Page 11 - GCN, May 2016

NIST releases a roadmap for first-responder tech
recording and storing of communications. • Developing an analytics framework for integrating data from public safety devices and sensors.
• Defining data standards and ex- change protocols for responder-worn sensors.
3. Networks to support self-optimi- zation and decentralization; activities include:
• Investigating modularization of components to create resilient mesh networks.
• Developing a network-based way for discovering and delivering critical content to public safety users.
• Creating a standard for what infor- mation and capabilities are needed during specific emergency situations.
The roadmap will also guide plan- ning for public safety communications research, including how to allocate the $300 million NIST is set to receive from the 2015 AWS-3 spectrum auction. •
BY DEREK MAJOR
To foster the effective use of data ana- lytics by public safety organizations, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a roadmap that identifies gaps in current tech- nologies and potential research and development opportunities.
“First responders are gaining access to large amounts of new data from diverse sources, and we need to be able to process it without overwhelm- ing public safety,” Deputy Secretary
of Commerce Bruce Andrews said. “This roadmap allows NIST to begin
to chart an R&D course to ensure that new data constructively transforms the way first responders carry out their missions.”
The Public Safety Analytics R&D Roadmap highlights R&D opportuni- ties in three areas:
1. Software to integrate multiple data sources and improve data processing capabilities; activities include:
• Creating an information and analysis center for sharing public safety data.
• Defining a set of standards and pro- cessing models for Internet of Things applications.
• Partnering with social media analyt- ics firms on tools that can analyze physical attributes and biometrics in images.
2. Devices that create, collect, store, process and transmit data and that are part of the communications infrastruc- ture; activities include:
• Defining requirements for on-device
editor’s note
GCN dig IT Awards: A call for nominations
We have the government to thank for the Internet, GPS and unmanned aerial systems. Much of the machine learning and advanced analytics powering the data-driven
economy are made possible
by government-funded
research. And agencies
themselves are being
transformed by new
technologies and innovative
ways of weaving IT into
critical missions.
Public-sector technology, in other words, can be pretty darn cool. And GCN wants to celebrate that.
For 28 years, the GCN Awards have showcased general excellence in government IT. Now, with the dig IT
Awards, we are sharpening the focus to showcase what matters most: transformative technology that is truly reinventing government. (“dig
IT” stands for Discovery and Innovation in Government IT.)
The 2016 awards will celebrate leading-edge technologies and the pioneering IT professionals who are driving them forward in five distinct areas of
government IT:
• Big Data, Analytics and Visualization • Cybersecurity
• Cloud and Infrastructure
• Mobile
• Robotics and Unmanned Systems
The innovation can lie in a new
technology or in the ways established technology is being used to make government function better. Nominations can be submitted in multiple categories, as appropriate, because convergence is often critical to the mission. And there will be a sixth award — a wild card of sorts — for the disruptive technologies that are emerging so quickly they don’t fit into any of the categories above.
Nominations will be accepted through July 15, and winners will be honored this fall in the pages of GCN and in person at the GCN dig IT Awards Gala on Oct. 13.
To learn more, go to GCN.com/digIT. — Troy K. Schneider tschneider@gcn.com / @troyschneider
GCN MAY 2016 • GCN.COM 9