Coordinating body

The development and operation of a uniform digital radio network for all authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS) represents the largest and most extensive technological project to date, not only nationwide, but also in the history of the BOS in North Rhine-Westphalia.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, this task has been assigned to Department 4 (Police) in the NRW Ministry of the Interior. It is carried out by the Coordinating Office (KS) in Department 402 (fundamental issues of information and communication technology, digital skills in the police sector).

The task of the KS is to strategically manage the extensive planning and introduction process of digital radio for all BOS, but also to introduce digital radio within the police. In order to act economically and efficiently, established project management procedures are applied, such as project and cost controlling as well as risk and quality management.

Tasks

To fulfil the task of setting up the network for all BOS, ongoing coordination is required both with the Federal Agency for Digital Radio of Public Safety Authorities and Organizations (BDBOS) based in Berlin and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI) as well as with the representatives of the other federal states. On the one hand, it is important to synchronize the entire network development, but on the other hand, it is also important to bundle the interests of all BOS in NRW and to protect them in a nationwide context. The operational implementation of the tasks took place in several sub-projects.

For example, the training of police and justice users was carried out centrally by the State Office for Police Training, Further Training and Personnel Affairs (LAFP NRW) using a multiplier concept. The tactical concerns of the police are handled by specialists at the LZPD NRW with the involvement of the various user groups. In addition, the interests of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the judiciary, which also participate in digital radio as BOS in NRW, are bundled within the project management.

The tasks relating to the introduction of digital radio in the area of non-police emergency response (fire departments, rescue services, aid organizations) are carried out by the Digital Radio for Non-Police Emergency Response (ARDINI) working group. This project group is located within Department 3 (Emergency Response, Surveying) of the Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia.

In NRW, the State Office for Training, Further Training and Personnel Affairs offers training and further training measures for digital radio for the police sector and the NRW Fire Service Institute for the non-police sector.

The State Office for Central Police Services (LZPD NRW) has been commissioned with the operational tasks of setting up and operating digital radio for all BOS in NRW and with the introduction of digital radio within the police. The tasks are carried out there by Department 5 (Authorized Agency NRW and Communication).

This department has, for example, coordinated the installation of over 450 base stations and is centrally responsible for the operation of the network in NRW. In addition, the entire budget and cost management is processed here, corresponding technical concepts are created and implemented, and the necessary technical and operational coordination with the BDBOS is carried out.

The upgrading of the base station locations and the installation of the system technology were essentially completed by the end of 2012. In 2013, all base stations were connected to the nationwide network. From 2012, trial operations of all BOS were gradually carried out in the ten sub-network sections in NRW. These experiences resulted in subsequent improvement measures and then formed a further focus. Official live operation was declared at the end of 2014, meaning that the BOS now have a highly available and tap-proof digital radio network for their daily work.

The tasks of the Authorized Body are diverse and will be carried out by more than 100 employees. Focal points and special tasks are outlined below.

Tasks and areas of work

Technology

Tasks in the field of technology are for example:

• Converting police vehicles to digital radio,
• Planning for equipping the vehicle fleet of the North Rhine-Westphalian police and the riot police in North Rhine-Westphalia with digital radio via an award procedure,
• Development of a logistics concept for vehicle migration,
• Conducting the procurement process,
• Recording, programming, network-side administration and distribution of terminals,
• Supporting the introduction and migration phase.

Location-related services

Tasks in the area of location-based services are, for example:

• Radio planning and site selection for base stations and their upgrading,
• Monitoring the safety requirements,
• Monitoring the quality of radio coverage,
• Involvement in site acceptance,
• Supporting the concrete call-off of the system technology,
• Networking the base stations and control centers,
• Conversion of police stations to digital radio,
• Determining the need for terminals,
• Installation of stationary radios

Modernization and standardization of police control centers in North Rhine-Westphalia (MVL)

With the introduction of digital radio, the entire technology of the police control centers in North Rhine-Westphalia will be standardized and adapted to the increased communication requirements.

