SAN JOSE, Calif., March 21 (UPI) -- A pilot program for a cutting-edge emergency dispatch system has been launched in California's Silicon Valley.
The test is part of the Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Project (SVRIP), which aims to tie together 32 agencies in 18 Santa Clara County jurisdictions in the event of a major emergency.
Patching together dispatch and field communications has been considered a pressing need among first responders and government officials since Sept. 11, 2001. SVRIP will allow communications among agencies in the field, allow faster requests for mutual aid, and allow police to share information from counterterrorism and criminal databases.
The pilot program announced by Northrop Grumman Wednesday will include the cities of San Jose and Milpitas and the Santa Clara County Communications Center. It will test a data solution that will allow interoperability of different Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems and streamline the coordination during incidents in which several first-response and government agencies are involved.
"Our CAD-to-CAD solution shortens response time for first responders and allows improved access to equipment," said Northrop's Hugh Taylor. "The system reinforces consistent actions by first responders in emergency situations."
The solution combines Northrop's Regional Interoperable Information Broker system and software provided by FATPOT Technologies in Utah.
