The Cisco® IP Interoperability and Collaboration System (Cisco IPICS) portfolio of products and applications streamlines daily operations and allows organizations to rapidly respond to incidents or emergencies. It dissolves communications silos between disparate Land Mobile Radio systems and devices such as mobile phones, landline phones, IP phones, and PC clients-users can communicate with whatever device they have, from wherever they are. Users can be paged or emailed with the status of an event, and can be automatically called and invited to join a virtual conference, further improving situation awareness and reducing response time. Cisco IPICS provides flexible and scalable communications interoperability, enhancing the value of existing and new radio, telephony, and IP communications networks.
The Cisco IPICS Server is the conductor of the Cisco IPICS system. Agency personnel use the Cisco IPICS Administration Console, a Web-based graphical user interface, to dynamically manage system resources and orchestrate interoperable communications. The Cisco IPICS Server is used to create virtual talk groups (VTGs) to facilitate Push-to-Talk (PTT) communications between users of multiple types and technologies of Land Mobile Radios with users of PCs, landline phones, cellular and Nextel phones, and Cisco Unified IP phones. This function delivers critical communications interoperability between, and beyond, the boundaries of traditional systems.
The Cisco IPICS Server is a security-enhanced, Linux-based platform installed on the Cisco Multiservice Platform Server, a family of proven and reliable hardware platforms that you can deploy in mobile command units or in headquarters, branch offices, or operations centers. Other Cisco IPICS system components include the Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console (IDC), Cisco Mobile Client, Cisco IPICS IP Phone Client, Cisco IPICS Operational Views (Ops Views), Cisco Land Mobile Radio (LMR) gateways, Router Media Service (RMS), and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) telephony gateways.
Cisco IPICS is a systems-level, network-based solution for voice interoperability. It takes full advantage of open IP standards and IP network infrastructure for greater resiliency, scaling, and security, and is part of a complete communications solution for organizations of all sizes
The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console is a state-of-the art end-to-end radio dispatching solution designed for mission-critical radio communications. The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console client is the vital link between dispatchers and field personnel, helping coordinate field response and ensuring personnel safety. Built on IPICS technology, it extends existing push-to-talk (PTT) radio channels or broadcast networks so that users with a variety of communication devices, such as landline phones, cell phones, IP phones, and satellite phones, can share information and participate in an event. The IPICS Dispatch Console streamlines daily operations and allows organizations to respond to incidents and emergencies rapidly.
The IPICS Dispatch Console provides control of radio resources through an easy to use on-screen interface. It allows users to monitor and coordinate incident management responses for emergencies and day-to-day operations across multiple agencies, jurisdictions, departments, and incompatible radio systems. Command and control tactical dispatchers do not have to rely on multiple portable radio units to dispatch from the field. They can be equipped with a laptop PC that provides full dispatch console functionality. An intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) provides access to the following radio features:
- Push to Talk (PTT)
- Select/unselect/deselect channels
- Select and unselect audio speakers
- On-screen volume controls
- Channel patching
- Receive and transmit on-screen indicators for channel activity
- Handset, headset, or desktop microphone operation
- Individual channel mute/All mute
- All talk
- Instant recall recording per channel
- Last call transmit
- Alert tones
- Channel Multi-select
- Confirmation tones for trunked systems
- Unit ID/talker ID
- Emergency alert/acknowledge
- Coded/clear channels
- Loop prevention
- Integrated telephone
- Frequency select
The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console integrates with virtually any analog or digital radio system to enable dynamic PTT communications. It is compatible with almost any dispatch operation that requires radio interoperability including public safety, homeland security, emergency operations centers, defense, and physical security environments.
It also introduces rich media incident management support, giving dispatchers the power to consolidate information relating to an incident and instantly share it among participants. Incident Dispatch enables the sharing of multimedia data such as the following:
- Live video sent from surveillance cameras, access control gateways and mobile clients
- Photos
- Alarm monitoring
- Journal and live statuses
- Website links to resources such as FEMA and hazardous material databases, standard operating procedures and maps
When dispatch consoles reach their end-of life and parts become difficult to find, it is important to move to a state-of-the-art dispatch console that takes advantage of current technology and is ready for future advances. The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console provides numerous benefits including:
- Comprehensive feature set: The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console supports the features important to a dispatcher-all on an IP-based application.
- Mobility: The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console, being a PC based application, moves with the user anywhere there is an IP network versus a legacy dispatch console that stays where it is installed.
- Radio Interoperability and Beyond: The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console, being built on IPICS technology, supports multi-agency talkgroups, talkgroups between disparate radios as well as talkgroups that include radios, PCs, phones, cell phones and IP-Phones.
- Rich Media incident management: The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console moves beyond audio to support rich media talkgroups and a new generation of mobile endpoints.
- Integrated Policy Engine: Dispatchers are given a new set of tools that simplify notification and improve response time.
- Smooth evolution to P25, Tetra and other radio protocols
The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console comes in two versions; Silver and Platinum. The Silver version provides a simple user interface and supports basic radio and incident dispatch functions. The Platinum version includes patch capabilities, integrated telephone, incident management, and policy management support.
Mobile clients are an important part of incident response because incidents can occur anywhere and anytime. Responders never know where they will be when an incident occurs requiring their support. Until recently, two way radios were the most available means of communications. However, they are mostly limited to audio and certainly limited by technology and audio reception. They are also expensive and usually only carried by a small subset of on-duty responders. But the mobile smartphone with IP connectivity and rich media capabilities is widely available, less expensive and may receive signals worldwide. Used effectively, the smartphone can emerge as a good complement to conventional radios especially when responders are not carrying a radio or when situations require real-time videos, pictures and current responder status to better assess an incident. Cisco introduces the IPICS Mobile Client to address this opportunity.
The IPICS Mobile Client is an application that allows responders to interact with other incident participants. Incidents can be within a single agency or between multiple agencies. With this application, responders can perform a variety of incident-related activities, including:
- access incident-related PTT channels to communicate between responders and radio users
- obtain up-to-date incident status information from each responder
- access incident-related video clips, photographs and status either pushed to them from the dispatcher or added by other responders
- dynamically add their own video clips, photographs, and status updates
The IPICS Mobile Client used in conjunction with the IPICS Dispatch Console provides the on-demand solution for physical security and emergency first responders on the go. It enables them to begin reviewing incident information and addressing an incident even while in route to the scene. They are no longer tied down to desktop computers, heavy laptops or UHF/VHF radios. See Figure 1.
Figure 1. Figure 1: Cisco IPICS Mobile Client for Apple iPhone (three views)
Used in conjunction with the IPICS Dispatch Console, the IPICS Mobile Client enables multimedia collaboration between responders including real-time information sharing that includes the following media:
- Live video sent from surveillance cameras, Access Control gateways and mobile clients.
- Access to archived videos such as Flip or
- Photos
- Alarm monitoring
- Journal and live statuses
- Website links to resources such as FEMA and hazardous material databases, standard operating procedures and maps
The IPICS Mobile Client takes situation awareness to a new level. Benefits include:
- Mobility: The IPICS Mobile Client, based on smartphone technology, moves with the user anywhere there is a wireless network, for example, WiFi or 3G cellular network.
- Radio Interoperability and Beyond: The IPICS Mobile Client allows PTT interoperability with radio channels and talkgroups.
- Rich Media: The Cisco IPICS Mobile Client moves beyond audio to support rich media and a new generation of mobile endpoints.
- Open Standards compatible: Being built as a smartphone application, the IPICS Mobile Client will transfer to new devices as replacement technology is introduced.