The City of Tampere and Insta, a company specializing in intelligent technology solutions, have signed a contract on the use of the Insta Blue Aware™ situational awareness and command & control system. The unique situational awareness system is comprehensively utilized in Tampere for the purpose of improving the safety of everyday life and large-scale events in the rapidly growing city. The future-proof solution is being used once again in the Ice Hockey World Championship that starts on May 12.
– A situational picture shared by different parties enables quick decision-making and facilitates communication when safety and security are being ensured in seamless collaboration between the city, authorities, and event security operators. In addition, the Emergency Medical Services use the system in their operations, explains Development Manager Anniina Autero from the City of Tampere.
At the initial stage, Insta provides the City of Tampere with the Insta Blue Aware™ (IBA) situational awareness and command & control system, user licenses and commissioning support as an SaaS solution (Software-as-a-Service) until the end of 2023. Once the utilization of the system becomes established, the application of the solution can be extended beyond event security.
Quick situational leadership and secure communication
Insta Blue Aware™ is a secure solution for establishing a better situational picture for situational leadership at command centers and in the field. The system combines information from various data sources in order to create a shared, consistent and map-based situational picture.
– One significant benefit of Insta Blue Aware™ is that it can be used internally by an organization as well as a shared platform between several different actors and partners. Even if an operation involved authorities and civilian partners who use everyday mobile devices, they all can be integrated into the common situational awareness system if needed, explains Insta’s Senior Manager Sari Mäenpää.
In addition to the situational picture, the IBA provides tools for mission control and secure communication. Insta Blue Aware™ can utilize video material from various sources, including drones, urban surveillance cameras, and mobile phones, and securely send it to command centers and the mobile devices of field personnel.
The situational awareness system and its various connected sensors allow for information and imagery to quickly reach all users. This enables quick observations and decision-making. However, the permissions for sharing the situational picture data are subject to a carefully defined process.
– Allowing the security authorities to focus on the essential task of leadership makes their work easier. They decide who to send, where to send them, and why. The actors and partners in the field receive real-time information and can utilize it immediately in their own activities.
The future-proof solution is once again used during the Ice Hockey World Championship in Tampere
Anniina Autero has visited various international locations and says that security collaboration and a shared situational awareness system, which is continuously developed, form a future-proof solution. The system is already providing true benefits, and they will only grow in the coming years as it will be applied more extensively.
– We are at the very forefront in Europe as well as internationally. We have the data, competence, and an excellent platform that enables situational forecasting, analysis, and leadership. The Insta Blue Aware™ system will be utilized during the Ice Hockey World Championship which is once again co-hosted by Tampere. The different security operators interact closely together. The simulations have been created earlier, the instruments utilizing security technology are in place, and we will take good care of the residents and the people visiting Tampere for the World Championship, Ms. Autero says.
Juha-Matti Mäkitalo, Preparedness and Security Manager of the City of Tampere, is pleased with how the system boosts collaboration.
– The individual safety, security, and preparedness efforts of each security operator participating in the World Championship are important in terms of urban security, but extensive collaboration enables delivering the highest impact. IBA provides an excellent platform for this need, and it provides genuine added value for shared situational awareness and understanding.
Intelligent technology provides lots of new opportunities
According to Sari Mäenpää from Insta, in the future, humans will work more strongly together with technology and, ideally, intelligent solutions will be utilized in an intelligent way. She also mentions the anticipation of the future, which is supported by high technology.
– As video analytics and machine learning are applied more frequently, the solutions no longer just observe areas in real time. Instead, the role of anticipation and guidance is growing. This enables shorter response times, better anticipation, and getting help faster.
In addition to the Ice Hockey World Championship, Insta’s situational awareness and command & control system has been successfully applied by the Voluntary Rescue Service (Vapepa) as well as by security operators and security personnel of large public events, such as Ruisrock music festival and Särkänniemi theme park.
Another situation putting the system to good use was a local defence exercise in March, where local forces from the Pirkanmaa region trained alongside the region’s authorities and companies, preparing for disturbances during normal conditions as well as incidents.
Insta Blue Aware™ enables• Shared situational awareness• Task management and coordination• Effective and secure team communication• Proactive incident management• Improved safety and security
