There is a danger
that proprietary
solutions will lock users
into one manufacturer
Airbus is also working to integrate
more information from sensors and
wearables into its Tactilon Suite of
solutions for public safety. Bruno
Milard, product management director,
explains: “New sensors and devices
will be evaluated and combined into
the total solution as they mature to
the point that they meet the needs
of users. Airbus has its SmarTWISP
development environment and invites
developers to work on applications
which will make the best use of new
sensor technology to improve decisions
and enhance ocer safety.”
Smartwatches are being closely
looked at with extensions of the
Tactilon Agnet application being
ported across. Flexible displays are
also oering possibilities for wearable
solutions – Airbus is looking at displays
integrated into an ocer’s clothing,
including on the sleeve.
Worries about security
In the USA, NIST has identied a
number of threat situations specic
to wearable devices that must be
addressed if they are to meet public
safety security and availability
thresholds. Sensitive information could
be intercepted from a wearable device
as these have less secure operating
systems than dedicated public safety
units – Bluetooth or other wireless
connections need to be hardened
against attack.
A malicious person could spoof the
device to send false information, and
cause battery drain, overheating or
even explosion; integrity protection
and/or digital signatures may be
needed to prevent such attacks.
Meanwhile, malware in the backo
ce infrastructure could prevent the
device from operating correctly. e
manufacturers and operators need
to eliminate such weaknesses with
malware detection systems.
Denial of service or jamming
could include attacks on short-range
communications such as Bluetooth or
the connection of the ocer back to
control or colleagues, so selection of
jamming-resistant protocols needs to
be considered.
Given both the above, as well as
commercial factors, there needs to
be a drive towards open platforms
when it comes to the integration of
information from wearables into public
safety command and control systems.
ere is a danger that proprietary
solutions will lock users into one
manufacturer. is threat exists with
smartwatches, and potentially with
smart glasses – where a number of
operating platforms exist.
Processors will get smaller and more
powerful, LTE and 5G receivers will
t into even smaller packages, and the
application community will continue
to grow. We can expect smartwatches
to get smarter still and open platforms
to attract suitable public safety
applications. Smart glasses could be of
signicant benet to selected ocers,
and the partnerships between the
manufacturers and software platform
developers are noted. In this fastmoving
area, imagination is becoming
the most valuable commodity.
At BAPCO BiTEA will beshowcasing
TETRA and LTE Survey Tools
and Services
Come and take a look
Stand: F52
Call us or visit our website for details of our full range of TETRA and LTE products:
• Rugged portable control room equipment / gateways
• Radio audio recorder systems
• Radio audio streamer systems
• Local and remote radio programming hardware
• Covert radio talk group folder changers
• RF combiners and splitters
Website: www.bitea.com Tel: +44 (0) 1621 855544 Email: sales@bitea.com
32 www.criticalcomms.com March 2019
/www.bitea.com
/www.criticalcomms.com
link