[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 157 (Monday, August 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41451-41452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-19649]


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 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Science and Technology Directorate


Notice of Video Quality in Public Safety Conference

AGENCY: Science and Technology Directorate, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of open conference.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office for 
Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC), in partnership with the 
Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) program within the U.S 
Department of Commerce, will host the second Video Quality in Public 
Safety (VQiPS) conference in September 2009. The conference will 
provide stakeholders with the opportunity to discuss their successes 
and the challenges related to video quality and interoperability. 
Information will be presented by field experts regarding video 
technology, standards development, and video system integration. The 
conference will also review the work of the VQiPS Working Group, which 
is comprised of volunteers from each public safety discipline--local, 
state, and Federal law, fire, and emergency medical services 
practitioners; Federal partners; representatives from academia and non-
profit entities; and manufacturers. The Working Group coordinates 
efforts among organizations and agencies that are developing video 
standards for their own use.

DATES: The conference will take place Tuesday, September 1, 2009, 
through Thursday, September 3, 2009.

ADDRESSES: The conference will be held at the Institute for 
Telecommunication Sciences laboratories at 325 Broadway, Boulder, 
Colorado. Additional conference details can be found at http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/psvq/vqips/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cuong Luu, U.S. Department of Homeland 
Security, Science and Technology Directorate, Office for 
Interoperability and Compatibility. E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For emergency responders using incident 
video services, a clear picture can mean the difference between life 
and death. Video applications are quickly emerging as an essential 
component in seamless communications among emergency responders. In the 
past, public safety has looked to manufacturers to inform them of their 
video equipment needs, but as video technology has evolved, the array 
of options for public safety practitioners has grown and the 
interoperability challenges have become increasingly complex. Thus, the 
need has emerged for public safety to collectively articulate their 
video quality needs to the manufacturing community.
    In 2008, OIC within DHS and the U.S. Department of Commerce's PSCR 
program formed the VQiPS Working Group, which is composed of volunteers 
from each public safety discipline. Participants include local, state, 
and Federal law, fire, and emergency medical services practitioners; 
Federal partners; representatives from academia and non-profit 
entities; and manufacturers. Together, Working Group members coordinate 
efforts among organizations and agencies that are developing video 
standards for their own use.
    Although each public safety discipline's video content may seem 
very different on the surface, many common elements exist that imply 
similar video quality specifications. The Working Group is therefore 
developing a set of application-independent use cases and a user guide 
to help public safety agencies determine their particular use cases. 
The Working Group effort will help practitioners implement effective 
video systems for their specific needs. Future outputs of the Working 
Group will include a glossary of shared terminology related to video 
quality, video equipment, and specifications to aid public safety 
agencies in becoming more effective.
    As public safety agencies migrate to more powerful broadband 
systems, the use of video will undoubtedly increase. In preparation, 
OIC is bridging the gap between diverse agencies and preventing 
duplicative or competing efforts to define and deploy video systems. 
OIC is also acting as an objective technical resource to ensure future 
video technologies reflect the needs of the entire public safety 
community.
    More information about VQiPS is available at http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SAFECOM/currentprojects/videoquality/videoquality.htm.


[[Page 41452]]


    Dated: July 29, 2009.
Cuong Luu,
VQiPS Program Manager.
[FR Doc. E9-19649 Filed 8-14-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-9F-P