Looking towards a new dawn of technology

This leading educational event offers a unique insight into the future of integrated communication and information technologies designed to improve and deliver public safety-civil contingency services. The BAPCO conference welcomes keynote speakers from across the world presenting real life case studies, future-view information, and support and solutions to the challenges facing emergency planners and service delivery agencies.
    
Once again, the BAPCO conference features a dual stream format, offering a wide range of discussion under two key streams all with a highly educational focus. To support individual personal development and training programmes, all conference delegates receive a Certificate of Attendance.
    
On day one of the conference, Tuesday 20 April, Julie Stinson, project manager, 5 Star Team, will present on the 2010 Winter Olympics Communications Planning in Washington State. This presentation is a ‘must-see’ for all communications officers and planners who are involved in the 2012 Olympics.
    
Also on the Tuesday, Dr Ahmed Aldabbagh, principal engineer at QinetiQ presents seamless communication for crisis management (SecrIcom). Dr Ahmed Aldabbagh, a principal engineer with over 15 years involvement in resilient wired/wireless communications, will provide a brief background on SECRICOM, an EU funded FP7 research project addressing secure communications across all agencies involved in large scale crisis. The presentation will cover two aspects: (i) the work undertaken by BAPCO and QinetiQ to establish the user requirements and capability shortfalls and (ii) the application of technologies to address these shortfalls, concluding with an illustration of how the implementation of SECRICOM can be achieved.  
     
Day two, Wednesday 21 April, will feature several international speakers including Charles F. Dowd, deputy chief of the N.Y.P.D. Communications Division, who will be giving the opening plenary session on ‘New York City Interoperability Today – and the Future of its Public Safety Communications’.
    
Following on from this session, Paul Holman, operations manager – Specialist Emergency response Department, Ambulance Victoria, will give an insight into Australia’s summer of 2009 entitled ‘Visited by Hell and all its Fury’. This presentation will outline the principles and key features of the Ambulance Victoria Emergency Response Plan in addition to its application in the Victorian Heat Wave in January 2009 and the catastrophic ‘Black Saturday’ bushfire event of February 2009. Paul Holman will present the pre-event information that was available, how Ambulance Victoria prepared for each utilising its plan along with the outcomes of each event and the lessons learnt.
    
On Thursday 22 April, sessions open with a presentation from Jeanette Innes, assistant director, programme manager for Telecommunications Resilience from the Civil Contingencies Secretariat Cabinet Office. Jeanette Innes will discuss in detail the relationship between the Cabinet Office and the Civil Contingencies Act.
    
Public safety communication officers and information technology specialists can see the full conference programme and delegate fees at www.bapco.co.uk

Exhibition highlights
Running alongside the conference, the free-to-attend BAPCO exhibition offers delegates and visitors from the emergency services, local and national governmental agency professionals and public safety officers the chance to see the future public safety communications systems, as well as technologies that will be shaping operations and facilitating future inter-agency communication, from over 100 leading suppliers. Here are just some of the highlights you can expect to see from exhibitors:
    
The latest in the Phonak product range of in-the-ear hearing protection products and specialist covert wireless earpieces, ideally suited for use by police, emergency services and industry (especially airport workers and railway maintenance teams) will be available from new exhibitor Abiom Communications Systems. Abiom will also display the Phonak Profile zero interference covert earpieces, which could be of great benefit to undercover officers on trains and in cars.
    
Damovo UK will launch its Complete Online Digital Evidence System (CODES) which provides secure interview and evidential recording for the police, law enforcement and security services and aims to replace outdated analogue tape recordings and meet the National Policing Improvement Agency’s (NPIA) recommendations for ICT best practice.
    
Microbus will display its latest in-vehicle computers designed to reduce road traffic accidents, as part of a new roadside initiative by Greater Manchester Police. Microbus will also be available to discuss their brand new Ford Mondeo Estate demonstrator featuring their latest technology to provide a police-specification mobile data and traffic enforcement ready vehicle.
    
Radio Telecom Services Ltd, best known for their range of Project Installation and Support Services, will be available to discuss their new appointment as distributor of the Infinity GPS Microphone from Kirmuss Associates of Colorado USA. Already in use with a large number of First Responders throughout the world, The RTSSAR microphone allows users to see waypoints, speed, distance and direction to colleagues or to vital locations such as evacuation points or supply dumps.
    
Virgin Media Business will be exhibiting on stand 350 and will be available to discuss their recent launch in February and their commitment to help the public sector realise the £3bn in efficiency savings set out in the government’s pre-budget report. To help organisations put in place telecoms that deliver engaging, efficient public services quicker, the company will continue to advance its customer service and network capabilities through ongoing and significant investment.
    
iTrinegy will be displaying its Network Emulator products which enable you to develop and test software and devices in accurate replications of different types of network,  such as satellite, wireless, radio including TETRA/Airwave, mobile and WAN, prior to deployment. Thus significantly reducing the amount of field-testing needed to confirm applications will work properly when it matters. 

Condico will be demonstrating mobile device management solutions, and Intermec handsets, for police and security organisations requiring mass handset deployment, configuration, maintenance, updating and security of their devices and information. They are resellers of leading MDM products; Air-Watch and SOTI MobiControl provide full installation and support directly, or through contracted consulting services.
    
Spectracom will be exhibiting their NetClock GPS master clock, which is used by over 4,500 public safety and first responder agencies to time-stamp and synchronise critical devices and systems such as computer networks, radio consoles, voice recorders, CCTV, event loggers and automatic controls. It is fully compliant to next-generation emergency call systems and security standards and will be exhibited on stand 134.
    
Systemslink Two Ltd will be on hand to discuss the cases they supply to the police suitable for frontline, specialist team and management applications. Cases include a “Click-Fix” stud for attaching mobile devices to a Home Office approved uniform dock. Visit them on stand 530.
    
Infoterra will be available at BAPCO 2010 to discuss how they can help address public safety challenges with their well-known product suite Imass on stand 416. Imass provides powerful GIS-based mobile data systems, which is now an integral part of a much broader range of solutions to support the evolving needs of public safety and homeland security operations.
    
For more information on all product launches at the BAPCO exhibition and to see the full exhibitor list visit www.bapco.co.uk

Social highlights
BAPCO offers plenty of social networking opportunities, including the annual opening dinner, sponsored by Fortek, which takes place on the evening of Tuesday 20 April at The Brewery on Chiswell Street in the City of London and the exhibitor drinks reception in the exhibition hall from 5pm on Wednesday 21 April. Both evenings offer visitors, exhibitors and delegates the chance to share experiences and compare services.

Show dates
Conference: 20-22 April 2010
Exhibition: 21-22 April 2010
Location: Business Design Centre, Islington, London

For more information
To join over 1,200 delegates and visitors at the event, register at www.bapco.co.uk
    
BAPCO 2010 welcomes all professionals involved in the provision and use of communications and information management technologies in civil emergencies.