Intergraph(R) Public Safety and Security Customer, Office of Unified Communications, Washington, D.C., Honored for 9-1-1 Program During Obama Presidential Inauguration

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The E9-1-1 Institute and the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus have recognized the Office of Unified Communications (OUC), Washington, D.C., an Intergraph public safety and security customer, with the esteemed Outstanding 9-1-1 Program for ensuring the safety and security of those who attended the Obama presidential inauguration.  An Intergraph customer since 1999, the OUC used Intergraph public safety and security solutions to successfully manage a record volume of nearly 10,000 calls during the inauguration, the largest in U.S. history, and related events.

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The Outstanding 9-1-1 Program award honors one state or regional 9-1-1 program for excellence in serving the public, including the handling of emergency situations, in addition to the deployment and management of new technology.  The OUC was recognized in this category for the successful implementation of a comprehensive program that supported public safety and security in Washington, D.C. during Inauguration Day.

The Obama presidential inauguration led to an unprecedented surge of calls into the OUC on the day of the inauguration, due to the influx of 1.8 million people to Washington, D.C. to witness the historic event.  The volume of calls to 9-1-1 increased by 50 percent over an average day, with nearly 6,000 calls for assistance. Of these calls, 96 percent were answered within five seconds. The average 3-1-1 call was answered within 30 seconds, meeting the target response rate for information and city services queries.  More than 300 OUC personnel, including call-takers and IT professionals, were on duty to ensure all systems were optimized.  

Designed to maximize the allocation of people, technology and business processes, the Unified Communications Center consolidates public communications functions of the DC Police; Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS); Emergency Management Agency, and Public Services.

The Outstanding 9-1-1 Program award was presented as part of the Seventh Annual Honor Awards, which recognize the achievements and service of exceptional public safety communications professionals and organizations. The awards are sponsored by leading public safety industry associations including: the E9-1-1 Institute; the National Emergency Number Association (NENA); the Association of Public-Safety Communications-Officials (APCO) International; the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA) and the 9-1-1 Industry Alliance (9IA).

"We are truly honored to be recognized with the [Outstanding 9-1-1 Program] award, which emphasizes the entire OUC team's steadfast commitment to the safety and security of those who traveled to Washington, D.C. to witness the inauguration of President Obama," said Janice Quintana, director, Washington, D.C. Office of Unified Communications. "Working together with Intergraph, we were able to ensure that the 1.8 million people who attended the inaugural festivities went home safely."

"Intergraph is proud to support our customers such as the Washington, D.C. OUC which are using Intergraph software to optimize incident management and response," said Reid French, chief operating officer, Intergraph. "The OUC's successful use of Intergraph public safety and security software for the inauguration again demonstrates the scalability of our technology, both geographically over large jurisdictions and to manage critical high incident volumes associated with large gatherings and sporting events."  

One in 12 people in the world is protected by Intergraph public safety and security solutions. Intergraph solutions protect the largest and most complex cities and government sites in the world. Intergraph has extensive experience in providing public safety and security solutions for major events around the world. Intergraph's large-scale security event expertise includes protecting the thousands of attendees at the following events: the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C.; the 30th G8 Summit in Italy in July, 2009; the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy; the 2006 World Cup in Germany; the 2006 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro; and the 2005 and 2009 United States presidential inaugurations, to name a few.  

About the E9-1-1 Institute

The E9-1-1 Institute is a not-for-profit organization, which provides administrative and policy support to the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus. The purpose of the E9-1-1 Institute is to promote public education and awareness of E9-1-1 and emergency communications issues and serve the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus as a clearinghouse of information on E9-1-1 and emergency communications issues. Gregory L. Rohde, former Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, serves as the E9-1-1 Institute's Executive Director. The Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus is co-chaired by: Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Representative John Shimkus (R-IL). Find out more at www.e911institute.org.

About The Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus

The Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus was formed on February 25, 2003 as a joint initiative of its four co-chairs, Senators Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Reps. John Shimkus (R-IL) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) to educate lawmakers, constituents and communities about the importance of citizen-activated emergency response systems.

About Intergraph

Intergraph is the leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data. Businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on Intergraph's industry-specific software to organize vast amounts of data into understandable visual representations and actionable intelligence. Intergraph's software and services empower customers to build and operate more efficient plants and ships, create intelligent maps, and protect critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world.

Intergraph operates through two divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) and Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I).  Intergraph PP&M provides enterprise engineering software for the design, construction and operation of plants, ships and offshore facilities. Intergraph SG&I provides geospatially-powered solutions to the defense and intelligence, public safety and security, government, transportation, photogrammetry, utilities, and communications industries. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.

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