Richmond Police Deploys Tactical Interoperable Communications at 2007 Marathon Print
Ordia Solutions’ Mobile Tactical Collaboration System™ integrated with advanced personnel tracking system AdvanTraq™ GPS deliver visual tactical interoperable communications, common operating picture, full situational awareness, and real-time race tracking for the Richmond Police and EMS during the 30th running of the SunTrust Richmond Marathon and nTelos 8K

RPD Workspace
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 Richmond, VA and Vienna, VA, November 10, 2007 – Ordia Solutions, the leading provider of tactical, interoperable, collaborative, and mobile command and control systems for public safety agencies announces the successful test and evaluation today of its next generation collaborative command and control platform Mobile Tactical Collaboration System™ (MTCS) and advanced personnel tracking system AdvanTraq™ GPS to enhance race course security management and safety of runners and race fans during simultaneous running of the 2007 SunTrust Richmond Marathon and nTelos 8K.

For the race known as “America’s Friendliest Marathon”, Saturday morning was a very special day indeed for runners – perfect temperature, and for the city - 30th anniversary of the SunTrust Richmond Marathon and nTelos 8K.  With a combined record registration of over 11,000 runners and high tens of thousands of spectators along the race routes, the leadership of the Richmond Police Department (RPD), in close cooperation with EMS, wanted to try new and innovative, visual tactical interoperable communications technologies to assist in delivering better, faster and more effective security and safety services to runners and the public.

Ordia Solutions’ Mobile Tactical Collaboration System™ was used to develop several workspaces as part of the planning phase.  “Marathon” and “8K” workspaces were created by the command staff to plot the respective race routes, including race start and finish points, pre-positioned traffic control points, EMS locations, mile markers, “party stops”, and location of the unified Mobile Command Center.  Advanced personnel tracking units AdvanTraq GPS were assigned to the lead and tail motorcycles for each race, giving the Operations Commander real-time situational awareness of both races.  An AdvanTraq GPS unit that would have tracked one of the marathoners throughout his journey was damaged prior to the race, and would have provided real-time speed and stops of the runner in the “Marathon” workspace.

2007 Richmond Marathon
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 As a number of relatively minor medical incidents and traffic problems were called in to the Mobile Command Center, National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) and Homeland Security Working Group (HSWG) symbols were used to specify the nature, location, and time of the incident on the race workspaces while resources were dispatched as appropriate.  A Police Supervisor on foot was able to maintain real-time situational awareness at all time as he was equipped with a one-pound OQO model 02, the world’s smallest full-featured ultra-mobile PC running the Operations Commander's MTCS workspace to receive clear and unambiguous directions from him and to deliver updated communication to team members and superiors.  Other RPD leadership not present at the Mobile Command Center logged in through the secure website from home or Police headquarters to see the progress of the operation.

“Managing the public safety portion of the 2007 SunTrust Richmond Marathon and nTelos 8K is a massive undertaking that encompasses a very large area of our city”, said Captain Howard J Hicks, Special Events Operations Commander, Richmond Police Department.  “For several hours throughout the day, we tracked the progress of both races as well as respond to numerous incidents including traffic control issues, malfunctioning traffic lights, accidents, runner injuries etc…”  He further added “The Ordia system was a valuable Command Post tool as it allowed us to visually track the races, mark incident locations, and provide real time visual information to commanders throughout our department.  In addition to special events like the Marathon, this is a system that can enhance the effectiveness of any police operation in the city requiring multiple officers.”

“The Richmond Police Department is once again blazing the trail of innovative policing in its deployment of MTCS at the 2007 Marathon and 8K races” noted Joe E. Ordia, Chairman and CEO, Ordia Solutions.  “This was a triumph on several fronts: MTCS was deployed flawlessly across the largest geographic
RPD Mobile Command
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 area to date – 40 square miles, it enhanced the capabilities of the largest number of deployed public safety officers to date – over 300.  As a one of the runners and finishers in the Marathon, it was exciting to see first hand how MTCS coupled with integrated GPS enabled Richmond’s police and EMS to attain an unprecedented level of coordination and real-time situational awareness, while providing the safest and most secure environment for runners and the public in recent marathons.”  He further stated, “This successful deployment demonstrates the scalability and versatility of MTCS, that in addition to special events or major incidents, it can significantly enhance the visual tactical interoperable communication, collaboration, command and control of any coordinated public safety operation from response to violent crimes, to searching for a missing child, to fugitive tracking.”

About AdvanTraq™ GPS
AdvanTraq™ GPS is a portfolio of advanced tracking solutions for personnel, vehicle, K9, and cargo that operates as standalone solutions or integrated with and traceable through a Mobile Tactical Collaboration System™ workspace. AdvanTraq GPS employs GPS tracking technologies from GLC Enterprises of Naperville IL.

About Mobile Tactical Collaboration System™
Developed using industry standard Web 2.0-based technologies, MTCS represents the next generation of intuitive, easy-to-use browser-based collaborative command and control solutions for public safety. Because a picture is worth a thousand words, MTCS enhances public safety officers’ ability to communicate and collaborate visually and in real-time using tactical graphics, digital maps, and shared workspaces. It facilitates the rapid development of multiple scenarios, one or more of which can be executed based on real-time contingencies and at the discretion of tactical commanders. The MTCS platform addresses the "5Cs of Interoperability" for tactical operators and first responders - Communication, Collaboration, Coordination, Command and Control. This level of interoperability is a must for critical incidents requiring multi-jurisdictional and multidisciplinary response, and for the related exercises necessary to sharpen the tactical proficiencies of operators. MTCS is accessible by authorized personnel in the field using mobile data terminals or ultra mobile PCs and secure wireless broadband, or at the operation center using desktop PCs and LAN lines. Microsoft® Virtual Earth™ is the standard mapping imagery delivered by MTCS, however other customer imagery can be incorporated.

Together, AdvanTraq GPS and MTCS provide tactical commanders and other senior leadership an unprecedented level of real-time situational awareness of an executing operation and its operators, significantly increasing operator accountability and safety. The versatility of the MTCS platform enables it to be used by law enforcement, fire/EMS, search and rescue, and EOC personnel in a variety of command and control scenarios. These include perimeter and border security, SWAT operations, major sporting event security management, disaster security response, multi-alarm fire suppression, wildland fire suppression, preparedness training and exercises, post-incident analysis, and day-to-day public safety activities.

About Ordia Solutions
Headquartered in Vienna VA, Ordia Solutions, Inc. is the leading provider of tactical, interoperable, collaborative, and mobile command and control solutions for public safety. Founded in 2005, the company’s mission is to enable first responders and tactical teams to rapidly leverage emerging relevant technologies in order to increase mission effectiveness and maximize public safety. For more information, visit www.ordiasolutions.com , e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call (703) 752-6252.

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