APD CORTEX technology improves communications within Royal Swedish Police

The UK’s leading mobile information specialist, has announced that it has signed a contract with partner Steria AB to provide The Swedish National Police Board (“Rikspolisstyrelsen” or RPS) with an upgrade to its existing communication system. The new APD ‘CORTEX’ system is designed to complement the RPS’s integrated telephone, mobile and police radio networks. It will build on the success of APD’s roll out of an earlier version of its CORTEX system to all 21 RPS control rooms in 2000.

The upgrade will enable RPS’s CORTEX system to support operation with TETRA radio systems where previously it was only able to support analogue systems. RPS was required to commence upgrading now in order for the system to be up and running in time for the rollout of the TETRA-based radio network by Nokia and partners next year. TETRA provides a professional radio network for the shared use of all Swedish public safety organisations – part of the Swedish government’s “Radio communication for effective public safety” (RAKEL) project. Whilst APD are developing the new version of the CORTEX software, STERIA AB will be responsible for the installation and roll out once the acceptance trial has been completed.

Superintendent Mats Dahl said, “I am happy with the new system. It was important for us to find a solution that could be easily integrated due to the time restrictions involved in bringing the control room system software in line with the TETRA infrastructure. APD had the best capability.”

CORTEX is a modular Software-Integrated Communications Control System (SICCS), which seamlessly merges radio dispatch, telephone call handling, video monitoring and web services. Rather than having a completely separate PC, screen, audio and visual presentation, incoming calls from all the different radio systems are brought together in one call queue, all the information is displayed on one screen and the audio from the separate systems is presented on a single headset.

When APD installed RPS’s original CORTEX solution in 2000, it was combined with STORM, Steria’s incident management software, providing RPS with new freedom of control and command. Prior to CORTEX, an operator might receive several calls at once and have to ask the caller to hold the line whilst they radio for the location of a unit. Now operators are able to enter key information over the phone and simultaneously check the status of all units available.

Colin Campbell, APD said, “We pride ourselves on being able to offer solutions that are flexible enough to provide complete integration with the majority of existing systems currently available. RPS could have chosen to have a completely separate system from another vendor. In fact they researched approximately eight other suppliers before APD was selected. Our clients rely on our wealth of experience in integrating TETRA systems with control room applications.”

The RPS CORTEX system integrates the following sub-systems:
The new national public safety radio system based on Nokia TETRA technology
Steria STORM Command and Control system
Microbit S70M VHF selcall analogue radio system (used at all control rooms)
Ericsson S80 UHF trunked analogue radio system (used at Malmo, Gothenberg and Stockholm only).
Ericsson MD110 PABX
Multicom alarm system

The new CORTEX system is set to go live in Autumn 2006, with Malm being the first control room to trial the solution.

“With APD we feel we are moving forwards,” says Superintendent Dahl.