WNET uses ITFS for smart nets

From the wnet.org website:

February 14 -New York, NY – Thirteen/WNET New York, the flagship public television station of the New York metropolitan area will demonstrate the Smart Dissemination Networks (“Smart Nets”) digital emergency response communications system to legislators and federal officials, as the groundbreaking homeland security initiative culminates Phase II testing.

The demonstration will give the federal decision-makers their first look at the operational capabilities of the system as it is field-tested in the challenging urban environment of New York City. During the demonstration, officials of the defense, homeland security, and emergency services communities, will monitor a live system test from Washington via two-way satellite link, getting a first-hand look at how Smart Nets makes use of the Instructional Television Fixed Service Band (ITFS) to provide dependable two-way wireless broadband communications to fire, police, EMS, and other personnel in the field in New York City.

“Spectrum availability has long been one of the greatest obstacles to effective emergency communications,” said Bill Baker, president of Thirteen/WNET. “The success of the Smart Nets prototype in tests to date supports our belief that the ITFS spectrum is the answer that first-responders have been looking for- a robust, dedicated digital pipe, widely available in towns and cities nationwide, and excellently suited for two-way transmission of critical voice, data and video information that can save lives.”

The ITFS spectrum (6 MHz channels in the 2.5 GHz range) provides a dramatically wider bandwith than conventional emergency response communications systems. By taking advantage of this robust digital information pipeline, Smart Nets will ultimately permit the sending and receiving of live audio, visual and text data between first responders – even those on the move in the field – and commanders at a central location directing operations.

Transition to GUARD

Upon successful completion of Phase II testing, the Smart Nets team hopes to transition the project to a new program called GUARD (“Geospatially-Aware Urban Approaches for Responding to Disasters”), which is envisioned as a collaboration between Rosettex Technology & Ventures Group, and Thirteen/WNET New York, Raytheon Corporation, NextNet Wireless, KenCast, Inc., and Grey Island Systems, Inc.

GUARD will extend the capabilities, team and technologies already in place to establish an operational prototype in New York City, and is planning for additional interconnected solutions in Washington, D. C. , Las Vegas and Missouri. GUARD will also provide an open platform and model for communities around the country to evaluate and adapt in order to best serve their local communities.

“Smart Nets is a bold innovation in emergency communications because, recognizing that cell phone and WiFi frequencies are quickly saturated in emergencies, its starts with the idea that only licensed spectrum can ensure access for emergency responders,” said ken Devine, vice president and chief technology officer for Thirteen/WNET. “ITFS spectrum, which is licensed to public television stations like Thirteen/WNET, as well as not-for-profit and other organizations, is plentiful, available in communities nationwide, and, as we are proving, readily adaptable to this critical function.”

Success For Phase I

During Phase I testing, Smart Nets demonstrated that commanders could transmit critical data to Thirteen/WNET’s master control, where it was routed through the station’s primary digital ITFS downlink transmitter at the Empire State Building and then beamed to a special receiver handled by a first-responder at an emergency site.

In the first on-the-street demo, in May 2004, the New York Fire Department (FDNY) provided location assistance, vehicles and sample data to assess the viability of using the Smart Nets platform to distribute video, sensor data and requests for additional information to and from FDNY’s new, wireless electronic command boards (ECBs) in the field back to the Fire Department Operations Center (FDOC).

A final report on Phase I is now available.


Phase II Adds WiMax- Ready NLOS and Mobility

Phase II testing began in August 2004, coinciding with the Republican National Convention, and continued throughout the remainder of the year and into 2005. In Phase II, WiMAX-ready non-line-of-sight (NLOS) and mobile capabilities provided by NextNet Wireless, were introduced. WiMAX is a standards-based technology platform for delivery of high-speed fixed, portable and wireless services.

“Our initial phase of testing proved that we could successfully use the ITFS spectrum to enable two-way, acquired line-of-sight communications to stationary points,” said Stephen Carrol-Cahnmann, director of Digital Convergence for Thirteen/WNET. “In Phase II testing, we have added non-line-of-sight and mobile capabilities, as well as satellite interconnection via the Department of Defense’s Global Broadcast Service. This will allow us to integrate such applications as automatic vehicle location (AVL) tracking, ECBs for the FDNY, video all points bulletins (APB) for the New York Police Department, and mobile command and control video/audio monitoring.”

“We are convinced the spectrum allocation is the key to a robust communications system that can help our first-responders meet the challenges of contemporary emergencies, be they natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or accidents,” said Carmen DiRienzo, vice president and managing director of corporate affairs at Thirteen/WNET. “And we look forward to showcasing the potential of that spectrum to the men and women in Washington who will be making critical decisions about emergency response and homeland security in the years to come.”
“Smart Nets is demonstrating a cost-effective and realistic solution to the issue of public safety in the 21st century,” said Baker. With each successive test, we are getting closer to an emergency communications solution that will suit communities of every size across America.”

Smart Nets is a collaboration between Thirteen/WNET New York and Rosettex Technology & Ventures Group. Rosettex is a joint venture between Sarnoff Corporation and SRI International. Smart Nets is in its third year of development under a contract from the National Technology Alliance (NTA), which manages and oversees the program.