Uni of Melbourne and NPSTC sign MOU

The US National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) and the University of Melbourne, through its Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety (CDMPS), signed a memorandum of understanding at NPSTC’s Governing Board meeting held on 20 March 2015, at the International Wireless Communications Expo.

The agreement covers support for the development of the attributes and requirements of wireless technologies for public safety communications.

“We’re very happy to have an MOU between NPSTC and the University of Melbourne,” said NPSTC Chair Ralph Haller. “There is much information going in both directions that will improve public safety in the United States and worldwide.”

CDMPS Senior Advisor Geoff Spring said that the agreement will allow the exchange of information and the sharing of research outcomes with NPSTC related to mission-critical communications and, more broadly, disaster management and public safety.

The CDMPS is a research centre established by the University of Melbourne, focused on conducting multidisciplinary research and training on disaster management and public safety both nationally and internationally. The university is one of the world’s leading universities and one of the largest research organisations in Australia.

CDMPS research focuses on themes associated with preparing for, responding to, recovering from and mitigating against incidents across the all-hazards spectrum of disaster and emergency and management.

In recognition of the importance of mission-critical public safety communications to disaster and emergency management, the CDMPS has established a specific Research Agenda Item titled ‘Mission Critical Communications’, to focus and align both applied and long-term research together with the development of academic qualifications and expertise relating to this subject.

NPSTC, formed in 1997, is a federation of organisations representing public safety telecommunications whose mission is to improve public safety communications and interoperability through collaborative leadership. NPSTC develops and makes recommendations to appropriate governmental bodies regarding public safety communications issues and policies that promote greater interoperability and cooperation between local, state and federal agencies.

In addition, NPSTC develops requirements for public safety broadband and supports the use of those requirements by FirstNet, and 3GPP for international standards development.