Tasks for the modernization and standardization of the control centers are, for example:

• Conception of the technology architecture,
• Directions for the development of new communication and switching technology for nationwide use,
• Centralization of the emergency call query and the analogue and digital radio connection and documentation technology,

Realization of permanently available service and support options,

• Unification and optimization of the user interfaces,
• Consideration of the requirements of digital radio for connecting control centers during system development

Operation

The work in the company is varied:

• Operation of the Control Center for BOS digital radio (CCD),
• End device management,
• Network development and adaptation,
• Preparation of operational situations,
• Central point of contact for receiving and processing inquiries and faults and initiating appropriate measures to rectify them for the district police authorities and for the tactical-technical operating centers (TTB) of general emergency response (control centers),
• Monitoring the digital radio network and the associated line connections.
• Developing a concept for connecting the non-police control centers to the digital radio network,
• Continuation of the profitability analysis,
• Development and implementation of a concept for future operation

Further information can be found on the website of the Landesamt für zentrale Polizeiliche Dienste Nordrhein-Westfalen.

With the upcoming network modernization and new technologies, additional challenges need to be overcome. The requirements for mission-critical communication must be constantly reassessed and adapted.

ARDINI bundles the interests of the municipal authorities responsible for general emergency response and the aid organizations in the introduction of digital radio in North Rhine-Westphalia.

ARDINI has been representing the interests of non-police emergency services in the introduction of digital radio in North Rhine-Westphalia since 2006. In order to take into account the interests of all non-police authorities and organizations with security tasks (BOS), the composition of the working group is diverse. ARDINI is made up of representatives from Department 3 (Emergency Response and Surveying) of the Ministry of the Interior and the district governments of North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as representatives from the local authority associations, aid organizations, fire department associations and the North Rhine-Westphalia Fire Service Institute (IdF NRW).

The aim of this joint working group is to jointly implement the migration from analog radio to digital radio. Although the working methods and areas of responsibility of the individual fire departments and aid organizations are very different, it is important to train the emergency services everywhere, convert vehicles and program digital radios as part of the changeover. Valuable synergy effects can be achieved here through coordinated cooperation.

Since its foundation, ARDINI has developed extensive training materials in the form of presentations and bound training documents, which are now used specifically by all non-police organizations and aid organizations in North Rhine-Westphalia to train end users of digital radio.

In addition, ARDINI was involved in the creation of a joint operating concept for digital radio in North Rhine-Westphalia. The operating concept contains specifications that coordinate the interaction of the various user groups in a joint radio network in order to ensure a high level of efficiency and operational reliability in the long term. Early involvement of those affected in the decision-making process for such a set of rules is particularly important for their subsequent acceptance.

Based on the operating concept, a joint working group of all BOS digital radio users has developed a joint user manual (NHB). The IdF NRW was represented in this for non-police emergency response. The NHB was introduced by decree following its adoption by ARDINI.

As a major nationwide project naturally also requires considerable coordination that extends beyond the borders of North Rhine-Westphalia, members of ARDINI are also involved in nationwide committees to represent the interests of non-police emergency response.

The Institute of the Fire Service (IdF NRW) in Münster is the central training and further education facility for fire department managers in North Rhine-Westphalia. Digital radio has been in use here since 2007. Long before the BOS digital radio network was available in Münsterland, a special base station for digital radio was put into operation there in August 2007. This allowed seminar and training course participants to be introduced to the new technology at an early stage. In mid-2009, the first control center for digital radio was finally put into operation at the fire department institute. Since then, control center dispatchers have been able to train the functionalities of digital radio in a simulation environment. Since 2012, digital radio has been used almost exclusively as a means of communication at the fire department institute for the practical training of group and platoon leaders.

With the introduction of the joint operating concept in April 2012, the Fire Service Institute was assigned the role of competence center for non-police emergency response for digital radio. This results in advisory and conceptual tasks for the Fire Service Institute, which are listed in detail below.

Digital radio competence center

In close consultation with the Coordinating Body, the Competence Center for Digital Radio draws up conceptual recommendations for the municipal authorities and for the aid organizations.

The following tasks are performed by the Digital Radio Competence Center for non-police emergency response:

• Formulating recommendations for action for control center connections,
• Fleet and guard conversions, terminal device management,
• Conducting information events,
• Conception of training measures,
• Network-side implementation of fleet mapping in coordination with the authorized body for digital radio in NRW.

Contact:

Institute of the North Rhine-Westphalia Fire Service
Wolbecker Straße 237
48155 Münster
Phone 0251-3112-0
E-mail digitalfunk [at] idf.nrw.de (digitalfunk[at]idf[dot]nrw[dot]de)

Further information can be found on the website of the Institute of the North Rhine-Westphalia Fire Service.