US Coast Guard - Saves Lives with WAVE Powered SolutionSaves Lives with WAVE Powered SolutionThe ChallengeTo respond to a range of situations — from disaster recovery, to joint operations, to staying in contact with colleagues when they're away from their radios — United States Coast Guard personnel on land require immediate access to multiple radio communication channels. Most importantly, land-based personnel need the ability to respond instantly in emergencies, communicating with ships and aircraft from their homes or from mobile phones, as well as from radios and PCs at the base. In Seattle, Washington, the U.S. Coast Guard Electronic Systems Support Unit (ESU Seattle) monitors Coast Guard communications from Oregon to the Canadian border — including telephone systems and circuits, and data networks. ESU Seattle sought a flexible and affordable system that could securely extend the reach of their radios to on- and off-base personnel throughout the region. In post-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, the largest and most complex safety field unit in the Coast Guard, wanted to establish a contingency communications system to ensure the availability of secure, real-time communications, even during a crisis. The SolutionIn both Seattle and New Orleans, the Coast Guard selected WAVE® software from Twisted Pair Solutions, a highly technical tool that will enable secure, interoperable, real-time communications — customizable to their specific requirements. Today, the U.S. Coast Guard saves thousands of dollars by using existing PCs to communicate with radio systems — rather than buying new radio handsets for all potential users. Plus, they didn't need to buy any new radios or retrain their radio operators in ships, planes, and helicopters. They also saved money by using their IP network instead of costly leased circuits for radio trunks. At USCG ESU Seattle, audio from the radio channels is brought into the network by standard Cisco® routers using an E&M interface. The routers place the audio onto the IP network, making use of IP multicast channels, which WAVE can directly access. A WAVE Management Server, installed in the data network, allows centralized web-based administration of user accounts, radio systems, tone pattern definitions, and other configuration data. WAVE Media Servers deployed at the network edge provide dial-in access to radio channels from home or cell phones, serve as a bridge between the phones and radio channels, and enable conferences that link many users in multiple locations. WAVE Desktop Communicators® permit secure access to radio systems from any PC on the USCG data network. Similarly, in Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, WAVE enhances the organization's capabilities, in this case as a back-up communications system. During operations immediately after Hurricane Katrina, Sector New Orleans used the Coast Guard's Command and Control Engineering Center's (C2CEN) WAVE baseline software to reestablish critical communications. The effectiveness of the WAVE solution during the disaster convinced the team of its value as a contingency communications system. Solution Features
Essential SecurityWAVE has undergone rigorous testing to ensure dependability under extreme conditions and provides the U.S. Coast Guard with a secure, reliable, and survivable communications platform. In a crisis, WAVE ensures survivability by allowing system administrators and radio operators to work from a remote location — even from a portable PC in a remote command vehicle. WAVE meets U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFECOM requirements for interoperability and integration, and is used worldwide by organizations like the U.S. Coast Guard that meet stringent security requirements. Total ManageabilityThe WAVE Desktop Communicator is web based and automatically installed on first use, making it quick and easy for the U.S. Coast Guard to configure and deploy. Plus, WAVE can import user and profile data from Microsoft Active Directory and IP phone data from Cisco CallManager, easing deployment tasks even further. Best of all, no changes were needed to USCG radios already installed in ships and aircraft. In addition, WAVE provides fine-grained access control to radio channels, and allows system administrators to assign specific speak, listen, and recording privileges on a channel-by-channel basis. With WAVE's built-in reporting capabilities, the USCG can demonstrate compliance as needed, reporting on call traffic, recordings, connections, user and access rights, and many other attributes. WAVE also lets supervisors monitor traffic, investigate incidents, and locate recordings in real time. The FeedbackU.S. Coast Guard personnel in ESU Seattle and Sector New Orleans can now stay in touch and informed on the latest developments in emergency situations. Users can securely connect to the system from radios, phones, cell phones, and PCs, from any location. System users can individually select which radio channels to tune into, adjust volume and balance preferences, hear instant replays, send alerts, and save recordings. And WAVE's Simulcast feature lets users speak to multiple radio systems at once. After WAVE was installed, the U.S. Coast Guard found that key personnel were able to remain constantly in touch during rescue operations, no matter where they were — at the base, at home, or on the road. WAVE not only satisfied the Coast Guard's immediate and contingent communications needs; WAVE also positioned the USCG for seamless interoperability with other agencies. The USCG has continued to build on their design, assisting other government agencies with their own interoperability deployments. And, day to day, the USCG uses WAVE as a quick and efficient mechanism for group discussions, troubleshooting, and keeping in touch with others right from their PCs-on the radio or not. The FutureThe United States Coast Guard fills a vital role in the nation's security. But they do not exist in a vacuum; they also need to communicate with other branches of the U.S. military, federal agencies, state and local law enforcement organizations, and emergency medical providers. WAVE deployments, at both the USCG and at other agencies, build the foundation for instant bridging of WAVE channels across organizations in times of crisis. About The United States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a maritime military service that protects the public and the environment. The 39,000 United States Coast Guard personnel on active duty assist 117 people and save 15 lives every day of the year. Visit the USCG on the web at www.uscg.mil. About Twisted Pair SolutionsTwisted Pair Solutions, Inc. designs and builds enterprise software solutions that enable interoperable group communications. Our WAVE software manages real-time, secure, group communications over the IP network, linking in people and devices. The application suite serves an unlimited variety of devices including radios, personal computers, cell phones, and IP phones and allows previously incompatible systems to work together seamlessly. In addition, Twisted Pair's management server capabilities enable robust device and user management over the IP backbone. Twisted Pair Solutions is headquartered in Seattle, Washington USA with offices in the Netherlands, UK and Australia. |