Innovation Insights

Today's guest on Innovation Insights is John Blackwell. John is President and CEO of Diamond Age Technology, an R&D laboratory in Houston, Texas.

Diamond Age Technology focuses on practical implementations of media technologies, including augmented and virtual reality for clients in the government, industrial and corporate sectors.

What are personal area networks (PAN), and what makes them so critical for today's first responders? In this episode of Innovation Insights, Alison Kahn, electronics engineer and PAN expert, delves into this growing technology. Learn how personal area networks are helping innovate emergency response by giving first responders the data and communication tools that they need.

Today’s guest is Nate Wentland, Chief Business Technology Officer for Arlington County, VA. This first episode of season 2 looks at what Arlington is doing with 5G technology. More specifically: what are 5G's key benefits, challenges of implementation, and, ultimately, its impact on users throughout the region. Wentland is driving innovation by focusing on the business needs of the county, and what technology is available to meet those needs.

In this episode of Innovation Insights, we’ll speak with Dereck Orr, Division Chief of the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). PSCR is at the forefront of adapting advancing technology to fit the needs of first responders in emergency situations. Orr offers his insights on overcoming new technology barriers in public safety and the need for long term strategic planning.

As broadband technology continues to evolve within public safety, we are seeing new and innovative opportunities for emergency management and data interoperability. In this episode of Innovation Insights, we’ll speak with Red Grasso, North Carolina’s First Responder Emerging Technologies Director and FirstNet Single Point of Contact. Grasso provides us with a first hand look into internal operations within the first responder community--from the state of public safety communication in North Carolina, to the trends and issues facing the entire nation.

Mike Tischler, Director of the National Geospatial Program (NGP) at the US Geological Survey, shares his insights behind the key technologies that will help the digital and data-driven world create resources for emergency response systems. He discusses the NGP’s role in creating federal data sets of mapping and geospatial information that are beneficial across federal agencies.

Mick McKeown, Executive Director of Campaigns and the Homeland Security Advisory Council at the DHS Office of Partnership and Engagement, shares insights behind the See Something, Say Something campaign. He also discusses other innovative campaigns that are pushing the boundaries of traditional government advertising--and some of the challenges of working within government. Learn how his DHS team is addressing them, helping lead an important national conversation that is reaching younger generations and creating change.

The use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) continues to spread throughout public safety communities, helping support and deliver agencies’ missions. Charles Werner, Chair on the National Council on Public Safety, UAS, discusses the trend, sharing his UAS experiences during his 37 years with the Charlottesville, VA, fire department. He discusses the opportunities of drone technology for emergency response and his view of public safety’s future.

James Schwartz, Deputy County Manager overseeing public safety and technology in Arlington, VA, is a veteran public safety leader. Schwartz shares his insights on the impact of continual technological advancements within emergency response and public safety and the future of communication interoperability. He explains the struggle to balance daily mission demands and putting resources into long term goals--and the collaborative efforts between first responder communities.

In this episode of Innovation Insights, we’ll speak with Sally Fay, Communications and Outreach Director and Statewide Interoperability Coordinator for the State of Indiana. Fay provides her take on how FirstNet and a nationwide broadband network has changed the way first responder agencies communicate across the state. She takes us through what these new systems mean for the emergency response community and the challenges of implementation.