Danville

Piedmont Regional Interoperability Project

I. The Nature of the Problem:

The City of Danville is approximately 44 square miles and is located in the southern most portion of Central Virginia, bordering the State of North Carolina. It is surrounded on three sides by Pittsylvania County, Virginia, which incorporates a 1000 square miles. Just across the border lies Caswell County, North Carolina. Even though we share a common geographic border, we currently lack a common communication system that allows for interoperability.

Criminal and traffic offenders alike flee law enforcement by crossing back and forth across the state line in an attempt to elude capture, resulting in a higher than normal number of high speed chases. During emergency events involving multiple agencies, a lack of radio interoperability is at best problematic. Pursuing units are relegated to utilizing a system of relayed messages conveyed via their respective agency’s emergency operations centers through the use of landlines. The inability of field responders to communicate directly with each other wastes time and adds unnecessary delay in situations were every second counts.

Additionally, the regional area adjoining the City of Danville has suffered an economic downturn.  This is due largely to the economic flight of the textile and tobacco industries. We understand that without our significant attention on safety and security, we will have little to no success in addressing the barriers to economic growth and social improvement. 

Historically antiquated patterns of thinking led to investments in proprietary, non-interoperability technology.  Many of the information and communication systems within the Piedmont Regional Interoperability Project (PRIP) area are incompatible with one another.  This condition has led to a crisis in public safety operations. In order to maximize limited resources, the region must move toward standards-based technology that seeks to create inoperability through simple system modification, instead of system replacement.

II. Approach:

1. Communication platform to support any technology medium
2. Prioritize investments
3. Local control of local assets…keeping control of assets
4. Technology based on Worldwide standards
5. Multiple mediums of communication…not just one
6. Dual-use technology…not singular purpose.
7. Accentuate not just radio…but Voice, Video, Data and Radio

In the fall of 2005, Cisco Systems, Inc. and the City of Danville began discussing the possibility of testing a product that addressed the problem of radio interoperability. Cisco Systems had developed an integrated radio solution, which had been tested within smaller single agency venues. Looking for a multi-agency environment for expanded testing, Cisco entered into an agreement with the City of Danville to test their product in a multi-jurisdictional pilot project that would address radio interoperability via an IP network.

The tentative project name is the “Piedmont Regional Voice over IP Pilot Project.” The project involves a collaborative effort between Cisco Systems, Inc., Sprint/Nextel, National Institute of Justice CommTech Program, and a multi-agency consortium that includes the City of Danville, VA; Pittsylvania County, VA; Caswell County, N.C.; the Virginia State Police; and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Virginia Tech University is a non-participant observer assessing the project to study the future applicability of the technology.

The proposed system is designed to provide connectivity between desperate communication systems where none previously existed. The system does not extend existing networks, but simply allows on-demand connectivity between available resources during emergency or routine situations. The initial system deployment will provide unified voice interoperability using any voice enabled device, but subsequent versions will include data and video integration.

The implementation schedule has been defined in a three-phase approached. Phase one seeks to address the issue of operability within the City of Danville. Participants include public safety, police, fire, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Also included are the departments of utilities (water, gas, & electric) and public works. Phase II will initially incorporates the law enforcement and emergency services entities from the Counties of Pittsylvania, VA and Caswell, N.C. Phase III will expand the project to incorporate the two adjoining state police agencies; the Virginia State Police and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

The system utilizes an IPICS (Internet Protocol Interoperable Communication System) server and a system of routers deployed along the participating agency’s radio networks to create IP connectivity. Features include multi-level authorization to define and enable individual or group users. Authorized administrative users have the ability to create talk groups over available channels and can limit their level of participation. Enhanced security features provide internal and external security to prevent intrusion by outside attackers.

III. Goals:

1. Plan with Information Sharing – Voice, Video, Data and Radio
2. Connecting Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)
3. Clear migration plan
4. Strong governance
5. Remote Dispatch Monitoring
6. Investment protection
7. Off the shelf technology
8. More effective service to the public through direct communication
9. Equality in resource command and control
10. Reduced delay and distortion of information
11. More timely and accurate transfer of information
12. Partnerships…with regional and state agencies, Industry partners
13. Economic Development
14. Business Continuity

For the first time ever, we are utilizing IP protocols to communicate via radio to cell phones and PC devises.  We have the capacity to remotely monitor emergency communication traffic…from anywhere in the world where an IP connection exists. 

V.  Outcomes and Road Map

1. VA Tech is involved to assess the use of this technology in their economic development projects.
2. Statewide implementation – “Connect the PSAP’s”
3. Provide for those organizations who can’t afford to interoperate, yet want to
4. Regional information sharing
5. Process management and change.
6. These statements should clearly defined path forward…solutions to prevention and preparedness…and the protection of our public safeguards. 
7. Right information – too much information is as bad as too little.
8. Often contextual information and situational information is the most critical type of information to share during an incident to facilitate and coordinate activities among collaborating responders.
9. Today this information is shared by data and independent of voice, radio and video…with neglect to other types of intelligent based network information. Right time – as a situation changes, more or less information is needed
10. Right format– specific types of responders such as fire, police, and health need different types of information that is tailored to their specific standard operating procedures.
11. Right person – only authorized individuals should have certain privileges for access to information and responsibilities for command and control operations.

Moving forward, our aim is to build a platform that supports multi-mediums of communication or various ways to communicate and share information.  The PRIP project is designed to initially bridge disparate Radio communication systems.  However, our goal is to simply add the capacity to share critical Voice, Data and Video information over a resilient, secure, IP platform. 

This approach utilizes the standard IP technology.  The same IP technology standards that were developed by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) over 35 years ago to withstand a nuclear attack. 

As for the outcomes, our public safety personnel will be able to access information, interoperate in ways that have yet to be determined.  Already, we have a new capability to interact with other agencies utilizing IP protocols. 

The next wave of innovation for our project is to incorporate information sharing and video capabilities.