IMOPOL+

In order to illustrate the requirements of the essential end users, relevant application areas were deduced from the tasks of the police. Those were extracted from Austrian laws on police, criminal trial and street safety. In context of IMOPOL+, the avoidance of hazards, the protection of legal assets, the inspection and the control of traffic flow, as well as coordination and support of operative forces are of interest. In these areas of application iMobility increases the efficiency of police operation and supports the protection of critical infrastructure, including the police car itself. In addition, iMobility broadly supports the safety of police forces, the safety of civil road users and the clarification of liability issues. Due to the current legal situation in Austria, some open legal questions were identified, which will become relevant with future challenges for inspection and forensics in connected cars.

Improved Communication for Higher Efficiency

A central chance to improve the efficiency of police forces is accelerating communication between actors in a police operation while improving the quality. The central actors are police forces and their cars. Currently communication is primarily between them and the control center as well as other emergency personnel. Employing iMobility enables on one hand side easier and faster communication through direct data request, and on the other hand side new communication channels. In the future information on accidents is provided by the involved vehicles directly (i.e. by the eCall system), data from cars and drivers can be gathered automatically and other road users provide additional information in an automatized way. Besides, control centers get new options for coordination of police car fleet units, as well as units from other organizations like ambulance or fire fighters. Furthermore, automatized and standardized protocols for data collection and transmission provide an improved inquiry in case of emergencies.

Novel Deployment Scenarios for Police Forces

Throughout the ongoing research in the IMOPOL+ project, potentials and chances of iMobility were intensively discussed in workshops with the essential end users. Therefore, current workflows in routine operation and exceptional emergencies were analyzed and connected to technology to become relevant in the future, leading to the creation of novel iMobility deployment scenarios in a police context. These scenarios elucidate on one hand side the resulting increase in efficiency through technology employment and on the other hand side the need to prepare for wide spread application of iMobility in civil road traffic. The mapping of hardware and software which is currently under development or already in use enables a deeper understanding of future challenges and chances. In succession, an optimum exploration of required measures for preparation and deployment by the essential end users is granted through this understanding.

Detailed Analysis and Prioritization of Solutions

In the next months, the gathered novel deployment scenarios will be discussed in detail and evaluated together with the essential end users. A panel of experts from police forces and the research partners will consider relevance for tactical employment as well as current legal challenges, aiming to transfer them into a suggestion for a package of measures. Through in-depth analysis and preparation of relevant hardware and software the essential end users will be enabled to do a prioritization. This will allow the development of a precise roadmap for introduction and future handling of iMobility in the police context. By doing so, essential end users are enabled to take informed short and long term decisions to employ the generated knowledge of IMOPOL+ into their operative work.