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Communication and ready information access are the keystones of effective government services. Never are they more urgent than when normal operations are disrupted - for example, by hazardous materials spills, accidents, weather, contamination, attack, or pandemic. During these and other emergencies, local, state, federal civilian, and federal defense agencies must coordinate their activities and follow operational procedures to save lives, minimize property loss, protect the environment, and achieve a timely and orderly recovery to normal operations.
Smartphones and other handheld devices support government continuity of operations (COOP) by enabling its central tenets: decentralization and redundancy. Decentralized command and control becomes possible when government employees and public safety personnel can communicate and access vital information from the field as readily as if they were at their desks. Redundant communications options for smartphones - voice, short message service (SMS) text messaging, and email over cellular, WiFi, and satellite networks - enable uninterrupted communications and information access even if one network becomes unavailable.
The value of smartphones also extends to day-to-day government operations. For example, first responders can use smartphones to query law enforcement databases. Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel can access drug formularies to prevent adverse drug reactions. Field personnel can receive real-time alerts from sensors such as access control systems or air-quality monitors, helping to ensure a timely response. City Contents inspectors can upload and access building and site information, such as potential hazardous materials
Limitations of today's communications devices and networks for COOP
Laptops, cell phones, and the PSTN all play useful roles in government COOP strategies, but each has its shortcomings for various types of emergencies.
Laptops untether government employees from their desks, allowing them to access information from any location with a network connection. They also enable telework, an essential part of COOP strategies. Their weight and bulk, however, make them impractical for employees on the move, such as law enforcement personnel on foot patrol or motorcycles, or urban search and rescue personnel who need to access medical and safety procedures as they extricate people trapped in tight spaces. Other limitations of laptops for COOP are their relatively short battery life and lack of ubiquitous connectivity. Without a separate cellular account for their laptop, employees can connect only when within range of a WiFi network.
Common Operational Picture (COP)
During disasters and emergencies, government employees also need At incident scenes, agency task force members often lack information resilient communications if any element of the agency's email or about each others' locations or expected arrival time, inhibiting messaging infrastructure fails: email server, network equipment, or decision-making and effective response. Typically, only the incident enterprise carrier gateway. Failure of any of these components can commander is aware of location information for all field personnel.
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