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Project Re-DIRNET – the son of FREESIC and SECRICOM
Re-DIRNET is the latest European project with B-APCO involvement, writes British APCO EU Projects Manager Shaun O’Neill.
Re-DIRNET (Emergency Responder Data Interoperability Network) builds on progress and achievements that emerged from SECRICOM and, more recently, FREESIC.
SECRICOM proved that various communication services (such as voice, data and image) could exchange information securely across several hundred miles between EU states using multiple bearers and multiple devices facilitated by multi-bearer routers. The bearers included Tetra and non-Tetra systems.
FREESIC took a slightly different approach with the development of a single platform that enabled different communication systems to exchange information through the development of specially configured adaptors plugged into an open FREESIC gateway; a recent proof of concept demonstration in Luxembourg (INSERT LINK) illustrated this capability very effectively.
FREESIC also introduced the concept of a web collaboration capability to assist different agencies both within and across EU states to pre-set various talk-groups (of different voice communication systems) as operationally agreed between the agencies – a bit like a combination of an old fashioned telephone switchboard and Linked-In.
Re-DIRNET: overview
This project aims technically to provide the range of communication information exchange services from SECRICOM (voice, data and image) plus video, CCTV and remote sensor information combined with the technical platform development and web collaboration capability of FREESIC.
In addition a key feature of the project’s work package 2 (WP2) is to gain a better insight and understanding into the non-technical barriers to interoperability (process and procedures, commercial and financial considerations and regulatory constraints). The collated findings in WP2 from across seven partner states will then be reviewed in WP3 by 7 similarly structured national user workshops with their output being again collated into a single reference document for comment, observation and validation by an invited panel of international users.
Findings from these workshops will be fed into the project’s technical development WPs with plans for interim (in 2015) and a final field test demonstration in the Summer of 2016.
In addition to B-APCO (with the lead business/use role) the project consortia consists of partners from Belgium, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Spain, Slovakia and Slovenia.
The project is currently engaged with WP2 activities researching and seeking information in relation to constraints and issues regarding information exchange between agencies. It is intended that during the B-APCO Autumn event this year in Newcastle (11-12 November) a UK WP3 user workshop will be held to review this research work and suggest solutions.
In April 2015 we intend to hold the WP3 International Validation Exercise in Manchester during B-APCO 2015 (March 31-1 April).
For more information, visit the Re-DIRNET project website (http://www.redirnet.eu/).
To be involved in the workshops, contact me on Shaun.ONeill@bapco.org.uk