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Public safety

Public safety communications research

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PSCR Staff Spotlight: "Viewing the Invisible" with Alison Kahn

February 3, 2020

Alison Kahn is an Electronics Engineer with NIST's Public Safety Communications Research Division (PSCR) in Boulder, CO. In a predominantly male-dominated field...

This image shows the switches on MCV test equipment.

PSCR Awards Over $6M for R&D Supporting Mission Critical Voice Test Equipment

January 30, 2020

NIST's Public Safety Communications Research division (PSCR) awarded three applicants the Public Safety Innovation Accelerator Program: Mission Critical Voice...

Shows the Michigan Tech data ferry, printed text reads "Wildfire DLN Michigan Tech Research Institute"

Wildland Data Logistics Network: Always there with delay

January 21, 2020

Since 2000, an average of 72,000 wildfires per year have cleared seven million acres of land in the United States. 2015 was the largest wildfire year in...

NIST Publishes 2018 Department of Commerce Laboratories Technology Transfer Report

December 31, 2019

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued the U.S. Department of Commerce’s (DOC) 2018 Annual Report on Technology Transfer. The...

What to Catch at the PSCR Booth During CES 2020

December 30, 2019

In January, NIST's Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division will exhibit at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) for the fourth time. Division staff...

The Spectronn SiFi Router

December 12, 2019

Resilient communications and computing are key metrics for public safety applications and services. If the transmission of mission-critical data relies solely...

Researchers Explore Using SIM Cards for Secure Public Safety Data Transmission

November 13, 2019

In April 2019, NIST's Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) division - in partnership with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), IBM, and Nok...

A phone mounted on a metal arm shows a thermal image of several people standing in demo area.

Spotlight: PSCR Haptics Challenge

November 12, 2019

Sensing through the smoke — in a dangerous environment with low visibility, firefighters can’t always rely on their eyes alone. That’s where haptic feedback...

This image is a screenshot of the ETA software recognizing pedestrians and vehicles from an officer's dash board camera.

Enhancing Public Safety Video Analytics with Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence

November 6, 2019

In a world full of cameras, video understanding – the ability to accurately interpret what is happening in the footage – is likely to become the next revolution...

PSIAP Award Recipient Deploys Technology at the 2019 Boston Marathon

May 20, 2019

First responders need to respond to incidents, communicate, and perform operations even when networks are out of service due to malicious attacks, natural...

New NIST Funding Opportunity Highlights Gap in Public Safety Device Standards

May 10, 2019

Standards Beget Reliable Devices The mobile phones we use – whether iPhone or Android – become available to us after a series of tests. Technology laboratories...

Baltimore CitiWatch is a collaborator of PSCR and its award recipients.

Leveraging PSCR research and demonstrating the power of collaboration

May 10, 2019

The NIST Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Program has funded R&D grants in several research organizations under its Public Safety Innovation...

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Gatlinburg Welcome Center sign is half-burned, leaving only the Gatlinburg name and a white arrow. Debris lies on the ground in front of the sign.

Official NIST Survey to Support Data Collection on Chimney Tops 2 Fire, Improve Emergency Communications

March 29, 2019

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking help from residents of Sevier County...

PSCR Engages with Industry at CES2019

February 11, 2019

By PSCR Staff In January 2019, a small group of PSCR staff, students, and affiliates journeyed to Las Vegas, Nevada for four days of exhibition at the...

Calling all first responders: NIST needs your feedback!

December 7, 2018

NIST recently launched a nationwide survey on public safety communication technology and needs input from first responders. If you’re a first...

New Wireless Networks Division Publication!

November 16, 2018

New documentprovides both an overview and technical details of test scenarios for checking the protocol implementation of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project...

Hand drawing a digital and abstract roadmap with various indicator points

PSCR Awards Over $750K for PSIAP Point Cloud City

October 1, 2018

PSCR awarded three applicants to the Public Safety Innovation Accelerator Program Point Cloud City funding opportunity totaling over $750,000. The City of...

This is Not a Game: NIST Virtual Reality Aims to Win for Public Safety

May 4, 2018

Virtual reality produces entertaining video games. But it’s also a serious training and testing tool. Pilots test their skill with flight simulators, and the...

Man and woman with faces scrubbed out against an abstract backdrop.

Help Keep Big Data Safe by Entering NIST’s ‘Unlinkable Data Challenge’

May 1, 2018

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is requesting the public’s help in making the personal information in large databases safe for...

Clear Talk for First Responders

October 25, 2017

For first responders, such as firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians, a successful outcome to a mission—and perhaps the difference...

Image of a research platform that can report oceanographic and atmospheric data via satellite.

NIST Publishes 2016 Department of Commerce Laboratories Technology Transfer Report

September 11, 2017

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published the U.S. Commerce Department’s (DOC) 2016 Annual Report on Technology...

NIST Awards $38.5 Million to Accelerate Public Safety Communications Technologies

June 13, 2017

BOULDER, Colo. – The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded $38.5 million to 33 research and development...

NIST and Navy Tests Suggest Telecom Networks Could Back Up GPS Time Signals

September 8, 2016

Precision time signals sent through the Global Positioning System (GPS) synchronize cellphone calls, time-stamp financial transactions, and support safe travel...

NIST engineer Ben Posthuma demonstrates the use of NIST's Rapidly Deployable Public Safety Research Platform

NIST’s Rolling Wireless Net Helps Improve First-Responder Communications

August 10, 2016

First responders often have trouble communicating with each other in emergencies. They may use different types of radios, or they may be working in rural areas...

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