Introduction
When you think about public safety technology solutions which companies come to mind first? If you want to link information, people, processes, and systems who are you going to call? I was a bit surprised to find out that you might try IBM. I interviewed Mark Cleverly recently, IBM’s Director of Public Safety Solutions, and he enlightened me about what IBM is doing for public safety agencies large and small.
I have seen the Smarter Planet commercials on TV but did not know much about their efforts to help create smarter cities and even smarter public safety agencies. They focus on cities because that is where most people live and they see the perceived level of public safety as a key part of individuals and corporate decisions to locate in a particular city.
Solution Overview
Mark describes three key observations that drive IBM’s solutions – the three I’s. The first I is Instrumentation. More and more instrumentation is being used in public safety that captures more and more data and information about what is going on in the world. The second I is about the level of Interconnection between people, public safety and other government agencies, and the private sector. The third I is Intelligence and Mark pointed out that as you have an ever increasing volume of data and information coming from ever more diverse systems being shipped around to people who need to use it, you better make sure you are equipped to analyze that information so you can actually make a difference. And this is the main focus area of IBM’s solutions for public safety.
IBM helps public safety agencies achieve their operational mission through the use of their Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) and through the use of analytics and predictive analytics. The IOC is a group of IBM solutions that allow all city agencies to share data and information. The analytics and predictive analytics help them understand what is going on and how to best address current needs most effectively.
For Example
The FDNY uses the IBM analytics solution to conduct inspections based on risk and use their limited resources most effectively. The NYPD built a Real Time Crime Center with IBM solutions.
Here is an overview from the IBM web site about how Memphis PD uses IBM solutions:
When Larry Godwin took over as director of the Memphis Police Department in 2004, crime across the metro area was surging, and city leaders were growing impatient. “The mayor told me I want this crime problem fixed,” recalls Godwin, a 38-year veteran of the MPD. But the new director understood that a business-as-usual approach to crime fighting would no longer be good enough.
Business need:
The Memphis Police Department saw an opportunity to better understand and fight criminal activity by mining the department’s huge digital repository of crime records and police reports. By identifying crime patterns by time and location, the department would be able to pinpoint “hot spots” of activity and better deploy police details to deter crime.
Solution:
The department turned to IBM® SPSS® predictive analytics to chart and analyze crime patterns and develop effective strategies for reducing crime rates while optimizing police manpower and resources.
Results:
Since the data-driven Blue CRUSH program was launched in 2006, the city has seen a 27 percent reduction in serious (Part One) crimes.
Benefits:
The MPD can analyze huge volumes of rime records in seconds, and revealing patterns of criminal activity and allowing more timely and targeted deployment of manpower and resources.
Annual return on investment (ROI): 863%
Payback period: 2.3 Months
Average annual benefit: $7,205,501
IBM also offers these solutions through a cloud computing model which makes them very cost effective for smaller agencies or for regional use.
What Sets Them Apart
IBM is a company people trust. They have been around a long time and done work for all kinds of organizations from around the world. Their depth of experience and capabilities is outstanding. Every client, large or small, benefits from this deep well of experience. They also have one of the largest research organizations in the world and are constantly working to find better ways to serve the public safety community.
Client Quote
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta - "Combining different existing databases, and linking them with those of other city agencies such as the Department of Buildings, will dramatically improve the information available to our firefighters and result in a smarter, more productive inspection program."
Final Thoughts
If you want to find out more about what is going on in your jurisdiction, if you want to take a good look at data and information and turn that into knowledge and effective and efficient operations, then call IBM. They have solved a lot of different problems for a lot of agencies around the world. They might be able to help you.
Company Facts
Company Name: IBM
HQ City & ST:
1 New Orchard Road
Armonk, New York 10504-1722
# Employees: 426,751 (2010)
Other locations: 170 countries
Primary Contact: Mark Cleverley
Phone: +1-201-608-8213
Email: mark.cleverley@us.ibm.com
Web site: http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/public_safety/ideas/index.html
Clients: See Website
Years in business: 100
Leave a comment
Latest Blog Posts 
Introduction
What do you get when you invest $14 million and 6 years of field tests in an emergency medical services telemedicine system? You get DREAMSTM – Disaster Relief and Emergency Medical Services – described as the most advanced EMS telemedicine system in the world. The $14 million came from the U. S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and the Telemedicine and Technology Research Center (TATRC) through a Congressionally Funded military research project. The six years of field tests were done in Liberty County Texas. LifeBot® is the company bringing DREAMSTM to the public safety, EMS, and hospital emergency medicine markets. I had the pleasure to interview Dr. James “Red” Duke and Roger Heath recently about DREAMSTM and what this solution can do for emergency medicine.
