Dereck Orr, director of NIST Public Safety Communications Research, talks to FirstNet board chair Stephen Benjamin while he tries out a virtual reality program for firefighters in the new immersive testing facility.
Credit: NIST
BOULDER, Colo. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today the launch of the Public Safety Immersive Test Center in Boulder, Colorado, to spur the development and deployment of technologies critical to effective public safety response.
Through this partnership, NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division and the FirstNet Authority plan to enable research and development, education, and training, by offering the facility at no cost to public safety agencies and organizations that support public safety response efforts, including private sector and academic institutions. The facility is designed to help answer key research questions around the future of user interfaces and location services for public safety training and operations.
“When seconds count, situational awareness can be a matter of life or death for first responders,” said Jeff Bratcher, FirstNet Authority chief network and technology officer. “We are proud to partner with NIST on this state-of-the-art facility and provide first responders with an immersive virtual experience to help them prepare for those critical moments. The FirstNet Authority is dedicated to advancing technologies and innovative ways to ensure first responders have the tools they need for their lifesaving mission.”
“This facility enables us to take our research to the next level by allowing natural interactions,” said Scott Ledgerwood, who leads NIST PSCR’s work on user experience and user interfaces. “Traditional virtual reality simulations required controllers for interaction, which didn’t translate well to real-life scenarios. In this new facility, users can walk or crawl through ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
