AT&T IoT Civic Hackathon — Part I: The Rodeo
On Friday and Saturday, AT&T and FirstNet, along with sponsors including IBM, hosted an IoT Civic Hackathon in Fishers, Indiana. This hackathon was themed around public safety with plenty of first responders on hand ready to share their experiences with the attendees.
First thing I have to mention is that I’ve been to several other public safety hackathons and have always been amazed at the discussions first responders share. First responders are those who respond to emergencies, and as some say, “run towards what everyone else is running away from.” I always get goosebumps when I then realize why we HAVE to support them 100% because they will be there for us when we call for help, and start to think about solutions to the situations they describe.
However, this public safety hackathon was different from the get go, and the organizers did an outstanding job at making this unforgettable!
On Friday, the hackathon featured an “Emergency response vehicles and equipment Rodeo.” Here are some photos of the various vehicles that were on display to touch, explore, and ask questions about.
I recorded a Periscope as I walked around exploring the rodeo.
This display was truly an awesome experience to have. It was likely a feat in itself to get all this equipment here, without an actual emergency or disaster! And to be able to walk up to any of these teams and start asking questions about the pain points they face everyday and, well, just thanking them for being there in the case (hopefully never) we need help was truly inspiring.
I learned that communication is a difficult challenge during emergencies. Hospitals and emergency personnel sometimes have different equipment and depend on networks, such as the cellular LTE network, in order to work together. We have seen several incidents where cellular networks have become unavailable during an emergency, or where communication just simply can’t handle the demand all at once.
This is where the FirstNet network, powered by AT&T, as well as satellite connectivity can provide first responders with priority service to communicate with each other.
Our four-legged friends help search and rescue teams locate people, and now drones are becoming a common tool to provide aerial views of the situation in a scalable way.
Perhaps my favorite piece of equipment was flown in for the event, literally. A helicopter from St.Vincent Hospital landed on a grassy field adjacent to the IoT lab. This is probably the last place you want to end up sitting in, but attendees got an up close look at the equipment they use. The first responders also shared the communication process they have with hospitals.
This rodeo was certainly one that was for the records book. Stay tuned for the second part of this blog where I share the kickoff event.
