Radio over IP, a Critical New Tool in Emergency Communications

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Radio over IP, a Critical New Tool in Emergency
Communications

• RoxAnn Brown
• Director of Nashville, Tennessee Emergency
  Communications Center
• Chair, Federal Communications Commissions
  Network Reliability and Interoperability Task
  Force on the Future of Emergency Communications
• COMCARE Director

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What We Hope to Accomplish

• An Understanding of What Radio Over IP is, and is
  Not
• An Understanding of How Radio Over IP Could Fit
  into Interoperability Planning
• Awareness of COMCARE, Red Cross supporting
  activities

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About COMCARE

• COMCARE is a National Advocacy Organization
  Comprised of Over 100 Member Organizations
  Dedicated to Advancing Emergency Response And
  Communications
• Borderless Information Sharing for the Most
  Advanced and Informed Response to Emergencies

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Current state of interoperability policy

• Different definitions and focus of
  interoperability policy
• Traditional Voice, mobile, first responders only
• Broader Data, fixed, all organizations
  responding to emergencies
• State level interoperability planning based on
  traditional definition new radios for first
  responders
• Information tends to be siloed, not shared
• Feds giving lots of money to states for
  interoperability e.g. special 1 billion 2007
  program
• But state/locals spend lots more on emergency
  communications and IT

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Emergency Response Universe

• Who needs to communicate?
• Traditional first police, fire and EMS (ones
  with LMR)
• Volunteer first responders
• Emergency response 9-1-1, hospitals, emergency
  management, public health, transportation, public
  works, coroner, etc.
• Federal Coast Guard, Customs and Border, Forest
  Service
• Military National Guard
• Elected and supervisory officials
• NGOs Red Cross, Salvation Army
• Critical Infrastructure gas, electric, water

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Radio over IP, a Critical New Tool in Emergency
Communications

• Rich Fainter
• Director, Information Technology
• American Red Cross

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American Red Cross

• An Organization Of Volunteers That Is Part Of
  The Community It Serves
• 35,000 Employees, 1 Million Volunteers
• Funded By Donations
• What Do We Do?
• Disaster Response Lead Mass Care Organization
  Under DHS ESF-6
• Sheltering, Feeding, Mental Health ,Comfort
• Education CPR Classes, Water Safety, Public
  Outreach
• Communications With Armed Services Personnel On
  Active Duty
• Blood Services Provider Of Half Of The Nations
  Blood Supply
• Collections, Distribution, Testing
• Where Are We?
• National Coverage In The Contiguous US Including
  Puerto Rico
• Disaster Response Serving The Public At Over
  70,000 Single Family Home Fires And Other
  Disasters Annually Through A Network Of More Than
  800 Community Based Chapters
• Blood Services Providing Products Nationwide
  Through A Network Of 35 Manufacturing Centers
  Supported By A Network Of Donation Centers,
  Bloodmobiles And Distribution Points

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RoIP Primer (1)

• Interoperability with current communications
  equipment
• Converts radio communications of all kinds into
  the universal language of Internet Protocol
• Uses SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) worldwide
  standard
• Works with any communications device, not just PS
  radios

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RoIP Primer (2) Three Steps

• Gateway converts voice into IP
• Speaks in one of several standard CODECs
• Several proprietary software solutions
• Drag and drop frequencies together dynamically
  other features
• Contain list of local frequencies and associated
  codecs
• Contain local rights management who can make
  links
• Gateway converts to different communications
  language

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Factors

• Common denominator between voice and data
  communication is Internet Protocol
• Currently used for data communications worldwide
  widespread Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
• Backhaul networks are robust, just need the last
  mile for access
• IP capabilities exist in fly-away kits and mobile
  communications trucks
• Use of satellite (Very Small Aperture Terminal
  (VSAT),Broadband Area Global Network BAGN)) and
  other portable technologies (cellular) enables
  widespread and infrastructure independent use of
  IP
• Enable disconnected users to communicate
• Use IP to whatever gateways that connect all
  devices regardless of type
• Use virtual talk groups to put users in the
  equivalent of a chat room, rights can be
  administered over how interactions occur
• User continues to use the device they are
  comfortable with, whether it be phone, radio or
  whatever to participate
• Geography is not a limiting factor. A virtual
  talk group can include users from across the
  country or world vs. the line of sight limitation
  of many radio systems

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Future of IP in Emergency Communications

• Move to devices offering situational awareness
  voice PDAs, cell phones with graphic devices
• Less reliance on proprietary push to talk devices
  
• More reliance on open, standards based solutions
• More communication because there are more
  available participants
• Rules required to manage connecting systems, talk
  groups, admission control and user rights

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Radio over IP, a Critical New Tool in Emergency
Communications

• David Aylward
• Director, COMCARE

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Making it Easier to Deploy and Use RoIP (1)

• Major Opportunity in 2007
• Regular DHS Grant Programs Interoperability,
  UASI, etc
• Special 1 Billion Interoperability Program More
  Interop for the Buck
• Looking for Innovation and Reach Investment
  Justifications
• Planning
• Is the problem operability or interoperability or
  both?
• In most likely DHS training scenarios, what are
  the organizations that need to talk, to share
  data? And how much?
• First responder organizations state, local,
  federal
• Emergency response organizations 9-1-1, EM,
  hospital, public health, Red Cross
• Critical infrastructure, other
• Out of town folks

