AWARDS & RECOGNITION
2010 Awards: Information Communications Technology (ICT) Innovations
RECIPIENT:
Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania StarNET
In the mid-1990s, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania faced the prospect of replacing an aging analog radio system used by the Pennsylvania State Police for statewide dispatch and patrol. Other agencies also used a variety of separately purchased, deployed, operated, and maintained analog radio systems, using different technologies with limited ability to interconnect.
After much study, the commonwealth made the following key decisions:
- Rather than replace existing systems one-by-one and allow them to remain under agency control, the commonwealth would deploy a single system with transmitters and receivers statewide, connected and managed centrally through a microwave network.
- The new system would support both voice and data communications, freely intermingled, using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology.
- VoIP is the digital transmission of voice communications through a data network based on Internet Protocol (IP).
- VoIP and IP routing technologies allow voice and data communications to share networks and thus increase spectral efficiency and reliability.
- VoIP technologies encode and route digitized voice and data traffic over the commonwealth’s IP networks – both wireless and private wide area networks.
- The design, development, operation and support of the new system would be the responsibility of a single office dedicated to that purpose, charged with delivering wireless voice and data services to benefit all commonwealth agencies.
The commonwealth selected an innovative, leading-edge digital technology. It was enormously promising in range and flexibility of services, features, and functions—but untested and unproven. In September 2003, the Pennsylvania statewide radio system, PA-STARNet, became operational. In reality, the commonwealth and the vendor developed the next generation of public safety communications software that is now the OpenSky network.
The state has moved PA-STARNet ahead significantly with initiatives aimed at enhancing interoperable communications, including system coordination, engineering coordination and connecting all 911 centers to the PA-STARNet.
Brenda Orth, Chief Information Officer, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
FINALISTS:
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Colorado
Ahead of Its Time: The Colorado Statewide Digital Trunked Radio System
New York
511NY
Virginia
Virginia Interoperability Picture for Emergency Response (VIPER)
OTHER NOMINATIONS:
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California
CalConnect
Massachusetts
MassDOT Developers
Initiative
Michigan
Michigan’s New Economy Partnerships: Leveraging ICT Innovation for Economic Growth & Diversification
Oklahoma
Step UP Performance Management System
