple response efforts happen simultaneously during an emergency. At the on-set of an event, onsite fire and law enforcement responders coordinate with hospitals and emergency medical personnel to arrange victims' care and transportation. Simultaneously, they must also coordinate with other law enforcement to close roads and re-direct traffic as needed. Using only LMR, as multiple conversations happen simultaneously, these first responders could run out of channels or participants could become confused. The Turtle Mike allows each of these entities to create a separate teleconference, keeping the conversations separate from one another.
Following the recent field test, engineers immediately began developing solutions to shortfalls identified by end users. The tests also produced several successes, including identifying when participating hospitals lacked sufficient LMR coverage. The broadband coverage worked fine, Chirhart says. By using Turtle Mike, participants were able to extend communications coverage using the cellular network.
"Some radio bands don't have the signal penetration in buildings that others do," Chirhart says. "The signals bounce off or are absorbed by the structure. Because broadband frequencies are higher, they have better signal penetration in densely constructed buildings."
Phase one laboratory testing is currently concluding at the Public Safety Communications Research Program in Boulder, Colo. If the Turtle Mike solution is successful and approved, phase two testing with actual DHS users will take place in 2015. During phase two, S&T will update the preliminary prototype, correct shortfalls, and add advanced features. The prototype will then undergo additional field tests to evaluate the technology and verify that responder requirements were met.
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