Intergraph® Public Safety Solutions Contribute to Effective Emergency Response at Obama Presidential Inauguration

Integrated dispatch and mobile technologies provided actionable information to successfully manage record volume of nearly 10,000 calls

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Personnel of the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) in Washington, D.C. relied on Intergraph®’s public safety technologies to successfully process the record influx of 9-1-1 calls associated with the inauguration of United States President Barack Obama.

A long-time Intergraph customer, the OUC is responsible for dispatch of the Metropolitan Police Department, as well as Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) and public services within Washington, D.C. The OUC dispatched from both their new state-of-the-art Unified Communications Center (UCC) and redundant back-up facility, the Public Safety Communications Center (PSCC), during the inaugural celebration. Tactically, this allowed for District Public Safety Operations to manage the large volumes of incoming calls to both 9-1-1 and 3-1-1 (the number for city services and information).

On the day of the inauguration, Intergraph’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system enabled operators to field calls, create and update incidents and manage emergency response resources. Intergraph’s mobile dispatch technologies extended incident management capabilities to remote field and mobile units stationed near the special event area and provided responders in the field with access to the same information that operators at the UCC and PSCC relied on for efficient response. Additionally, the CAD map used in the remote and mobile applications provided routing to emergency vehicles, which assisted with event related street closures.

As part of the preparation for the inauguration and related activities, personnel used Intergraph’s CAD map to create a special “event zone” around the plaza, parade route and other designated event areas. When 9-1-1 calls came from inside this zone, they were routed to the proper remote dispatch event area where they were immediately handled by dispatchers associated with the special event zone. This reduced response time as dispatchers were able to swiftly deploy mobile personnel on foot and bike.

More than 300 personnel, including call takers and IT professionals, staffed the UCC and PSCC on Inauguration Day to manage the high volume of calls and ensure all systems and databases were optimized. The volume of calls to 9-1-1 increased by 50 percent over an average day, with nearly 6,000 calls for assistance. Of these calls, 96 percent were answered within five seconds. The average 3-1-1 call was answered within 30 seconds, meeting the target response rate for information and city services queries.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the entire team who worked together tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of those who gathered for the inauguration of Barack Obama,” said Janice Quintana, director, Office of Unified Communications. “An estimated one point eight million people came to witness the inauguration and they all went home safely thanks to our dedicated staff and their unwavering commitment to serving the public.”

According to Athena Plummer, deputy director of operations, Office of Unified Communications, “After months of planning and preparation, our team was committed to a single mission for Inauguration Day: work together to serve the public as efficiently and effectively as possible. Intergraph’s integrated public safety technologies worked flawlessly to advance our mission and help us realize the success we set out to achieve.”

“Every day, the OUC relies on numerous Intergraph public safety solutions to promote effective and efficient response to emergencies and non-emergencies in the national capital metropolitan area,” said John K. Graham, president, Intergraph Security, Government & Infrastructure. “We are honored to have supported the staff at the UCC and PSCC and those in the field during the 44th presidential inauguration and we congratulate all who were involved for their efforts to serve and protect the public.”

Intergraph provides public safety and security solutions to nearly 20 public safety and security agencies in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. These agencies include the Washington, D.C. Unified Communications Center, Naval District Washington, Frederick County, Md., Howard County, Md., Fairfax County, Va., Fort Detrick, Md., Fort Meade, Md. and Bolling Air Force Base. One in 12 people in the world is protected by Intergraph’s public safety and security solutions.

Intergraph is the leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data. Businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on Intergraph’s industry-specific software to organize vast amounts of data into understandable visual representations and actionable intelligence. Intergraph’s software and services empower customers to build and operate more efficient plants and ships, create intelligent maps, and protect critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world.

Intergraph operates through two divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) and Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I). Intergraph PP&M provides enterprise engineering software for the design, construction and operation of plants, ships and offshore facilities. Intergraph SG&I provides geospatially-powered solutions to the defense and intelligence, public safety and security, government, transportation, photogrammetry, utilities, and communications industries. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.