Seattle, Wash. – Today, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International hosted a workshop on Roadmapping Interoperability for Public Safety Apps.  The half-day event brought together public safety professionals, federal agency experts, app developers, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to identify challenges and potential solutions for interoperability.

This is the third workshop held by APCO to address challenges facing public safety apps.  Previous workshops have considered Public Safety Mobile Application Security Requirements and Identifying and Categorizing Data Types for Public Safety Mobile Applications.  During today’s event, representatives from APCO, the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facilitated sessions focused on a variety of issues related to public safety app interoperability, including data interoperability, app security and testing, and legal and policy requirements.

The feedback and ideas generated during the workshop will be used to produce an APCO report that examines obstacles to interoperability, as well as potential solutions.  Additionally, APCO will explore related enhancements to existing resources – www.AppComm.org, the Key Attributes of Effective Apps for Public Safety and Emergency Response, and evaluation programs that can be refined for public safety apps.

APCO President and workshop participant Cheryl J. Greathouse said, “Today we came a step closer to ensuring that public safety users will enjoy the full benefits of interoperability for apps, thanks to the diverse and talented group of individuals who contributed to this important effort.  I want to thank the app developers, industry experts, public safety practitioners, and others who shared their knowledge and experience.  APCO will continue working with DHS, NIST, FirstNet, and other stakeholders to ensure public safety apps are as effective as possible.”