Work on Enhanced Interoperability Underway

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency have called upon industry to develop a low-cost and secure communications, network management and situational awareness system for the U.S. military, public safety agencies and commercial clients. The solution must enable remote and secure mission-based communications with or without cloud connectivity. The goal is to design a technology with both military and security applications that offers real-time information regardless of the infrastructure and equipment first responders or military members use. Under a two-year agreement, SRI International and Covia Labs will develop the enhanced capabilities for communications devices such as smartphones. In the long term, the companies plan to design a low-cost solution that features the seamless formation of secure teams across different military and public safety agencies.