APCOA’s 10th Annual Conference and Exhibition heads to Adelaide

In this age of exponential change, we need to focus on thinking outside the square and improving the public safety sector.

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Australasia will be holding the 10th Annual Conference and Exhibition - ‘Breaking the status quo: freedom to try new thinking’ - at the Adelaide Convention Centre in South Australia.

This event promotes innovation and will give delegates insight on how new thinking combined with the use of technology can help organisations stay ahead of the curve. The conference program is spread over three days (12-14 March) and comprises local and international keynotes, expert Q&A panels, concurrent streams as well as pre-conference workshops and access to the extensive exhibition.

“Coming along to the conference meant that I could actually have the opportunity to witness some of the incredible developments in this sphere of communications,” said Ros Bates, Minister for Government Services, Building Industry, Information and Communication Technology, Queensland Government.

Amongst the many speakers is Cameron Crampton, chief information officer at Ambulance Victoria, who will share his experience about how it is using enterprise data to change the way an organisation operates as it focuses on delivering better patient outcomes.

In October 2012, The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced new spectrum provisions that will enable the deployment of mobile broadband communications networks for public safety. This, combined with current work on the implementation of the ACMA’s review of the 400 MHz band, will help meet the needs of public safety communications now and well into the future.

During the 2012 APCO Australasia Conference, Dr Andrew Kerans, executive manager, Spectrum Infrastructure Branch at ACMA, described a “multiband, networked approach to public safety communications”. The premise was that the most flexible, scalable way to meet the highly variant needs of public safety agencies was through an integrated system of systems, each operating on their own frequency bands and using a range of the latest technology standards.

Dr Kerans will expand on this theme in a presentation given at the upcoming 2013 APCO Australasia Conference. He will describe how recent ACMA initiatives and spectrum provisions for public safety can be best used for optimal capacity, flexibility, scalability, and ultimately, capability and situational awareness.

Motorola Solutions, Telstra, Airwave Solutions Australia, Crown Castle, Whispir, Nuance Communications and Codan are among a range of leading communications and technology vendors that will showcase the latest solutions for the public safety sector and will answer customer questions face to face.

“One of the key things for the conference is about the industry coming together and working with the emergency management people and I think that interaction between both is really important and we’ve had a number of sessions where that’s proved huge value,” said Craig Lapsley, Fire Services Commissioner, Victoria.

For the first time an exhibitor stage will be featured, which allows delegates and expo visitors a quick and easy introduction to an array of products.

For further details, please visit the APCO Australasia website.