Visible to the public Understanding Past, Current and Future Communication and Situational Awareness Technologies for First Responders

TitleUnderstanding Past, Current and Future Communication and Situational Awareness Technologies for First Responders
Publication TypeConference Paper
Year of Publication2018
AuthorsSchroeder, Jill M., Manz, David O., Amaya, Jodi P., McMakin, Andrea H., Bays, Ryan M.
Conference NameProceedings of the Fifth Cybersecurity Symposium
PublisherACM
ISBN Number978-1-4503-6406-5
Keywordscommunication devices, composability, data fusion, emergency response, first responder, information sharing, Internet of Things, interoperability, IoT, Metrics, pubcrawl, resilience, Resiliency, situational awareness, technology
AbstractThis study builds a foundation for improving research for first responder communication and situational awareness technology in the future. In an online survey, we elicited the opinions of 250 U.S. first responders about effectiveness, security, and reliability of past, current, and future Internet of Things technology. The most desired features respondents identified were connectivity, reliability, interoperability, and affordability. The top barriers to technology adoption and use included restricted budgets/costs, interoperability, insufficient training resources, and insufficient interagency collaboration and communication. First responders in all job types indicated that technology has made first responder equipment more useful, and technology that supports situational awareness is particularly valued. As such, future Internet of Things capabilities, such as tapping into smart device data in residences and piggybacking onto alternative communication channels, could be valuable for future first responders. Potential areas for future investigation are suggested for technology development and research.
DOI10.1145/3212687.3212861
Citation Keyschroeder_understanding_2018