Among the most anticipated sessions every year at the FirstNet Users Vision Summit are the Think Tanks, where leaders from public safety and the industry come together to brainstorm ways to creatively address challenges and promote advancement. Innovation in public safety communications is in high demand, but when lives are at risk, it also requires absolute trust and reliability in the systems that carry those precious details. At the 2024 Vision Summit held in Las Vegas, NV, the discussion centered around balancing innovation, integration, and usability for all stakeholders. Some key themes that emerged from the conversations were data sharing, AI integration, secure access, and resilience.
The Vision for the Future of Emergency Response Tech
Giving public safety access to innovative services and tools was a driving force behind the implementation of the nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN), also known as FirstNet, as was fostering competition between the companies that serve the public safety community. Collaborations like this have long been a cornerstone of innovation in emergency response, as they enable the transfer of proven solutions to emerging and diverse areas of concern. One example included the need for standardization of formats for location and data so responding agencies have insight and visualization ahead of arrival to an incident or scene. Many companies have been developing digital indoor mapping of multi-dwelling units, and the discussion naturally shifted to how that work could translate to schools, hospitals, or other high-risk facilities.
Interoperability continues to be a request from public safety leaders, as well as expanding integration beyond existing platforms. Fully comprehending the intricacies of mission-critical communications ensures that everyone from the Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) to the responding agencies has access to the necessary information. This includes any mutual aid or federal responses that may be needed. Connected technologies– such as wearables, vehicle telematics, and IoT devices represent another area with promising advancements. As this data is collected, AI will be used to quickly aggregate and surface information. Public safety officials can use this information to decide what’s relevant and make informed decisions and potentially even perform predictive analysis for proactive responses.
Avoiding Information Overload: Managing Complexity
One concern that exists in this technology-centric world is avoiding information overload, especially in the midst of emergency responses. Decisions often have to be made in minutes if not seconds, and the challenge is to create an environment where the pertinent information is readily available to the decision makers and isn’t lost in an overload of data coming at them. The capability to customize data and eliminate extraneous information is vital to the daily functions of public safety. The conversation sparked ideas about leveraging AI to automate workflows or tailor dashboards to specific roles.
While the ability to easily access information is important, secure access of that information is paramount to those charged with protecting our communities. The group talked about how single sign-on (SSO) solutions bring ease of use as long as the security measures are still strict. Some public safety officials expressed appreciation when systems have multi-factor authentication to ensure compliance and reduce friction in the field.
Striking the Right Balance
The group was posed a key question: Are there any needs in public safety that current technology is unable to meet? Answers varied from addressing network vulnerabilities and ensuring network resilience and preparing for redundancy to expanding satellite-based coverage for rural and disaster-stricken areas. Additional questions centered on whether agencies need dedicated technology specialists, or if technology should be intuitive enough to function without specialized support. Although these discussions are ongoing, the overarching objective in public safety remains the same: to ensure seamless, dependable, and role-appropriate access to essential information. To learn more about exciting innovations in public safety communications and more, register today for the 2025 FirstNet Users Vision from September 8-11 in Indianapolis, IN. During the Summit, there will be exciting FirstNet updates for colleagues and industry leaders, thought-provoking use cases and content during the educational program, and ample networking opportunities!