14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is once again working together with US authorities for the creation of a revolutionary technology, this time aimed at the 911 emergency call system.
The new platform put in place by the Redmond-based technology giant goes well beyond the standard concept of a 911 emergency system and provides officers with much more information than basic caller details.
According to a report by The Bellingham Herald, Microsoft’s new project displays not only an interactive map of the location, but also videos provided by surveillance cameras in the area, high radiation levels and any threats reported by other callers.
The so-called Domain Awareness System, or briefly baptized “the dashboard,” relies on the New York Police Department arrest records, 911 calls, license plate readers, portable radiation detectors and the security cameras available throughout the city, the source reports.
The data is then collected and displayed in an easy-to-analyze interface that allows emergency teams to better react to every single call.
The new technology is already being used by NYPD offices in the fight against terrorism, but city authorities are planning to expand it to cover the 911 system as soon as possible.
“It works incredibly well. It was created by cops for cops. We thought a lot about what information we want up close and personal, and what needs to be a click away. It's all baked in there,” Jessica Tisch, director of planning and policy for the counterterrorism unit, was quoted as saying.
This could pretty much become a win-win agreement, as both Microsoft and the NYPD would benefit from this kind of deal.
While Microsoft would develop the platform and would continue to improve it, the city would get the platform with a 30 percent discount. In addition, the Redmond-based technology titan would be allowed to sell the project to other authorities across the globe, thus creating a unified and much more powerful emergency system.