Solution Overview
DREAMSTM is a complete telemedicine system to connect EMS field units to hospitals and doctors who may be hundreds of miles away and spread out across the country or across the globe. You can transmit voice, video, patient data, and even instruct field personnel on medical procedures. The system integrates voice, video, data, wireless networking, and radio-telephone communications systems.
The solution can be installed in ambulance or EMS units to create a Super Ambulance or Mobile Primary Care Unit and can also be used by field personnel on an HP Slate 500 tablet PC. Hospitals can connect the emergency department with the field units using the HP TouchSmart 9100 in the hospital.
The goal of the system is to provide better triage, diagnosis, and treatment on the scene. DREAMSTM is designed to help public safety agencies and hospitals save lives, lower liability risk, and reduce costs.
A DREAMS aid/ambulance unit. DREAMS on an HP TouchSmart 9100.
For Example
Let’s say you have a Medic unit set up with the DREAMSTM solution and they respond to a car accident that is 100 miles from the nearest hospital. Doctors will be able to view the patient and their injuries with one of the three cameras mounted in the unit and the even view the scene so they can determine method and extent of injuries. They can look up patient records from a hospital database and consult in real time with a hospital trauma department. Patient vital signs and other telemetry data are transmitted to the hospital. A doctor in the trauma center could help the paramedics close a large laceration (something they are not trained to do) that is critical to a patient’s survival. Triage and patient care becomes much more effective and efficient. They can also communicate with anyone they need to even if they are on a cell phone, land line, or a completely different radio system.
What Sets Them Apart
A major differentiator of DREAMSTM is that it is an all-in-one integrated system designed to work seamlessly from the field to the hospital in any technology environment. This system was used for six years in Liberty County Texas and is the only telemedicine system used in actual disasters (Katrina, Rita, Ike).
The people behind this solution are also unique. Dr. James Duke is a renowned trauma surgeon, introduced the first helicopter life flight program in the U.S., attended to Governor Connally’s wounds during the JFK assassination, and hosted the former PBS series, "Bodywatch". His credentials and involvement in EMS is on the scale of legendary.
Roger Lee Heath is an entrepreneur and inventor who is credited with bringing the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to the EMS world. Mr. Heath is another legendary figure in telemedicine technology.
Dr. S. Ward Cassells received the General Maxwell Thurman Award for his participation in the design of the DREAMS Digital Ambulance telemedicine system, is the former Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), and is the John E. Tyson Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Public Health, and Vice President for External Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Texas at Houston, and Senior Scholar at the Texas Heart Institute.
The contribution these three have made to health care and telemedicine over the years is very impressive. They should know what they are doing with LifeBot and DREAMS.
Client Quote
“Through our close collaboration with innovative technology leaders like LifeBot, HP mobile technology products bring physicians closer to the point of care, regardless of their location. In the back of an ambulance where every second counts, this type of technology is particularly critical, said Chris Mertens, vice president, Healthcare, Personal Systems Group, HP. “Combining our HP Slate 500 and HP TouchSmart PCs with Lifebot’s DREAMS™ ambulance teletriage system is revolutionizing speed of care in emergency health situations and truly saving lives.”
From Roger Heath: “DREAMStm has many applications beyond ambulance telemedicine – the software can be used on hospital mobile telemedicine carts and desktops, or by neurologists on LifeBot’s hub and spoke system to meet American Heart Association recommendations for telestroke. DREAMStm can expand those capabilities to include teletrauma, e-ICU, and disaster management. With the 1.5 pound HP Slate tablet PC, a physician or intensivist can remotely connect hospital-to-hospital or hospital-to-ambulance from almost anywhere, and at any time, to save lives. Call centers, or “telemedicine hubs” may quickly triage and dispatch higher levels of care. Improved communications and care coordination provides for new efficiencies significantly lowering healthcare delivery costs.”
Price Tag
The cost to outfit an ambulance or EMS unit is about $25,000 to $50,000 depending upon the amount of equipment or features desired.
Final Thoughts
The DREAMSTM solution from LifeBot will help Fire Department Aid and Medic crews, ambulance crews, hospitals, and clinics deliver better care to patients. If this is one of your goals you might give them a call.
Company Facts
Company Name: LifeBot, LLC
HQ City & ST: 2303 North 44th Street, Ste. 14, Phoenix, AZ 85008
Phone: 877-466-1422
Email: info@lifebot.us.com
Web site: www.lifebot.us.com
Years in business: 2yrs.
Leave a comment
Latest Emergency Management News
Experts in emergency management say Albert Ashwood’s long experience and innovative thinking have helped ease those recoveries.
Students at the Oklahoma State University Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering designed preliminary storm drones that could someday gather data that saves lives.
The test program equips SWAT officers with computers and cameras so when out in the field, trauma surgeons can help them respond to critical injuries.
