Hashtags are coming to a radio and MDC near you

A new system created by a partnership between BAIR Analytics and Motorola will implement hashtags into all public safety communications. Hashtags are words, or phrases, prefixed by the # symbol used on social media WebPages as a way to group or link posts across users.

Analytics has become all the rage in public safety. Using data to predict and forecast the statistical likelihood of events has a myriad of uses for police, fire and EMS. Administrators are able to use the predictive analysis to set shift minimums, assign patrol beats, and even to pick locations for ambulances to post. This analytic data helps to improve response times, ensures enough people are working to handle call volumes and has proven to prevent some emergency events from taking place.

The problem has always been getting good data into the analytic systems. This is where the partnership between BAIR Analytics and Motorola comes in. Project engineer Chirs Messina explains how and why hashtags.

“We were looking at a way for the system to have a voice recognition module to capture radio transmissions. At the same time we needed a module to capture information being typed into the computers in emergency vehicles. Then one day I saw a co-worker tweet about her lack of progress in writing some computer code, she ended the tweet with #frustrated. It was a serious eureka moment.”

Messina explains that the hashtags on the MDC, or saying the word “hashtag” on the radio alerts the analytic software to a keyword for classification or categorization. This creates real time input into the software right from the radio or computer. This real-time input means that the analytic software will now output nearly real time results also.

For example… Officers will arrive at a vehicle cras so they say into the radio “Hashtag five injuries, Hashtag one DOA, Hashtag Jaws-of-life needed”. The system will key in on these Hashtags and then respond by grabbing the police officer’s GPS location. Once the computer has that GPS location the system will figure out what ambulances are posted closest and what closest firehouse has a rescue truck. The system will then pull up mapping software on the MDC in the Ambulances and Rescue Truck to give turn-by-turn directions to the scene. As that is going on the system will also drop the alert tones to the crews.

When asked if he thinks first responders will scoff at saying “Hashtag” over the radio Messina responded by brining up the old 10-code system. “No one ever scoffed at how silly they sounded saying all these 10 number. On a ride-a-long I once hear this, ‘I am 10-8, 10-24, also mark me 10-76 your 10-20 so I can be 10-42.’ If the previous generation could say 10 this and 10 that, the next generation will be fine with Hashtags.”