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    • CAN TECHNOLOGY BE USED TO PREDICT AND PREVENT DISASTERS? AIDCONNECT BLOG - APRIL 2016

      Published Dec 09 2016, 8:37 PM by Travis Heneveld

      On 3 and 4 March I joined the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at their Global Partnerships for Humanitarian Impact and Innovation event, which gathered over 200 leaders from the business, humanitarian, technology, health and academic sectors to explore solutions for the provision of health care in fragile environments.The breakout session on violence against health care focused on how the corporate sector can work directly with the ICRC to develop innovative products and services that can assist and protect victims of conflict.To gain a deeper understanding of the nature and impact of violence affecting health care workers and patients, the ICRC undertook a global study between 2010 and 2013. The data they were able to gather has helped them identify patterns of attacks to improve the security of medical workers and citizens in armed conflict and other emergencies.Field studies such as these can be combined with real-time data from citizens via social media sites, call centres and text messages to provide valuable information which, through analytics and funnelling, can be turned into intelligence that can predict and help to prevent incidents of violence.And it’s not just health care that stands to benefit from such an approach: there is a fundamental shift from mission-critical communication towards mission-critical intelligence which is focused on creating solutions that can vastly enhance the efficacy of humanitarian aid operations and improve personnel safety. Towards more insightful informationOver the next ten years, the cognitive computing capacity of a standard laptop is expected to expand to that of a human brain. So, how can technology empower us by offering greater intelligence?The move beyond descriptive data towards contextual data requires a solutions architecture that’s based on user experience and high-velocity human factors. It requires a combination of software, applications and mobile devices that can capture, analyse and funnel data to deliver real-time insights to emergency workers. This is where the ideal communication experience can be realised.Many technologies that exist today are capable of capturing vast amounts of data. But to convert that data into useful information which is delivered at the right time and in the right way is what distinguishes mission-critical intelligence from mission-critical communications.This intelligence is based on a solutions architecture that can combine historical and real-time data with individual user experiences to deliver appropriate information through software applications in multiple ways – be it audibly, via a mobile device, in a vehicle or through a head-worn display, for example.By capturing data from multiple sources – including citizens, enterprises and smart devices – we can gather information that will enable responders to identify people, predict emotions or intent, anticipate crowd patterns and even simulate predictive reality for an incident. Technology gets even smarterIt’s not just the data itself that can become more intelligible: the technology and devices delivering this data are also evolving to improve performance and functionality. Smart products can provide information about how they are used, which features are the most popular, the communications environment in which they operate (network capacity and coverage) and battery condition for predictive maintenance.Through the gathering and analysis of this data, we can gain vital feedback to support future product enhancements and development so that technology serves users on their terms. Tougher security standardsThe more data we collect and store, the greater our responsibility to protect and manage it. This will require tighter cybersecurity standards and practices to prevent data from being compromised, while allowing users the ability to access it from a variety of networks and devices. It is a crucial focus point for Motorola Solutions as our move towards mission-critical intelligence gains momentum. Helping to make intelligence-led mission critical solutions a realityMotorola Solutions’ customers are already starting to realise the ability to anticipate events and work more efficiently. Our portfolio of Smart Public Safety Solutions now includes Public Engines, which provides citizen engagement and predictive policing software and Emergency CallWorks, which converges call-taking, incident dispatch and GIS Systems so that dispatchers can seamlessly send the right responder to the right location at the right time.We’ve also been working closely with Socrata, which powers Motorola Solutions’ CrimeReports – to promote greater engagement between citizens and law enforcement agencies. Enriched with enhanced mapping capabilities, charts, graphs and trend tools, CrimeReports allows citizens to find and explore crime data more easily and increases transparency, as well as providing law enforcement agencies with more eyes and ears to tackle crime.Another example of how technology can help to prevent disaster is the village of Shipton Bellinger in England, which has deployed a WAVE Work Group Communications system in response to the rising threat of flooding. The system links community resilience team members usingMOTOTRBO Digital Mobile Radios to other agencies that are using smartphones. The Push-to-Talk capacity of this robust, real-time communications solution ensures team members can keep in touch, even if they are outside the area during critical periods.The insights gained from all these initiatives can be leveraged for other customers such as humanitarian and aid organisations to enhance preparedness, situational awareness and response. They can also help to improve the utilisation and allocation of resources and promote greater collaboration between different agencies.So, there are several ways in which the humanitarian sector could benefit from technological innovation and we are working closely with organisations such as the ICRC to make this a reality.All of the solutions mentioned above will be on display at Critical Communications World, Amsterdam RAI from 31 May to 2 June. If you plan to visit CCW, let me know and we will arrange for a Motorola Solutions representative to meet you at our stand D9. Access to the exhibition is free of charge.Thank you,Travis HeneveldDirector: United Nations & International Accounts, Motorola Solutions

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