Baker Integrated Technologies
DISPATCHWorks and CADPro Integrate for Improved Workflow in Shelby County
makes communicating easy.
Shelby County 9-1-1, which serves a population of 145,000 just south of Birmingham, Alabama, recently implemented an integrated Communications/CAD system comprised of the DISPATCHWorks system from Baker Integrated Technologies and HORIZON CADPro from Tel Control (TCI). The successful integration of these two systems was the result of the concerted efforts of the two companies and Shelby County 9-1-1.
The process that resulted in Shelby County’s decision to purchase DISPATCHWorks began in April of 1998. John Ellison, executive director of Shelby County’s 9-1-1 operation, set out to find a communications system that would be innovative and provide a cost effective, flexible solution for 9-1-1 call handling and dispatch. Ellison’s existing communications system was made up of several products from different vendors/manufacturers, including a homegrown CAD. His goal was to select a single system that would combine the functionality of these disparate systems into a single user interface. Ellison’s evaluation process targeted specific goals, namely Y2K compliance, improved efficiency through a consistent user interface, improved information delivery and record keeping, and most importantly, a system that implemented open standards for ease of integration with other systems, specifically CAD.
After a thorough evaluation of proposals, Ellison chose DISPATCHWorks from Baker Integrated Technologies. Installed in March of 1999, the DISPATCHWorks system provides for effective and efficient call handling and dispatching by integrating all of Shelby County’s communications, including radio, telephone and E9-1-1, into a single system with a Windows user interface. Beyond meeting his PSAP communications needs, DISPATCHWorks met Ellison’s requirement for an open standards platform capable of integrating with other systems.
What does it mean to be an "open" standards platform? Open systems employ and publish standard methods of communicating through an Application Program Interface (API), thus providing the ability for other systems to communicate and integrate the functionality of each. DISPATCHWorks is described as an open system as it resides on a Microsoft Windows NT platform and makes use of standard Windows protocols to communicate with other systems. The results allow for the integration of communications and CAD/mapping functionality into a single, efficient user interface. "Our goal is to make the job of mission-critical dispatching as uncomplicated as possible by combining the functionality of Communications/CAD/Mapping into a single, consistent user interface. This eliminates the stress of having to work with multiple devices and allows the call-taker/dispatcher to concentrate on the important aspects of their job," says Laird Smay, vice president of sales and marketing at Baker Integrated Technologies.
Ellison believes that the open architecture is the most beneficial feature of DISPATCHWorks. "An open system allows us to truly integrate our other systems with DISPATCHWorks, making call-taking and dispatching tasks easier and more efficient."
Initially, DISPATCHWorks was integrated with Shelby’s homegrown CAD but Ellison eventually decided to purchase a new CAD system, which could incorporate mapping and other features that the homegrown CAD could not perform. Again, during the selection process for a CAD system, Ellison insisted on an open standards system capable of integrating with DISPATCHWorks.
During the CAD selection process, Ellison found that many vendors were either unable or unwilling to provide an open systems solution for integration. "Many vendors would say they wanted to integrate," said Ellison, "but few provided the technology and/or information to complete the integration process." After a thorough evaluation process, Ellison selected TCI’s HORIZON CADPro system. HORIZON CADPro was selected for its feature rich design and TCI’s willingness to support an integrated solution.
TCI’s web-enabled HORIZON suite provides Shelby with a simplified and highly intuitive graphical user interface (GUI), which TCI calls "Information on Demand." This feature eliminates the need for multiple windows or displays. "True integration and flexibility have always been an integral part of TCI’s development approach. By developing HORIZON CADPro with an open system technology, Shelby County was able to capitalize on the best integrated solution for their specific day-to-day operations. I believe HORIZON CADPro and DISPATCHWorks are excellent examples of true open systems technology in action," said Craig Dollar, vice president of sales and marketing at TCI.
The integration of DISPATCHWorks and HORIZON CADPro goes beyond the traditional ALI dump that many vendors call integration. "True integration combines the functionality of two or more systems for the purpose of enhancing their use and creating new functionality. This integration goes beyond simply transferring data between two systems: we’ve actually created new functionality that improves work flow," says Smay.
So what have been the results of Shelby County’s communications/CAD system integration? Walk into Shelby’s center and you’ll find dispatchers/calltakers handling all CAD and communications functions from a single user interface. From a user standpoint, the results have been improved efficiency and reduced stress, since they no longer work with multiple systems. Dianne Rutz, shift manager, said, "Routine things are automated and predefined which allows us to deal with important decisions rather than trying to remember which radio tower and page tones a particular department uses."
This vision of an integrated solution was part of Baker’s plan during the development of DISPATCHWorks and is a critical part of the system’s design. "Most CAD companies recognized the need and capability to integrate with our system but most were slow to respond," said Smay, "TCI was quick to recognize the value of an integrated solution and immediately put forth the resources to develop this advanced solution."
Shelby County was able to get the best fit for their needs through the integration of DISPATCHWorks and HORIZON CADPro. Future plans for these two products include many new advanced features that are unavailable on other systems.
Copyright 2001 Baker Integrated Technologies, LLC. All rights reserved. Site updated 2/19/01.
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