DSS to demonstrate equature® NG 9-1-1
Interoperability at NENA Industry Collaboration Event
PRWeb, October 19, 2009
Southfield, MI – DSS Corporation, (www.dispatchimprovement.com) announced today that it will test its equature® Next Generation 9-1-1 recording solution at the first NENA (National Emergency Number Association) Industry Collaboration Event, casually referred to as “ICE 1”. This event will take place the first week of November 2009, and will allow more than 20 participating Public Safety vendors to test Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) interfaces against each others’ systems. The tests will use the Texas A&M University network infrastructure that was employed in the original U.S. Dept. of Transportation “Proof of Concept” tests in 2008 – tests that demonstrated the viability of the NG 9-1-1 concept, using simulated components. In contrast, the ICE 1 tests will use real vendor systems to test real standards-based interoperability.
Congress mandated NG 9-1-1 to ensure that the nation’s 9-1-1 infrastructure is updated to handle the myriad ways people communicate today: including wireless devices, text messaging, pictures, video, email, and more. The secure IP infrastructure of NG 9-1-1 also promises to solve many problems inherent in the current 9-1-1 system, and to provide a flexible platform that can evolve as communications evolve. The ability for systems from different vendors to interoperate, using standardized interfaces, is crucial to making NG 9-1-1 work.
According to DSS Chief Technologist Michael Smith, the tests serve multiple purposes: “We’re not only aiming to demonstrate interoperability – we also want to expose any issues with the defined NG interfaces, providing valuable input to the ongoing standards development efforts. I can’t think of a better way to do that than linking up a bunch of real systems, and throwing real-world emergency scenarios at them.”
The tests are sponsored by NENA’s Next Generation Partner Program (NGPP). As an active NGPP member, DSS is working to ensure that its equature® recording platform conforms to NG 9-1-1 standards. DSS General Manager Joe Mosed said: “We’re committed to NG 9-1-1, not only by participating in the NG Partner Program, but also in providing expertise to NENA’s standards efforts. DSS made this commitment several years ago – equature® already supports most NG content, and it appears that, at this time, we’re the only ones who do.”
Smith, who serves on both the APCO/NENA NG 9-1-1 PSAP working group and the ICE Event Planning Committee, continued by saying: “I think all the participating companies view ICE 1 as a tremendous opportunity. I know we do. Where else are you going to be able to test your interfaces against twenty-some other vendors, in one fell swoop?” And Mosed added: “Absolutely – we’re excited to have the opportunity, and to contribute our part to the effort. This is an important step on the road to a real NG 9-1-1 system, and judging by the effort from we’re seeing, a real NG 9-1-1 system is a lot closer than many people may think.”
Southfield, MI based DSS Corporation has been serving Public Safety for more than 20 years. Its flagship product, equature®, was designed from the ground up to support Next Generation content and functionality. DSS is privately held, and is also active in the private sector with both communications recording and document management solutions.
Event Inquiries: Teresa Stephens (770) 426-1638 tstephens@dss-corp.com
Business Inquiries: Jeff Vezina (888) 305-3428 jvezina@dss-corp.com
Speaking Inquiries: Jim Tucci (617) 803-3615 jtucci@dss-corp.com
Web site: http://www.dispatchimprovement.com
