Accurate maps are an essential component of planning for major incidents or events, as well as coordinating response during emergencies.
When rushing to a school or other critical infrastructure, first responders need more than vague directions. Providing specific, accurate locations of access points, parking locations, rooms and assets can drastically improve response time and efficiency, saving precious minutes during an emergency.
That’s what new partner Critical Response Group (CRG) brings to the table for Hexagon’s public safety customers.
Special operations influence
When Mike Rodgers broke the family mold of 130 years of law enforcement and firefighter family service to join the U.S. Army following 9/11, his time as a commander in U.S. Army Special Operations instilled in him an understanding that every successful operation starts with a detailed map of the objective.
It is a requirement that all special operations members on a mission use the same map before, during and after an operation. It is that standardization and universal access that ensure timely, effective communication regardless of uniform or role on the mission.
When first responders arrive at an unfamiliar location in the U.S., they face a similar problem set in trying to understand and navigate through the unknown. Whereas special operations members rely on standardized mapping practices, many times domestic first responders don’t have that same tool, but are still expected to be familiar with the place they are entering.
When Rodgers returned home from his time in service, he discovered that the school where his wife taught didn’t have a detailed map on file with local emergency responders.
That was the seed that became CRG, where Rodgers is now CEO. The company, started in 2016 by Rodgers, other special operations veterans and retired law enforcement executives, aims to make schools and other critical infrastructure safer by creating digital maps of those campuses like the ones used in the military.
“Our goal was to take best practices in imagery and communication under stress, honed in the special ops community, and bring it back to the U.S. to assist first responders,” said Austin Sprague, CRG’s chief operating officer, also a special operations veteran from the U.S. Marine Corps.
Zoom in for details
CRG builds “macro” maps that leverage up-to-date satellite imagery and the labeling of key features in the surrounding area to give first responders a real picture of places to which they respond. Zoom in, and the building becomes a “micro” map, combining a detailed floor plan with site-specific labeling. Rather than a blank room square, for instance, the map denotes “Room 112” or “cafeteria.” All of these labels are verified via an on-site walk-through conducted by data specialists from the CRG team, a requirement to ensure accuracy inside mapped buildings.
The maps, overlaid with a simple alphanumeric grid with letters across the top and numbers down the side (think the classic Milton Bradley game, “Battleship”), make it easy for dispatchers and first responders to pinpoint locations in ambiguous areas like parking lots and fields.
Rather than giving vague directions (“Go to the front entrance, turn left”), dispatchers can tell responders to “identify access door 12 in grid square ‘D-4’, turn left in the green hallway and look for the library on the right,” all of which is viewable on maps first responders can access on laptops, in their vehicles, on mobile devices or on paper versions pre-staged in key locations.
The micro maps pinpoint exits, fire control equipment, utility cutoffs, master key locations, surveillance cameras and a number of other pertinent emergency response details.
“It’s really a fantastic technology for those first responders,” said Mike Baker, strategic product manager for Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division. “Seeing it as a photo is nice. But they don’t necessarily know where the cafeteria is, where the gym is. Now it provides that information.”
Expanding map database
CRG has mapped more than 15,000 schools across the country, along with other critical infrastructure such as hospitals, government buildings, stadiums, arenas and theme parks.
Partnering with Hexagon, the market leader in public safety dispatch and communications technology, made sense for both companies. HxGN OnCall Dispatch and HxGN Connect allow dispatchers and first responders easy access to CRG’s library of 30,000 school and other critical infrastructure maps.
“We’ve done everything from 60-story buildings to music festivals,” Sprague said.
Hexagon can now offer CRG’s critical infrastructure maps as a layer within the mapping tool in its CAD and HxGN Connect platforms. Using high-speed connectivity, the maps appear almost instantly, with smooth, lag-free functionality.
CRG is continuing to add maps to its growing database.
“Our goal is to map every school in the country, period,” said Sprague.
For more on Hexagon’s public safety solutions, visit hxgnpublicsafety.com.
