Space Age Response to Disasters

Getting the Space Shuttle onto the pad, launched and then landed is a technological feat that requires close teamwork on the ground as well as in the air. Streamlined communication is key when coordinating a task as daunting as launching the space shuttle. It requires a sophisticated single voice system which can interconnect all the operations personnel plus patch in multiple external audio sources, such as fixed line and mobile phones radios, audio feeds from the net and public address systems at multiple locations.

While the complexity has not gone away, the emergence of Voice Over Internet Protocol technology has simplified the design of such communication systems. VoiP allows multiple voice streams to be handled over the same network as other mission data, such as flight telemetry, closed-circuit video sources, range safety condition, payload health status and even every- day internet communications as well.

Better Response

Quintron, the leading provider of sophisticated audio communication systems used by NASA, United States Government agencies and major corporations, has been immersed in the world of VoiP for several years and found that it opens up many opportunities. David Wilhite, General Manager at Quintron points out that one of the most interesting aspects of using VoiP is that by combining data and voice networks on the same IP system, companies and government agencies can incur large savings on sophisticated, integrated voice services. According to Wilhite, this opens up a new market that could greatly improve coordinated official responses to disasters as well as to improve corporate security operations.

“We’re currently in talks with large corporations and starting to approach government departments about how they could use this new technology to improve communications and situation response,” he says.

“Government departments and emergency services would welcome a system which allows multiple agencies to talk to one another through the same system. They then can update one another on current conditions and one person or agency can take a lead in organizing several teams in different parts of the country for response to an emergency situation.

Corporate Gain

It is a similar story for corporations who could improve security operations With a single system to interconnect the current separate systems for radios, fixed line, VoiP, cellular phones, plus alarm and public address systems.

“It would mean people could hear one another and communicate over the same system whether they’re on their cell at home or on a radio patrolling a company’s grounds or a college’s campus,” adds Wilhite.

“The beauty is because it’s centered on VoiP you can program the system to respond automatically to a variety of scenarios, such as who should be alerted if there’s a particular alarm. Since we can hook up to radios, landlines and cell phones, you could have a head of security getting an emergency call at home and speaking directly to a guard out in the field on his radio, all while the local police or fire department are also being patched into the call as the have crews arriving at the scene.”

This level of sophistication has been available from Quintron for several years but cost has meant it has mainly been used within the space industry. However, the power of VoiP and the wide availability of good quality broadband connections mean Space Shuttle technology is on the verge of trickling down in to more mainstream security and emergency situations. Eventually this will allow all necessary personnel to achieve a faster, more coordinated response in an emergency situation.