Common Operating Picture

Samsung SmartThings is a smart "consumer" platform that allows users to connect and control various smart devices within their homes. The SmartThings ecosystem includes a central hub known as the SmartThings Hub or Station, along with a mobile app for device control.  Most important to the SmartThings ecosystem is the hundreds of consumer sensors that can be leveraged by the hub and spoke architecture afforded...

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https://vimeo.com/835459614/c02402ee43?share=copy Incidents and the subsequent emergency responses can be chaotic, especially when they involve multiple agencies and organizations that need to work together to respond to the crisis. In such situations, there may be confusion about roles and responsibilities, communication breakdowns, and a lack of coordination. Shortly after 9/11, the U.S. government commissioned programs that ultimately led to the National Incident Management (NIMS) framework which defines...

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Protective services encompass a diverse range of security measures aimed at safeguarding individuals, assets, and sensitive information. These services are tailored to the unique needs of each client, whether they are high-profile individuals, corporate executives, or public figures. Personal protective services, commonly known as bodyguards or executive protection agents, provide physical security by ensuring the safety of the client in various environments. They assess potential...

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John Boyd, a Korean War U.S. Air Force pilot and subsequent military strategist, has been front and center in how we at Blueforce have thought about and designed our technology for use by our national security and public safety decision makers. During the Korean War, Boyd was curious as to why the F-86 Sabre was so dominant in shooting down the Russian MiG-15. He quickly...

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Complex emergency management is fundamentally a lesson in organized chaos where accountability is a core foundational element of shared situational awareness. Knowing where to find what you need can be as chaotic given that response assets — the vehicles, equipment, autonomous platforms — are rarely in one place and scattered throughout an area of operation. Asset inventory coupled with resources and capability on a “single...

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While "domain awareness" has been a long-standing requirement for military and counter-terrorism operations, Blueforce has been hearing this more and more for incident management in the public safety and emergency management spaces. Domain awareness is of paramount importance for emergency managers as it provides a comprehensive understanding of the operating environment in which emergencies or disasters occur. Here are several reasons why domain awareness is...

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The importance of keeping our first responders safe during severe weather events cannot be understated. Access to timely and detailed weather alerts is crucial when deployed to any natural and/or manmade disaster or critical incident, especially when it comes to ensuring the safety of those on the front lines. The National Weather Service Severe Weather Plugin for BlueforceEDGE provides hyperlocal alerting for a host of...

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During complex emergencies or events, first responders often face several map-related challenges. Some of these challenges include having to utilize offline maps, data layers, and other geospatial data that contains important details and/or real-time data. During these events, first responders from different agencies, departments, towns, and even states may be called in, which means some responders and agencies will be responding to completely unfamiliar territory...

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Radio frequency management and shared awareness play a major role in the management of any mass casualty and/or special event. Given the inter-agency mashup that these events create, shared awareness of the radio frequencies used by the variety of responder organizations is important so that the Incident Commander and team are not overwhelmed by a constant stream of requests for frequencies used by a specific...

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US Army training per the Maneuver Captain's Career Course focuses intensively on how to generate company level maneuver including Assembly Areas, phase lines, targets, routes, breach points, etc. One aspect that is used to (theoretically) control a company's movement was the FLOT or forward line of troops. Sixteen years later this concept has developed to account for our growing fleet of robots, autonomous platforms, and...

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