This article originally appeared in Mission Critical Communications and can be read in its entirety here.
Data has been called the oil of the 21st century because pretty much everything these days runs on it. This is particularly true of public-safety and justice operations. More and better data leads to enhanced situational awareness, which leads to improved decision-making, and ultimately, enhanced emergency response outcomes.
A tremendous amount of data flows into emergency communications centers (ECCs) today, and the amount will continue to expand exponentially, driven by broadband communications systems, alarm systems and the internet of things (IoT). But raw data, like oil, has no utility unless it can be harnessed and processed effectively. In the public-safety and justice communities, this means the ability to analyze and contextualize it so that it is actionable, and then the ability to exchange it seamlessly.