March 2005
| Project Highlights: |
Seamless Two-Way
Integrations |
Streamlined Workflows and
One Point of Access |
Emphasis on Combining
“Best of Breed” Technologies |
All You Technologies Need to Work Together
One of the most important considerations with CAD is making sure that it works with other technologies that your department may be utilizing, or may wish to acquire in the future. Often, this is the area that causes the most difficulty, as most vendors either haven’t designed their systems to work well with third party applications, or instead want to make you buy everything from them. In either case, the result is generally a great deal more stress, time, and expense.
Symposium takes a more straightforward and positive approach. The EME was designed from the ground up to integrate seamlessly with third-party systems, and letting you take maximum advantage of your existing technologies to distribute information and respond more effectively to emergencies.
ProQA, Zetron, and the Horizon EME
Two of the latest integrations are with ProQA’s medical dispatching system, and Zetron’s digital radio console – two systems that are in widespread use in police, fire and EMS departments throughout the world.
ProQA utilizes a question and answer type of decision map (called an “expert system”) to assist dispatchers in providing guidance to callers in medical emergencies. The system prompts the dispatcher with questions to ask the caller and, based on the answers, it in turn provides advice to the caller as to what and what not to do until help arrives.
Now, the ProQA interface is available directly in the EME, and all prompts, questions, and instructions are recorded in the systems time-stamped chronology. Furthermore, the question and answer flow in ProQA can be configured to influence response call type and response recommendation. This greatly simplifies speed of access and response, as well as ensuring a full centralized audit-trail of actions for risk management purposes.
Zetron’s digital dispatch console enables the dispatcher to easily access various radio channels, as well as toning out personnel and vehicles for incident response. In the current integration, the CAD automatically prompts the Zetron system to tone out the appropriate vehicles for response and records this in the event chronology. As well, the CAD records when responding personnel indicate through the onsite Zetron interface that they are leaving the hall. This results in faster, more accurate response, and a more detailed and instructive audit trail.
A System Greater than the Sum of Its Parts
These are just two of many examples of the various integrations that Symposium has undertaken at the request of clients. In all cases, the results are seamless, transparent integration, comprehensive information sharing, and practical, real-world solutions that improve performance and safety.
From a technology planning and budgeting point of view this approach provides you with the greatest flexibility and savings, by letting you choose your systems on price and performance, not on considerations of whether they will integrate. Ultimately, this means less stress, expense, and time, and greater capability. Or, as we at Symposium like to say, making technology work for you.
For more information, or for those interested in seeing the system in action, please contact Symposium by emailing us at info@symposiumtechnologies.com.
