Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division has partnered with Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center to upgrade its digital mapping and response for 911 calls in Colorado’s premier mountain tourist destination. The partnership aims to make the county safer for residents and visitors.
By using HxGN Connect software, Pitkin County can bring modern mapping capabilities to its computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, as well as incorporate Smart Advisor, Hexagon’s assistive artificial intelligence solution.
Pitkin County, home of Aspen and its four major ski areas, hosts 1.5 million tourists per year. The upgrades will improve emergency response capabilities for major events such as the X Games and JAS Aspen music festival, the company says.
The cloud-based solution, hosted in Microsoft Azure, is designed to map 911 calls and conduct long-term resource planning. Smart Advisor will work in the background to help dispatchers and first responders connect related incidents and provide geofencing to concentrate resources on large events. Officials plan to expand the system to take advantage of its cross-organization collaboration capabilities by potentially linking the county’s CAD system with the fire department’s network of mountaintop smoke detectors and the Department of Public Works’ snowplows.
Pitkin County dispatchers will use HxGN Connect for digital mapping within its CAD system in the mountainous tourist destination.
NextNav is partnering with CentralSquare Technologies, a public-sector technology company, to integrate z-axis vertical location capabilities into its computer-aided dispatch products and mobile suite of public safety software solutions.
CentralSquare works with more than 75% of public safety agencies nationwide, including first responders, law enforcement, fire departments, emergency medical services and local governments, equipping them with real-time data and situational awareness to decrease emergency response times.
By tapping into NextNav’s Pinnacle network, CentralSquare will be able to provide public safety agencies with critical vertical location data needed to precisely pinpoint the location of civilians in need of assistance during an emergency.
The integration of Pinnacle into CentralSquare’s product suite will provide users with enhanced knowledge of the most efficient routes within multi-story buildings to further reduce response times.
“Together with NextNav, we’re helping public safety agencies meet the needs of today’s dynamic world, particularly in densely populated urban cities,” said David Zolet, CEO of CentralSquare. “Adding z-axis enables our systems to not only derive location (x-axis and y-axis) but height (z-axis). This capability is the next logical step, decreasing emergency response times and ultimately helping to protect our communities and those that serve them.”
CentralSquare’s partnership with NextNav further establishes the company as the market leader in public safety dispatch solutions with the addition of floor-level accurate z-axis location. Once deployed, CentralSquare will deliver z-axis visualization in a 3D view, bringing visualization to their agencies and clients’ first responders. Field trials of the technology will begin towards the end of the summer, with an initial rollout anticipated in the fall.
The Pinnacle network delivers precise vertical location in 4,400 cities and towns, covering more than 90% of buildings greater than three stories in the United States, enabling better situational awareness for first responders. Earlier this year, a tier-one wireless carrier selected NextNav Pinnacle to bring z-axis capabilities to wireless 9-1-1 phone calls to enhance caller geolocation and emergency response outcomes.
“Expanding access to the life-saving z-axis capabilities our Pinnacle network provides is a top priority for us. Partnering with CentralSquare allows us to use this technology to positively impact the lives of the majority of public safety workers in the United States,” said Ganesh Pattabiraman, CEO and co-founder of NextNav. “CentralSquare is the largest provider for dispatch solutions signed to our ecosystem to date, bringing actionable floor-level insights to a vast number of individuals and scenarios. We’re growing our user base significantly, and along with it bolstering public safety and saving lives.”
