TETRA  |   DMR  |   LTE  |   P25  |   Messaging  |  2018-01-24

GlobalFlyte Clears the Fog of Chaos in Emergency Communications

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

The emergency management technology startup is currently testing Multi Modal technology allowing users to listen to multiple radio channels through one pair of headphones by separating them spatially.

Since the birth of two way radio communications, emergency workers have to deal with the technological tools that are available. In their daily work, they have to cope with fire incidents, disasters and shootings and to share information across multiple radio channels.

In order to mitigate 'the chaos' in emergency communications, GlobalFlyte, an emergency management technology startup, is currently testing its Multi Modal technology. The technology was licensed from the Air Force Research Laboratory, which developed it to address the constant repetition, wasted time and missed critical data in radio communications. This new technology allows users to listen to multiple radio channels through one pair of headphones by separating them spatially.

GlobalFlyte President and COO Tim Shaw: “If I have a dispatch channel I want to monitor, I have a tactical channel I want to monitor and I have a fire channel I want to monitor, they can be separated so they sound as though they’re coming from different locations."

The solution is user friendly and intuitive. When it is in operation, one channel can sound like it’s coming from in front of the listener, while another channel can be allocated to the left and another to the right. The Air Force Research Laboratory concluded that when it is possible to separate the audio channels in this way there is a 40 percent increase in comprehension.

GlobalFlyte uses a cloud-based web interface that can be used without installing new soft-and hardware. When logging in,  users indicate if they are from the fire, police, public works or another department and then they can either create an incident or go to an archived or templated event. 

For now, the company is looking to the first responders in Fairborn to provide feedback on how to improve the product suite. GlobalFlyte is planning a nationwide rollout focused on small and mid-sized localities in the coming months.