Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Australian emergency services go wireless

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 01:13:57 -0500

Emergency
Services Go Wireless

BY CRAIG LIDDELL
January 23, 2003

Nowhere are speed, security and scope in communication more
important than in emergency services. So any decision to upgrade
could be considered a vote of confidence in the technology.

The Ambulance Service of New South Wales (NSW) (
http://www.asnsw.health.nsw.gov.au/ ) is following in the
footsteps of the Queensland Ambulance Services (
http://www.ambulance.qld.gov.au/ ) by implementing a mobile data
radio network. This will reduce the time it takes for ambulances
to receive messages from headquarters.

The contract is a coup for Brisbane-based wireless developer
Technisyst Computing ( http://www.technisyst.com.au/ ). It will
contribute more than $20 million to the company's bottom line over
five years.

"Our system ensures that ambulances get to jobs as quickly as
possible," says Bill Delaney, Technisyst CEO. "We can have
information sent to ambulances within ten seconds and in
emergencies, every second counts."

Technisyst Mobile Data Radio Service enables operators to pinpoint
the exact location of all ambulances in the fleet at any given
time. They can then dispatch the closest vehicle to an emergency.

Over 300 ambulances in New South Wales will be fitted with Mobile
Data Terminals. The system will consist of 35 base stations to
cover Sydney and regional areas of New South Wales. It is expected
to be operational within twelve months.

The computer touch screens display data and allow ambulance crews
to enter set responses. Once the network is running, users will
know to within 500 metres where the ambulances are and their
status. When a 000 call generates a location, the control centre
dispatcher looks at the screen and decides which ambulance is
nearest, and sends the job details to that terminal. The details
are then displayed on a touch screen inside the ambulance, located
on the dashboard.

"The emergency services environment has many challenges that need
to be overcome," says Delaney. "Vehicles and paramedics work
around the clock and emergency work has to take priority. This
means that we need to be very flexible when undertaking activities
such as fitting equipment into vehicles or conducting user
training."

Both deployments consist of four elements.

Firstly, the Private Mobile Data Network, which is based on the
Ericsson Mobitex Network(Network
http://www.ericsson.com/network_operators/mobitex) By contrast to
spread spectrum used for 802.11 wireless networks, Mobitex is a
narrow-band packet-based data only network designed specifically
for applications that have lots of short and bursty traffic.
Deployments operate in the 400MHz spectrum range. A single base
station can provide coverage to an area of some 20 kilometres in
diameter and can maintain communications with vehicles travelling
over 160KPH.

The second element is a wireless gateway switch used to
interconnect customer host systems to the wireless network called
TC-Gateway.

Thirdly, in-vehicle equipment consists of a wireless modem, Mobile
Data Terminal and Global Positioning System (GPS). The core to the
in-vehicle system for NSW is Technisyst's TC-Connect Embedded
Computing Platform.

Finally, custom software is used for both the Mobile Data Terminal
and TC-Connect applications in the vehicle. Integration software
is used to integrate the Mobile Data Network to the customers
existing Computer Aided Dispatch Systems.

"Technisyst selected Mobitex because we believe it is the best
data network in the world for the types of emergency service
applications that we supply," says Delaney. "Mobitex is in use in
over 26 countries around the world, it is an open solution with
equipment available from multiple vendors and it continues to be
developed by Ericsson."

Queensland Ambulance Services were so pleased with the network
they choose to expand the number of wireless base stations in May
last year.

The original contract signed in 1999 was valued in excess of $7
million over three years.

Technisyst provided the design, installation, and commissioning of
the mobile data network, including the installation of Automated
Vehicle Location (AVL) and Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) systems for
over 350 ambulances.

Technisyst has come a long way from their original focus on custom
software applications in the wired world when they began in 1986.
After working with Telstra some years later to develop a wireless
solution on their DataTAC network, they choose to focus a
significant section of the company in that area. This was folded
into their Wireless Data Group in 1995.

For The Ambulance Service of NSW, the solution is a significant
upgrade.

"Voice communications between ambulances and the communications
centres is provided by a number of different radio networks across
the state," a spokesperson says. "In the Sydney area voice
communications is primarily provided by the Government Radio
Network (GRN)."

"The GRN is primarily an analogue voice network," she continues.
"It has been operating successfully since 1993. Some data traffic
has been added in recent years.
Thehttp://australia.internet.com/conductor/content/www.nsw.gov.au
increasing demand for data applications has resulted in an
increased demand for data capacity. As a result, the NSW
Government (
http://australia.internet.com/conductor/content/www.nsw.gov.au )
has contracted for a new data network for the Ambulance Service of
NSW."

She adds, "the new system is a digital data system, designed
specifically for data use. The Mobitex data system is used
world-wide by emergency service organisations for transmission of
data."

"The Mobitex System was very good in 1999," Delaney adds, "and it
continues to be. Mobitex was developed from the ground up to be a
data only network, so it suffers none of the compromises that
often exist in networks that share voice and data communications
over the same infrastructure."

Security consists of several measures.

"The system is a digital packet based system making it inherently
difficult to access for casual hackers," he says.

"Both host and mobile access is only granted to authorised
parties," Delaney continues. "Data sent over the network is also
able to protected through a wide range of compression and
encryption algorithms, and this can occur either at the
communications layer and/or at the application layer.

Finally, "each wireless modem is uniquely identifiable, and each
modems access to the system, and to particular host systems can be
individually managed," he concludes. "This means that a modem that
has been lost or stolen can be permanently disabled from accessing
any network."

"Technisyst has been in a position to work with wireless data as
the market and industry segment has developed," Delaney concludes.
"As a result, we have a great depth of experience in working with
wireless and making wireless work. But we have also always been a
solutions focused company. So as our experience has developed, we
have always tried to take a strategic position to be able to
deliver cost effective solutions."

http://www.australia.internet.com/r/article/jsp/sid/12766

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