Friday, September 26, 2008

Hi-tech PCR with geospatial techniques in New Delhi

Six days after Delhi was shaken by serial blasts and saw subsequent calls for modernisation of police force to combat terrorism, the hi-tech Central Police Control Room (CPCR) will be inaugurated on Friday at the Delhi Police headquarters at ITO. 

With over 500 PCR vans fitted with the latest Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) and an online city map installed in the CPCR to track the movement of these vehicles, senior cops are expecting that their fight against terrorism and the overall policing standard will get a major boost. 

Commissioner of Police Y S Dadwal said: "The new system would help us in achieving the maximum possible efficiency in attending to distress calls and will augment our capacity for better response to the citizens of Delhi. The project was in the pipeline for the past three years." 

The number of emergency phone lines — 100 — has also been doubled from 30 to 60 and this would enable people to report terrorist and criminal incidents without hindrance. 

Devised by HCL Technologies, the system will function on a call centre module. 

"Earlier, when someone used to call 100, it was first noted down and then fed into computer after which the information was sent to the PCR to move to the spot. In the new set-up, the call receiver would pass on information about any distress call to the despatch wireless operator, who would locate the PCR van closest to the place of occurrence on the digital map and direct it to attend to the call. It will improve the response time by 10 minutes to 

30 minutes," said a senior police officer. The wireless uplink for data transfer between a PCR van and CPCR will be facilitated by a GPS receiver, a Mobile Data Terminal and a General Pocket Radio Service (GPRS) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) modem installed in the van. 

The technology would enable data storage, starting from receipt of distress calls to filing of the report by the PCR operator, thus making the entire exercise paperless and requiring lesser manpower. 

The screen reflecting the "real-time" position of a PCR van, even when it would be on the move, will also have updated information on the calls being attended to by each of the vehicles. The system would have an in-built mechanism to record distress calls and also the interaction among the receiver, dispatcher and operator for any future reference. It will also help in efficient management of the PCR vans as well as other police vehicles, curbing down their misuse as the man sitting in the CPCR will keep a track of the vehicles. 

"It will also be equipped with a system that will leave a message for the policemen if they are found busy," an officer said. There are 100 lines of MTNL which will be used for this purpose and in case some of the lines are not working, the system will not be paralysed as a backup plan from some private service provider will be present to support the system.The Delhi Police also plans to install GPS and GIS system in the official vehicles of SHOs, ACPs and DCPs. 

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

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