APD launches cutting-edge technology to support emergency services response
INNOVATIVE: The new APD Maps technology in use
Pioneering mapping technology has been launched by Hull-based APD Communications to optimise emergency services’ response to incidents and enable blue light teams to reach locations rapidly with pinpoint accuracy.
APD Maps is a cutting-edge cloud-based software platform which supports emergency services to deploy the right resources, to the right locations, at the right time.
It is the latest innovation launched by control room technology leader APD Communications to empower police, fire, ambulance and other critical services to better serve and protect the public.
APD Maps locates emergency responders, callers, vehicles, incidents, points of interest and even the nearest defibrillators anywhere at the touch of a button, providing enhanced visibility for both control room dispatchers and frontline teams.
It allows control room operators to identify locations using what3words, a system designed to identify any position within three square metres across the world using a unique combination of three words.
APD Maps is accessed through a simple web browser and can be used alongside other control room applications. The software integrates with Google Street View, CCTV camera locations, real-time traffic flow information, highways data and automatic number plate recognition to help emergency services deploy the right resources to an accurate location as quickly as possible, thereby streamlining response and maximising efficiency.
By integrating with Google Maps technology, APD Maps is simple for control rooms to incorporate into their everyday systems and can also operate as a standalone product, reducing the need for major investment in additional training and resources. No incident metadata is shared with Google and data is stored securely in Microsoft Azure Data Centres.
‘EXCITED’: APD Maps has been hailed a world-leading solution
APD is a leading supplier of software to the emergency services, public safety and control room markets and has now grown to 170 employees, based across its offices in the UK, predominantly at its head office in Hull’s Old Town.
Mike Isherwood, Managing Director of APD Communications, said: “We’re excited to launch this world-leading solution which combines multiple data and intelligence sources to support informed and confident decision-making.
“Using APD Maps, control room personnel can dispatch multiple emergency services and public agencies to the same incident, by sharing a single coordinate pin to ensure they all receive the same information.
“Estimated times of arrival can be clearly viewed and provide the operator with immediate and accurate details in real time, supporting them to reassure the caller until help arrives. It can also help plot the quickest route to an incident, saving time and potentially lives.”
APD Maps can be used as a standalone product or to complement other APD products and integrates with existing command and dispatch (CAD) systems, with flexible costs tailored to each individual organisation’s requirements.
Part of the NEC Corporation, a global leader in information and communications technology, APD develops critical, life-saving software used by the police and other emergency services organisations across the UK, as well as transport and aviation operations nationally and internationally.
More than six million emergency calls are handled using APD technology each year and one in every two UK police forces uses APD’s software.