The FirstNet RFP has been issued, responses are back and evaluations are currently in progress. For all practical purposes, the nation will finally get a broadband network dedicated to Public Safety needs. The question is: What we will get in the public-safety broadband network that is useful to us?

To get an idea, we looked at the 16 objectives that FirstNet has laid out for the network. A key one we quickly gravitated to is the need to provide precise first-responder location accountability indoors and outdoors. Second to mission-critical voice, there is not another application that is more critical, answering two important questions: Where are my people in an incident, and where is the “incident”? Getting accurate and precise information will allow optimal dispatch of our men and women correctly, meaning a faster response; use of strategies that keep them from harm’s way while also using resources more efficiently—an important consideration, given ever-shrinking budgets.

So, what is required for any location system to satisfy a “mission critical” need?

• The location system needs to be highly accurate XY information, both indoors and outdoors;
• Indoors, it should provide near-floor-level vertical information (particularly for high-rise buildings in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles), also known as the Z-axis;
• It needs to work reliably and consistently, even during storms and adverse conditions;
• It needs to work pervasively throughout a city, because emergencies can happen anywhere;
• It needs to support the public-safety application, such as 3D geolocation, navigation and Blue Force Tracking; and
• It needs to transition seamlessly between cellular, Wi-Fi and satellite communications, always operating on the technology with best signal strength at a given moment.

In fact, Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) has done extensive work in this area and identified candidate location technologies (Location-Based Services R&D Roadmap, May 2015).

Read complete article here:http://urgentcomm.com/blog/first-responders-need-access-life-saving-3d-location-technology