Westbase Technology, a 4G LTE and hybrid networking distributor, were among exhibitors at this September’s Emergency Services Show. Featured on their booth was a connected car to provide a WiFi hotspot delivered over 4G LTE, plus connected applications such as in-vehicle CCTV and mobile asset tracking.
Using a miniature vehicle kitted with an enterprise-grade 4G LTE router and several other technologies, Westbase showed connected vehicles to the emergency service sector at the NEC-hosted two-day event.
The company says that it has already deployed its networks in hundreds of vehicles in emergency service fleets, working with over 30 emergency services in the UK. Most are using the solution to provide reliable, secure connectivity on the road, so that field teams can connect tablet and laptop devices to the internet and create a secure VPN access into central systems. For example, constabularies are reporting that their police officers are able to spend up to an extra two hours a day in the field, as they can effectively operate a “mobile police station” from their vehicle. Able to access and update information as they go, they no longer have to return to the station to complete their “paperwork”.
Kelly Bell, pictured, Marketing Manager at Westbase Technology, said: “Emergency services today are already utilising Westbase’s in-vehicle networking solutions, in order to provide secure, remote access to central systems from the road – be that police officers accessing criminal intelligence for faster decision making, or paramedics accessing patient files to deliver better care in the field.”
Examples
By being able to connect in-vehicle or body worn CCTV cameras using a 4G LTE in-vehicle networking solution, teams can remotely access and retrieve footage in real-time from any location. For example, retrieving real-time footage from body worn CCTV on firefighters can provide vital insights into the status and well-being of teams and victims involved in an incident – enabling supporting fire teams, and other emergency services, to better assist those involved.
Connected asset tracking enables both central and field teams to track when key equipment has been removed and then returned to the vehicle – ensuring critical equipment is always on-board when it’s needed. It also provides intelligence into the “state” of the vehicle and its occupants; for example, an alert on police vehicles to know when a gun has been removed from the vehicle’s rack could indicate whether an officer may need extra assistance, even if they haven’t been able to call it in.
Westbase also showed how a 4G LTE networking solution can be used to transmit telematics and location services data in real-time to the control room. This provides a picture of vehicle health and location, plus driver behaviour, to central teams – yet more data for understanding what is going on in the field and the support required.
