I have always been fascinated with computer aided dispatch and I'm wondering what type of programming is generally used for unit status updates? For instance, if a dispatcher right clicks on a unit to change their status, is that menu change made possible by Java or something else?
Complex systems like Computer Aided Dispatch systems likely have or use more than one language "under the hood", even if they advertise the product as having its own language or being primarily of a certain main-stream language. This is done to improve computing efficiency and increase convenience during future maintenance and development.
The "status change" that you reference above, involves several elements, which could easily involve several programming languages. At a minimum, it involves (1) the language used to display the GUI, (2) the language used to handle the logic of changing the status, and (3) the language used to input or modify the status in the back-end DB.
(1) The GUI which the dispatcher sees on the screen might be programmed in one language that is good (or convenient) at displaying things on the screen.
(2) The logic-engine handling the behind-the-scenes logic (for the click- and key-stroke events, for the response-protocol-logic, etc.) might be another language that is faster at processing commands and handling Boolean logic.
(3) The database that holds the actual status values could use yet a different language, involving not just SQL, but also a manufacturer-specific script-language specific to the DB, whether MS-based, Oracle-based, or whatever platform, as well as a combination of C-libraries, Java-libraries, etc.
By having the GUI separate from the back-end DB, other features can be offered, like allowing other external applications to query the DB and report from it. In general, this is how the FIDS/RIDS system gets its data. It is separate and gets data from the ECC's DB, but does not involve the GUI which the dispatchers see on their screens.
In a CAD system, each element likely is programmed in a language best suited for that element. In complex systems like CAD but not limited to CAD, there is rarely one language that will be the best language for all of the detailed pieces of the project. The end-user might see only one language, but "under the hood", there are likely several -- some mainstream, some possibly more obscure and specialized.
Hope this helps,
