New software for faster emergency responses

Dr Guy Saward at the University’s School of Computer Science is working with Chris Pine at Extent Software to develop Collaborator, pilot software which will allow information to be shared between the emergency services. Extent Software is an IT Software and Consultancy to police and local government organisations.

“In the past, government systems could not share information with one another,” said Mr Pine. “Collaborator will allow these agencies to share information which will be updated automatically across the board.”

The software is being trialled currently at Gloucestershire Police, where University of Hertfordshire Associate Ruoyu Wo will spend six months refining the software which is designed to help share data and management incidents across the police and Highways Agency.

The deployment of Collaborator is being supported through a Knowledge Partners East of England (KEEP) project, funded by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), which is a three-way partnership between a company, a local university and a recent graduate.

One of the most significant aspects of the project is the vast time savings it will incur, since information need only be inputted once and a simple touch of a button will ensure that the collaborating agency (in this instance, the Highways Agency) will receive all of the information necessary to provide an efficient incident response, removing the need for voice communication.

“This is a new modern approach for integrating applications based on XML technologies which will allow these life-saving agencies to communicate in a more effective manner,” said Dr Saward.