MCLEAN, Va., March 21, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has initiated a pilot program to design and implement data interoperability for the integrated voice-data wireless system that will ultimately improve emergency communications for public safety agencies in Santa Clara County (Silicon Valley), Calif. This pilot program is part of a contract awarded to Northrop Grumman's Information Technology (IT) sector by the Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Project (SVRIP) in July 2004.
As part of this pilot, the city of San Jose, the Santa Clara County Communications Center, and the city of Milpitas are interconnected through the Regional Interoperable Information Broker (RIIB). Eventually, all 32 municipal and county government public safety agencies will be linked through this integrated voice-data wireless system solution. The RIIB is a component of SVRIP's overall interoperability design, of which Northrop Grumman serves as the systems integrator under contract with the project to help design, develop and implement.
Northrop Grumman is providing a unique fire computer-aided dispatch (CAD)-to-CAD data interoperability solution as part of this pilot. The system empowers fire agencies in the Silicon Valley to use their existing CAD systems more effectively, without major upgrades to their current systems.
"Northrop Grumman's CAD-to-CAD solution shortens response time for first responders and allows improved access to equipment," said Hugh Taylor, president of Northrop Grumman IT's Commercial, State and Local group. "The system reinforces consistent actions by first responders in emergency situations."
Northrop Grumman's CAD data interoperability solution uses standards-based software, provided by FATPOT Technologies, Inc., Bountiful, Utah.
Work on the pilot program has been performed at SVRIP's public agency locations in Santa Clara, Calif.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 122,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.