5 ways to modernize command and control center comms

Command and control center operators and staff must account for a host of communications systems to ensure mission success, whether it’s a command post on an Air Force base responsible for coordinating mission activity or an emergency mobile operations command center vehicle for FEMA. 

A typical command center position has multiple devices and consoles for communications. There’s a console for talking on radios (or portable radios), there’s a console for talking on telephone lines (or regular desktop telephones), and there are satellite comms, intercoms and paging systems. There are handsets, headsets, gooseneck microphones, various external speakers, keyboards and mice all related to voice communications. In additional, a typical command center operator faces a large array of screens and keyboards providing critical information related to their mission, whether it’s flight tracking software or weather applications. It’s not unusual to see eight monitors facing a single operator.

In this type of environment, simplifying communications is critical. Switching between devices, from a radio console to a telephone console, or even from one mouse to another can take time, cause mistakes and can lead to disaster. Bringing together the various modes of conversation, whether it’s radio with telephone or a sat phone line with an intercom, quickly and easily can smooth operations in stressful emergency situations.

Command and control operators now have the ability to leverage technologies like SIP and WebRTC that enable all communications to be delivered on a single touchscreen console or mobile device. What this means is the operator can push a button to talk on the radio; push another to talk on the phone; and easily add other buttons for specific operational requirements, such as to start an emergency conference call that dials out to critical personnel, asks them for a PIN and drops them into a conference. Operators can, from a single console, easily join phone conversations with radio talk groups, or push another button for intercom capabilities, whether it’s point to point or a broadcast announcement to everyone in the command center. In the case of a major event, these consoles can be programmed with a button that when pressed will dial every phone in building, Air Force base or municipality to play a message. The bottom line is that a single communications console eliminates the need for operators to struggle between various devices.

Incorporating video, instant messaging, web collaboration and presence information into the communications consoles historically involved a host of separate applications from disparate vendors, which – createsing an integration challenge that often undermined the value these collaboration services could deliver. Today, command and control center operators have access to video from mobile units as well as presence information, screen sharing and texting on a single console.

For example, in an active shooter scenario mobile security personnel with iPhones or Android devices can stream their video to the command center, giving command personnel live video from multiple angles. To aide in evacuation or tactics, the command center personnel can screen share to the mobile devices to display building maps, exit routes or emergency protocols. Real-time unified communications are a must for situations such as these, and operators are now more strongly positioned to manage and respond to a wide range of threats and mission critical events. 

The radio over IP RoIP products available today make it easy to monitor and coordinate activity with other agencies. Different agencies use different radio systems and interoperability has been historically difficult. Today’s consoles for the command center make those differences almost invisible to the users. Any kind of radio can be displayed as a button on the communication console - from the latest P25 system to an old conventional radio system.