Motorola Solutions announced yesterday they will be launching a suite of public safety mobile applications in the near future. All of the new apps will be available by the end of the year and are designed to work across a variety of devices and networks. They are intended to assist with “communication and collaboration” between public safety personnel and staff at command centers, helping those at the scene of incidents to communicate more efficiently. The suite of applications, known as Motorola Solutions’ Public Safety Experience (PSX), consists of four key apps: Mapping, Messaging, WAVE, and Telephony. Motorola Solutions have said they also plan to add further capabilities to the apps in future.
The Mapping app identifies nearby personnel and creates secure “geo-fenced” communication groups. Messaging allows for communication via text and other means across two-way radios and smartphones, meaning that communication between different groups of responders is more efficient. WAVE is an app powered by push-to-talk technology (PTT) that provides a secure channel of communication between police radios and enables smartphone users to communicate with radios by simply pressing a button. PTT technology was first released by Motorola in 2013 when they launched their first Android app for public safety users. The final app in the company’s upcoming suite, Telephony, allows responders to make encrypted phone calls. All of the apps are said to be highly secure as they require authentication of devices, users, and infrastructure, in addition to boasting contemporary encryption. Users conveniently only have to sign in once to access all apps. In 2013, Motorola also introduced a new Android device for federal agencies that used a VPN to ensure secure voice and data communication. Known as the AME 2000, the commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) device allowed responders to communicate over encrypted private and public wireless bands.
The newly released apps add to the company’s existing range of software solutions that’s been expanding following the appointment of their first Head of Software Andrew Sinclair. Motorola Solutions said in a press release that they also plan to add more features to the suite in the future, such as integrated apps for database searches, traffic citations, and collaborative “whiteboards.”