Info on ISSI connectivity in Gulf Coast Interoperability (CGI)
I can provide some background since I lead the ISSI trial deployment project last year which is now being tapped for GCI. I'll take a moment to explain that I resigned as a director at Motorola to start my own interoperability firm, and am now on retainer with TX DPS. They have asked me to help out on GCI if I can.
Here's some background info, and some questions:
> The P25 trunking systems in Louisiana (LWIN), Harris County (Houston) and Austin Travis County, are linked together to a test system in Schaumburg, IL over PC prototype "ISSI.0" gateways.
> The network connections were put in place as part of the "Texas Talks Trial" (TTT) which successfully concluded last fall and also connected Parker County (near Dallas) and the City of Laredo (on the border). If you google it, you should find a report from my website.
> After the TTT was concluded, LWIN accepted my invitation to connect and that was put in place last November.
> When the oil erupted, the state of Texas (TX DPS specifically) offered a team to help activate the trial equipment to see if it could be of some help in the cleanup efforts.
> In addition to the ISSI connections, MSWIN and Orange Beach, AL are connected using a radio-over-IP technology to patch selected tgs together. The result is that trunked talkgroups can be activated across 6 systems, 8 coverage areas and 4 states. I'm not sure it's "massive" but is VERY cool -- a true "system of systems", for sure.
> The ISSI connections are network connections (and in general we don't consider them "patched", per se), so they don't introduce audio and delay degradation created by console and roIP connections.
> I was able to sit in Schaumburg and hear gulf users on the ISSI network from there. Some sounded like they were standing right next to me. It was ASTONISHING.
>Unfortunately, the traffic loads from the gulf are peaking beyond what my off-the-shelf PCs can handle so they are resetting frequently. Motorola is scrambling to replace the PCs with the commercial ISSI.1 versions. Hopefully, this can be done very soon.
>I'm working on some illustrations, hopefully I can publish them soon. I'm also helping to advise TX DPS on how/if to put a production system in place to support ongoing cleanup and future response efforts.
Now for some questions:
> As the hurricane season unfolds, how might needs change should (God, forbid) a hurricane begins pushing the spill toward the western gulf coastlines?
> Could forums, blogs and social networking be used to get the word out?
> What other connectivity is needed? For instance, it's seems obvious to pursue similar wireline connectivity to other systems such as the Coast Guard Rescue 21 network.
> Anybody have ideas on how to get some quick funding? How to share costs?