tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6415378851242313044.post1949196145489379511..comments2023-06-27T08:35:47.307-07:00Comments on crisis comms command post: Post #2: social convergence in the EOC/ICP ...plans and ops Patrice Cloutierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612261357470838359noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6415378851242313044.post-12564190814251511992014-07-27T06:40:27.666-07:002014-07-27T06:40:27.666-07:00Excellent Post Patrice - I enthusiastically agree ...Excellent Post Patrice - I enthusiastically agree – while everyone in Canada over the age of about 15 probably has a wireless devices within reach 24/7, we are just at the 'dawn of an exciting wireless technology age' for public safety/security practitioners. <br /><br />The challenge of course will be the reliability of the connectivity that supports those tools when disaster strikes - and the good news (I believe) is around the corner with the opportunity about to 'drop in our lap' with respect to the 20 Mhz assignment of broadband LTE spectrum for exclusive use by a Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN). We saw in Calgary Flood where cell infrastructure went down including 911 for some regions, and we saw in Boston Bombing how it was taken down intentionally by authorities to avoid malicious use (activate IEDs, gain SA helping bad guys etc). Whether its infrastructure failure, malicious use, or the most common "surge demand" (at the Red-Blacks opening CFL game at our new stadium last Saturday - it took me about an hour to post my selfie photo thanks to the 24000 other fans that were probably trying to do the same). <br /> <br />PSBN 'if done right' will provide nationally accessible secure and disaster-resilient connectivity when Canadians face the worst of times whether it be a natural disaster or a terrorist event (or maybe a basic 911 scenario in a stadium where public cell traffic is not available to let paramedics beam back a cardiogram or live video feed as they rush a heart attack victim to ER). ‘Commercial cell’ carriers build to support “max # users during normal conditions” to satisfy their shareholders, and therefore expect failure when ‘abnormal’ demand occurs - PSBN has to be built to support “abnormal conditions”. <br /><br />In support of advancing PSBN for Canada, I am proud of the Canadian tech team the Center for Security Sciences is leading to lay out operational, security, interoperability requirements for the regions to consider when they start their own PSBN buildouts. The first of the series (Network Architecture) is available at http://tinyurl.com/ps65235.<br />Finally what about "remote/rural Canada" where cell connectivity is marginal if at all? A solution we are focusing on are "deployable PSBN" systems. If you've not already heard of COWs, COLTs, and COBs (Cell-on-Wheels, -Light-Trucks, or -Backpacks"), we're seeing somewhat of an explosion of these emerging from industry over the past 18 months (Deployables shown at IWCE grew from a couple in 2012 to ~30 at IWCE 2013). <br />This year’s CAUSE Resilience http://nisconsortium.org/?page_id=736) will involve DND and CRC Aerostat COW (small blimp on a trailer - coverage out to about 100km!), Simon Fraser University will have a COB, a Motorola COW from Alberta and possibly a COLT from DHS/General Dynamics, converging in remote Alberta/Sask/Montana tri-border region Nov 24-26 to show how rapidly deployed "PSBN Bubbles" could work together and with existing land mobile radios during a broad area brush fire threatening small communities.<br /><br />Sorry for the length of this comment - but your post was a great opener I couldn't resist! Some have compared PSBN to the building of the trans-Canada railroad… maybe not a bad analogy in the sense that like the railroad, a national interoperable wireless backbone that can enable Canadian agencies/NGOs (maybe VOSTs?) from across the country to work efficiently together to support a crisis has got to help those that believe in a ‘team Canada’.<br />JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00734132240384965511noreply@blogger.com