BRIDGING PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH A SINGLE STATEWIDE INTEROPERABILITY APP
THE CASE FOR ONE STATEWIDE INTEROPERABILITY APP
The South Dakota Statewide Interoperability Council recognized the need for a
single, statewide interoperability app to mitigate fragmented app adoption. As
first responders around the state are rapidly expanding the use of mobile
technology for various operational requirements, the portfolio of apps in use
across the state had grown to over 100 in less than 2 years. The Council
understood that the infancy ofthe technology limits the ability for interoperability
and information sharing across platforms.
In accordance with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFECOM
guidance in the Technology Interoperability Continuum for the use of common
applications, the state conducteda formal evaluation to select a single, statewide
interoperability app and selected Bridge4PS.
BRIDGE4PS USE CASES
Bridge4PS has been utilized to enhance situational awareness and streamline
information sharing during various operations across the State of South Dakota
including the South Dakota State Fair, Sturgis Rally, POTUS July 4th Visit to Mt
Rushmore, civil unrest, and various other daily operations.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
- Statewide app interoperability
- Support all public safety ops
- Network & device agnostic
- Scalable
- Affordable
HIGHLIGHTS
- Single, Nationwide Directory
- Private Channels
- Unlimited group members
- System Integrations
POINT OF CONTACT
Kendall Light
Radio & System Integration Engineer
State Radio Communications
BIT/SRC Engineering
South Dakota Bureau of
Information Technology
@light.kendall.sd-bit
KEY BENEFITS
- Interoperable
- Cost Effective
- Scalable
- Network & Device Agnostic
CHOOSING BRIDGE4PS
Bridge4PS is architected differently than most apps
which create individual environments for each
customer organization. This segmentation is
important for use cases where agencies do not want
to share information outside of their organization,
but it limits multi-agency information sharing.
Bridge4PS was selected for 4 primary reasons:
1. Inherent interoperability exists through a single, nationwide directory.
2. Cost-effectiveness of Basic (free) accounts for occasional users and Pro subscriptions for
those needing enhanced functionality
3. Bridge4PS is Scalable to support adoption by all first responders in the State of South
Dakota.
4. Network & device agnostic – Users can collaborate regardless of wired or wireless network or device type. Users in fixed posts can use it ona computer while field personnel can use it on Apple or Android devices across any cellular or other wireless network.
The directory allows South Dakota to collaborate
seamlessly across all users within the state as well as
neighbouring states and around the nation. Private
groups allow them to restrict information sharing to
only authorized users per operation.
The state recognized the financial responsibility it
must bear to facilitate adoption of a single statewide
app. The availability of Bridge4PS Basic accounts
offers both budget flexibility as adoption grows
throughout the state as well flexible user onboarding
during incident response.
“At this point in time, Bridge4PS is the only practical solution to provide the widest number of users in the state access.”
— Mike Waldner
South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunication