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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
DoITT and Northrop Grumman Corporation Announce the New York City Wireless Network is Operational
In a historic milestone for municipal first responder communications,
the New York City Department of Information Technology and
Telecommunications (DoITT) and Northrop Grumman Corporation today
announced that the New York City Wireless Network (NYCWiN) is
operational citywide. NYCWiN is a high-speed, mobile data network
representing the most aggressive commitment by any municipality in the
United States to provide a next-generation public safety
infrastructure. The network is now operational across New York City's
more than 300 square miles and exceeds requirements for coverage and
data throughput speed.
"With Northrop Grumman, we have worked to deploy a network and
capabilities that will propel New York City into the 21st century,"
said DoITT Commissioner Paul J. Cosgrave. "NYCWiN will provide robust,
reliable and resilient data communications, enhancing coordination and
ensuring that critical information reaches our mobile workforce, to the
benefit of all City agencies and the people we serve. We are pleased
to have worked collaboratively on this significant and transformative
initiative with Northrop Grumman, which has proven itself in the field
of public safety communications."
NYCWiN provides first responders high-speed data access to support
large file transfers, including fingerprints, mug shots, City maps,
automatic vehicle location, and full-motion streaming video. A
fully-interoperable, IP-based network, NYCWiN enhances coordination by
linking first responder personnel, on-scene, wirelessly with incident
managers at remote sites through real-time data and video feeds.
"The development of NYCWiN represents a major accomplishment and
opportunity to transform the way New York City government operates, by
improving the capabilities and efficiency of public safety and service
agencies" said Tom Shelman, vice president and general manager of
Northrop Grumman Information Systems' Civil Systems Division. "NYCWiN
is a model for how states, cities, and counties can deploy and manage
their own mission-critical communications infrastructure."
For example, DoITT and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) are
now working toward the installation of wireless modems in 1,800 marked
patrol fleet vehicles, which will enable officers in the field to
access critical applications via NYCWiN previously available only from
their desktops -- mobile access to mug shots and moving traffic
violations information being prime examples.
"The NYCWiN technology platform provides data transfer speeds 100 times
that of our legacy networks and enables us to deploy a wealth of
broadband applications -- including streaming video to increase
situational awareness among our first responders," said Steve Harte,
DoITT's Associate Commissioner of Wireless Technologies. "Leveraging
this capability, we have also created an interoperable video management
system (IVS) that allows the New York City Mayor's Office, NYPD, Fire
Department, Office of Emergency Management, and a variety of other
agencies to access shared, incident-based video feeds as needed."
Recent examples of IVS deployment include Operation Safe PATH 2009 -- a
full-scale, multi-agency exercise to test the City's and the Port
Authority's response to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonation
on a New Jersey-bound Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train -- and
US Airways Flight 1549, which ditched into the Hudson River last
January. In each case the IVS was mobilized at the incident scene,
enabling first responder command units to stream video back to the
City's Emergency Operations Centers.
NYCWiN can also be leveraged by City agencies to improve service
delivery to New Yorkers. Automated water meter reading, traffic signal
control and myriad handheld inspectional programs are now planned or
underway, allowing New York City's mobile workforce to not only to
function more efficiently, but also to realize substantial cost savings
across participating agencies.
Working with partner Grey Island, Northrop Grumman is also helping the
City deploy an automated vehicle location system in nearly 400 vehicles
across more than a dozen City agencies. This effort will help meet
Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC goals for improved sustainability by
decreasing vehicle usage, improving gas consumption, and providing
real-time management of the City's vehicle fleet.
To enable these and other high-speed mobile applications, DoITT,
Northrop Grumman and IPWireless deployed NYCWiN's extensive
communications infrastructure across the City's more than 300 square
miles, covering all five boroughs of New York City. In addition to
building the system, Northrop Grumman manages day-to-day network
operations, including management of 24-hour network operations centers.
Commissioner Cosgrave continued: "While implementation of NYCWiN
represents a substantial public safety and infrastructure achievement,
it also illustrates how New York City is transforming itself into a
mobile virtual organization. By deploying new wireless applications,
we will enhance service delivery to New Yorkers, improve the efficiency
of City operations, and raise the bar for the administration of
municipal government."
DoITT transforms the way New York City interacts with its residents,
businesses, visitors and employees by leveraging technology to improve
services and increase transparency, accountability and accessibility
across all agencies. In 2006, DoITT awarded Northrop Grumman a
five-year contract to implement the New York City Wireless Network, the
nation's most comprehensive, high-performance mobile broadband
infrastructure.
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is a leading global security
company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products,
and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems,
shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial
customers worldwide.
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