Pictometry, Integraph integrate 9-1-1 solution

Published 7 August 2006

It is one thing for a dispatcher to call a first response unit and tell them that there is an emergency situation developing at the corner of Main Street and First Avenue; it is another thing for the dispatcher to be able to view the scene, obtain measurements such as distance, height, elevation, and more — and provide that information to the units en route to the scene; two companies combine their emergency solutions to offer just that

Two are better than one. Rochester, New York-based Pictometry International, a developer of digital, aerial, oblique imagery and measuring software systems (company’s motto: “See everywhere, measure anything, plan everything”), and Huntsville, Alabama-based Intergraph (NASDAQ: INGR) a leading specialist in Spatial Information Management (SIM) software, have formed a marketing alliance. The two firms will provide integration solutions to their customers, with Pictometry’s aerial imaging and measuring technology being accessed through Intergraph’s emergency incident management solution.

Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), or 9-1-1 call centers, are responsible for ensuring fast responses to calls for service. Intergraph’s emergency incident management solution serves as the core of the decision support process for 9-1-1 centers, using an interactive, real-time map display of caller locations, dispatching, records and information management, remote access, and mobile data. Pictometry’s software allows users to access up to twelve different oblique (at an angle, 3D-like) views of any property, building, highway, or other feature. Note that the software offers more than a mere picture of the building or facility: It also also helps users obtain measurements such as distance, height, elevation, and area directly from the oblique imagery. The companies’ combined solution gives 9-1-1 dispatchers a better understanding of emergency situations as they develop and allow these dispatchers to provide additional data to first responders en route to the scene. Howard County, Maryland has already integrated the combined solution into the county’s 9-1-1 communication center.

-read more in this news release