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Digital images transform public safety communications

Motorola has developed a new communications technology which will make it possible for emergency services to capture and transmit images and live video direct to and from TETRA(TErrestrial Trunked RAdio) enabled terminals, over a digital radio network.

The multimedia transmission system called Solar, which was developed by Motorola Labs in the UK, is being trialled in the Channel Islands by the States of Jersey Police.

With plans moving forward to implement a national digital trunked radio network for public safety communications, it is envisaged that South Africa will also harness this technology soon.

Solar offers excellent benefits for the emergency services, accustomed to and reliant on voice as their primary form of communication. The biggest and most obvious benefit is the extra intelligence that transmitting pictures will provide, enabling officers to make better-informed decisions, quickly, which impacts on time and resources.

Says Mark Ellis, Motorola CGISS' Director of Sales (Africa), "This is a fantastic new application that strengthens Motorola's position as a leader in developing cutting-edge technologies to improve the effectiveness of emergency service communications."

Gary Buesnel, Head of Communications at States of Jersey Police, believes Solar offers tremendous benefits for emergency services. "Pictures are so much more compelling than words and there are so many situations where this solution can be, and is being, used to help our operations."

The Jersey Police Force is currently trialling Solar for a number of its day-to-day applications including:

* Incident response: The camera can be quickly deployed to the scene of a crime or incident. Live images are then transmitted back to control headquarters, where the officer in charge can make instant decisions on officer movements and what to do next.

* Scene-of-crime: Officers can use digital cameras to take photographic evidence at the scene of a crime and then send it immediately to headquarters.

* Traffic-flow: Solar is being used as a temporary way of monitoring traffic flow during busy periods

* Major events: Jersey Police is planning to use Solar equipment to help police officers observe large crowds.

For further details contact Mark Ellis, Motorola on tel: (0944) 1256 484 505, [email protected]

[Picture courtesy ot States of Jersey Police Department]

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