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Making it Easier to Deploy and Use RoIP (2)

• How will they be connected?
• New trunked radio Cost per user? Time frame?
• IP backbone Cost per user? Time frame?
• Getting Ready for IP
• Does every organization have a gateway?
• A broadband connection? Tied to local/State
  network?
• Data messaging among organizations so they can
  report in?
• People/Governance
• Who gets to do what? For what area?
• Training

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Developing Core Services The next steps

• Shared Inter-group Information Tools For Multiple
  Uses
• Organizations Register Key Interoperability and
  Incident Interest Information www.comcare.org/epa
  d.html
• Agency Registry (EPAD) Who? What Incident
  Interests? For What Areas? What Frequencies?
  Gateway? Codec?
• Identity Rights Management/Access Control Tool
  for Policy Makers Who Can Send What Messages
  About What Kinds of Incidents to What Areas? Who
  Can Link Radio Systems and for What Areas?
• Enabling Radio Over IP With Core Services
• Solves the Speed Issues Easier Awareness
• Enables Rapid Interconnection on a Large Scale
• Enables RoIP System To RoIP System Connections

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Radio over IP, a Critical New Tool in Emergency
Communications

• Olympic Public Safety Communications Alliance
  Network (OPSCAN)
• Patti Morris
• OPSCAN Grant Administrator

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What is OPSCAN?

• A Collaborative Plan to Improve Communication
  Connectivity, Coverage, and Interoperability
  Among Public Safety and Other Entities That
  Operate on the Olympic Peninsula
• Developed Through a Cooperative Process Involving
  More Than 42 Participating Partner Agencies,
  Including the PUD
• The First Project of its Kind in the U.S., and
  the First Ever to Follow the Guidelines for
  Interoperability Established by the U.S.
  Department of Homeland Securitys SAFECOM Program
• A Radio-over-IP Deployment That Enables Separate
  Police, Fire, Emergency Medical, and Government
  Agencies to Communicate With One Another While
  Retaining Their Existing Radio Systems

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OPSCAN Project Scope
Public safety agencies in Clallam County must
cover all the towns and roads, 150 miles of
coastline, part of the Olympic National Park, the
Canadian border, two marine ferries, and several
Native American Nations.
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Participating Agencies

• Federal
• Homeland Security, Olympic National Park, FBI,
  Coast Guard, Border Patrol, Forest Service and
  Parks Service
• State
• Emergency Management Agency Washington State
  Patrol Washington State Department of
  Transportation Department of Natural Resources,
  Fish Wildlife Department of Information
  Services Department of Corrections
• Peninsula
• Clallam Jefferson County PUDs, Counties,
  Cities, Fire Districts, Hospitals, Schools, and
  Transit Authorities
• Indian Nations
• Clallam, Lower Elwha and Makah

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Funding

• OPSCAN Requested Department of Homeland Security
  Funding in 2003
• OPSCAN was Awarded a Multimillion-dollar (5.8
  Million) Grant From the Department of Homeland
  Security That Same Year
• The Total Project Budget was 7.25 Million with
  25 Percent Matching Funds Being Provided by
  Partner Agencies

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Technology

• Infrastructure Build-Outs
• Conversion of Washington State Patrol Microwave
  Network to a Redundant OC3 Ring
• New Capacity Added to Coast Guard Digital
  Microwave Towers in Remote Locations
• New Microwave Spurs Added to Network
• Installation of Multiple Cross-Band Radio
  Repeaters
• New Power Lines Added
• Entirely New Core IP Network Commissioned
• Radio-over-IP Allows Different Radio Systems to
  Seamlessly Interconnect
• Removes Barriers of Current Radio Technology
  Limitations
• Improves Communications Simply and Quickly,
  Without Requiring a Complete System Upgrade
• Enables Cross-discipline, or Interagency
  Communications and Collaboration
• Improve Time to Response and Resolution

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Next Phase

• Washington State Executive Interoperability
  Committee (SIEC) is Planning a Statewide VoIP
  Network
• to Support Multiband and Future P25 Radio Systems
• with Integrated Voice and Data Services
• Statewide VoIP Backbone Will Ease
  Interoperability Challenges
• Standards-based System Will Support VHF Low and
  High, UHF, 700MHz and 800MHz Frequencies
• New Radio Coverage Extending Across the Strait of
  Juan de Fuca Will Enable Future International
  Agency Cooperation

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Radio over IP, a Critical New Tool in Emergency
Communications

• Summary

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Summary

• Traditionally, Radio Interoperability Solution
  Buying a New System
• RoIP Allows Interoperability Without Buying New
  Equipment
• Allows For Dynamic Connection of Radios, Phones,
  PCs etc.
• Can Extend Interoperability Far Beyond First
  Responder P-25 Systems
• Accommodates Differences in Equipment and Update
  Schedules
• Far Cheaper and Faster to Interoperability than
  New Infrastructure
• But
• Doesnt Add To Spectrum Efficiency, Coverage Or
  Handset Features
• Less Efficient Spectrum Usage Than If All On Same
  System
• Part Of Your Tool Kit Not The Whole Thing

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Radio over IP, a Critical New Tool in Emergency
Communications

• Questions?