GIF 2009 Volume: 7 Issue: 5 (October)
Dispatch Solution Supports Google Maps Viewing
Intergraph, a provider of public safety and security incident response management and reporting solutions, now offers a public safety computer-aided dispatch solution that supports Google Maps API Premier, the enterprise version of the Google Maps API. The ability to view Google Maps provides communications and field personnel with advanced situational awareness and promotes effective and efficient response to mitigate incident impact and save lives. Intergraph I/CAD version 9.0 and Intergraph Mobile for Public Safety public safety solutions now provide emergency response personnel with the familiar Google Maps API Premier user interface that allows for several popular modes of map viewing of an incident location, such as street level, satellite or hybrid view.
The additional map views increase situational awareness by providing emergency response personnel with improved insight and understanding of an emergency location and the surrounding area. The availability of ancillary map views also helps agency resource management by displaying emergency incident locations and response resources on the integrated Google Map.
Visual Resource Tracking System Enables Real-Time Views
Part of the Imass product suite, VTracker from Infoterra is a visual resource tracking system that enables mobile resources to be tracked and locations viewed in real-time on aerial photography or maps. Target devices can also be tracked and their locations shown on the same screen as all mobile resources, so a full picture is delivered to the operation’s controller. The VTracker’s administration system allows the controller to assign each resource and device a unique name or call sign, so all resources are easily recognized on screen via the displayed icon. For personnel safety, VTracker offers an emergency alert function, helping organizations to ensure they fulfill their duty of care for personnel, particularly in lone worker scenarios. Once an emergency button is activated an alert is immediately visible to the controller on screen. The call sign, location and the direction of heading for that resource are all displayed. The alert remains on screen until an action is taken by the controller. All actions are recorded, supporting personnel safety and providing assurance for both employers and employees alike.
Emergency Notification Systems Improves Mapping Functions
Twenty First Century Communications delivers greater mapping functionality in a new release of its emergency notification solution, the Universal Communications System (UCS). New, robust features will enhance UCS’ GIS-based alerts to reach targeted areas in times of crisis. TFCC’s upgrade of the GIS-mapping module within its UCS system will provide public safety organizations across the United States with faster response, a more intuitive interface, and an even friendlier user experience. The latest mapping module features sharp, clean graphics and fine detail, with the Google-style appearance, zooming and panning familiar to Internet users. TFCC increased the tool feature set, offering users a suite of sophisticated methods to identify specific target areas on the onscreen maps. Enhanced search capabilities include the ability to search based on latitude/longitude coordinates. Users can now add pins to the shapes on the maps to identify incident locations. UCS users can export defined areas as shape files, which can be used in their other GIS-based software programs. In addition, maps can be exported as image files for numerous other uses.
Enhanced Software Offers Advanced Geospatial Collaboration
TerraGo Technologies, a provider of geospatial collaboration software solutions, has released TerraGo Publisher for ArcGIS version 5 software, which gives customers the ability to create higher-performing, higher-quality GeoPDF maps and images when working within an ESRI ArcGIS environment. These files can be leveraged by field/mobile workers using the TerraGo Toolbar or TerraGo Mobile applications for more effective intelligence gathering and spatial-based collaboration. Key enhancements available in the new version of TerraGo Publisher for ArcGIS include advanced geospatial collaboration, so that all files published out of Publisher for ArcGIS now inherently give field/mobile workers the ability to make GeoMarks, which can include comments, structured form data, stamps, lines, polygons, photographs and other types of multimedia geospatial intelligence. This data, now wrapped in the TerraGo Collaboration Package, is highly portable and can be easily brought back into ArcGIS for better decisionmaking by GIS analysts and field workers. In addition, TerraGo has implemented new techniques to improve the performance and file size of GeoPDF files created from ArcGIS. For example, the type of PDF image and compression used varies on an image by image basis, optimizing the GeoPDF file size and image quality. ♦
