InterLoc™ Location Services First Demonstration at IWCE Orlando Booth 1046
A new location services solution that derives location data from Standards based Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems will be unveiled at IWCE 2018 from Catalyst Communications Technologies. InterLoc™ obtains location and other meta data from standards based LMR networks, providing location and personal identification information from portable and mobile radios. What’s especially unique is that InterLoc™ is not an AVL (automatic vehicle location) service – it’s a Personal Location Service. InterLoc™ highlights a robust collection of demonstrations and capabilities from one of the leading technology innovators in the critical communications industry.
InterLoc™ – Personal Location Services from Standards Based LMR Systems
The InterLoc™ system from Catalyst is also unique because it does not use expensive map licensing or cellular data charges, making the system very cost effective compared to typical AVL solutions. InterLoc™ is intimately tied to Catalyst’s Dispatch and Interoperability solutions, and Dispatchers can initiate text and voice communications directly from the map. Maps can display subscriber status (such as Emergency) and Dispatchers can center the map on any resource with the click of a mouse. Multiple maps, and multiple types of maps, can be simultaneously displayed, and a robust map toolkit helps Dispatchers customize maps to help manage their critical communications tasks.
Also at IWCE: FirstNet™ Ready – LMR /LTE Interoperable Communications
With the announcement that all 50 States have opted into FirstNet™, the nation’s effort to establish a unified network for First Responders using LTE at the network core, attendees at this year’s International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) Conference can expect innovative applications around LTE technology. The immediate concerns are how existing Land Mobile Radio users will gracefully migrate voice communications to LTE and FirstNet™ and how existing LMR users will interoperate with new LTE FirstNet™ users. Catalyst Communications Technologies has the answer to both these pressing questions. Catalyst will demonstrate communications between LMR portable radios and mobile phones that are PTT enabled and integrated with a nationwide LTE network.
The significance of this demonstration is that in a FirstNet™ environment the nationwide LTE Network can be easily replaced with FirstNet™’s nationwide network. The promised benefits of FirstNet™ can be experienced today!
This demonstration will showcase several technology breakthroughs:
- A single Dispatch Console can dispatch to both LMR radios and LTE cell phones, display essential information like Unit ID/Alias, and manage them consistently so that dispatchers don’t have to use different procedures for each.
- Robust, flexible interoperable communications can be established between LMR portable radios and PTT enabled mobile phones that manage the audio flow so that syllables are not lost, as well as allowing dispatchers to remotely adjust the patched LMR channel.
- Voice Communications and radio control can pass through multiple interconnected networks, including LMR over the air (P25, legacy, etc.), a wide area network backhaul, the LTE data cellular backhaul, and the LTE PTT cellular over the air network.
The potential of FirstNet™ to expand coverage can be realized today using LTE as the network backhaul. Remote locations that do not have LMR radio coverage can now be included in first responder networks because the coverage footprint of LTE is so much greater than any agency’s LMR.
Also at IWCE: FIRE-BK™ – Catalyst’s Incident Command solution with BK Technologies Radios
Another Catalyst demonstration is Field Incident/Repeater Element – BK Technologies (FIRE-BK™), a portable radio communications solution that packages two radios, Radio Control Software, Dispatch Software, and Interoperability Software into a single unit. Designed for incident command applications where local dispatch and interoperability to multiple first responder organizations are required, the inclusion of multiple radios with different frequencies allows additional first responders supporting an incident to be included in the communications path. Catalyst will demonstrate this application with BK Technologies KNG mobile radios.
The importance of this demonstration is that, because of the advanced control of this radio through Catalyst technology, the Unit ID from a wide variety of subscriber radios (Project 25, SmartNet, EDACS, DMR, etc.) can be passed to the P25 subscriber radio. Especially for high stress incidents such as fire, it is vital that they see the unit ID and the associated alias so that first responders know with whom they are communicating.
The demonstrations at the IWCE Convention will take place in Catalyst Booth #1046 throughout the days of March 7 & 8 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Catalyst personnel will demonstrate their technical innovations including InterLoc™ location services, FirstNet™ Ready LMR to LTE communications, Dispatch Console solutions, Radio Interface technology, and BK Technologies radio capabilities, and discuss critical communications solutions specific to visitor applications.
