A number of technical systems are used to support law enforcement, fire, and EMS telecommunicators and responders. Yet governmental agencies that fund and guide technology standards and other key IT initiatives have rarely coordinated or aligned their efforts to maximize national adoption and cost effectiveness. Disparate technology standards and specifications across communities that have similar and, in many cases, overlapping requirements, result in unnecessary duplication of efforts, at a high cost to taxpayers.
The IJIS Institute, along with APCO International, developed Unified Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Functional Requirements (UCADFR). The multi-service CAD functional specification serves as a guideline to industry for the development and implementation of integrated CAD systems that are responsive to the needs of law enforcement, fire, and EMS.
The UCAD project was a follow-on to a previous project, the Public Safety Data Interoperability Program (PSDIP), managed jointly with APCO International. This project aimed at producing deliverables that focused on assisting first responders and local public safety communication centers with the goal of improving information sharing and data interoperability among and between public safety first responders. Project outcomes included the upgrade of the External Alarm Interface IEPD (from GJXDM to NIEM), the development of a Priority Exchange List for Local Communication Centers, a Guide to Information Sharing and Data Interoperability for Local Communication Centers, and laid the groundwork for the UCADFR.
