Complex emergency management is fundamentally a lesson in organized chaos where accountability is a core foundational element of shared situational awareness. Knowing where to find what you need can be as chaotic given that response assets — the vehicles, equipment, autonomous platforms — are rarely in one place and scattered throughout an area of operation. Asset inventory coupled with resources and capability on a “single pane of glass” is crucial for effective emergency response. Of equal importance, alongside of location, is asset readiness and the “health” of the asset. Assets must be deployable when needed – hence the equipment should be in good working order. Capturing and autonomously monitoring real-time diagnostic data from in-vehicle or on-asset computers is key so that managers can proactively deal with maintenance and repairs while understanding and planning based on human, system, and asset readiness. Whatever the scale of the incident or disaster, the same principles apply. Real-time location data, and the readiness of assets, is crucial for fire, police, emergency services, and even commercial enterprises that must ensure continuity of operations.

Blueforce is pleased to announce our new Sierra Wireless Plugin for BlueforceEDGE with full support for location services, but also real-time status of health of the asset. Blueforce doesn’t replace fleet maintenance systems, but augments them by leveraging fleet and asset location for real-time discovery, readiness, and tracking. When used with on-board diagnostics (OBD2) sensors, our new plugin allows agencies and companies to add “health” to a Blueforce “single pane of glass” dashboard, with assets appearing alongside of people, sensors, and unattended services. Core data, shared in real-time and available to our swarm intelligence algorithms include location (latitude, longitude, and MGRS), but can also include the following when used with OBD2 devices:

• Temperature: the internal ambient temperature in the device.
• UpTime: the amount of time that the device has been booted up.
• LinkX-IPAddress: the IP address of the link.
• LinkX-Up: if the current active link is connected.
• LinkX-WANClassification: information about the current active WAN link, such as cellular carrier, IMSI, IMEI, ICCID (SIM ID).
• LinkX-WANSignalStrength: signal strength as calculated by the configuration in the cellular wan link; by default a rolling average of the last 10 samples. The number of samples used and the threshold required for the device to report a new value are configurable in the WAN link configuration.
• Battery: vehicle battery voltage as reported by the OBD-II connection.
• EngineCoolantTemperature: temperature of the coolant system as reported by the ECU sensor.
• EngineRPM: current engine RPM as reported by the ECU sensor.
• FuelLevelInput: shown as a percentage of the tank.
• MilOn: check engine light status (Malfunction Indicator Lamp).
• Odometer: shows odometer reading of the vehicle. Note: This parameter is dependent on the Distance since codes cleared (DSCC) PID. If “DSCC” is not available on the vehicle, then this parameter will not be reported.
• VehicleSpeed: the last recorded velocity of the vehicle. Measured in kilometers per hour.
• VIN: vehicle Identification Number. Unique 17 digit serial number assigned to the vehicle by the manufacturer.

The Sierra Wireless Plugin for BlueforceEDGE is available now for BETA testing with first customer ship coming in May 2022. Blueforce Swarm Intelligence Services that mash Sierra Wireless asset data into fused decision data is coming soon. For more information, send a note to info@blueforcedev.com or fill out our “Contact Me” form on our website.