“But when you have an operation like this, you have to be coordinated, you have to know where you’re going. And one of the big issues at the beginning was just communication. Think of it—the State Department couldn’t even talk to the officials in the Haitian government initially.”

Can We Communicate Better Today?

What if a Haiti-like event—or any disruption that knocks out communications and power—happened in your community today? Could your government officials call anyone outside the area to coordinate critical resources?  Could your county emergency managers reach the governor to identify needs and request support? Could the governor and his or her staff email or call FEMA? Would anyone be able to tweet or update the community on Facebook or other social networks? Would they be in the same boat as Haitian officials were a year ago today?

If Haiti’s leaders had portable satellite communications kits with solar power, Washington could have known what they needed within minutes—instead of hours, even days—of the 7.0 quake.

To honor the memory of those lost a year ago and to respect the lives of people everywhere, let’s resolve to be resilient. Let’ accept the fact that communications networks can and do fail—more often than we like to admit. Without adequate communications for sharing situational awareness, people unnecessarily suffer—even die. Let’s commit to having a Plan B so lack of communications is never a question for rapid response when lives are at stake.

TED conferences

“Something interesting is happening in the global story of women … across cultures, generations and many different sectors of life, women and girls are emerging as important architects of change, as innovators offering new approaches to everything from financial systems to food security, and as leaders forging new directions for their communities and countries…

On December 7 and 8, 2010, TEDWomen will gather 500 global thought leaders, innovators and storytellers in Washington, DC, to watch enlightening speakers and connect with a global community of women and men. The cross-disciplinary, cross-generational program will focus on how women think and work, communicate and collaborate, learn and lead. The program will explore what this means and why it matters to all of us….”

Here’s the whole schedule.

Mobile Satcom Trends on Agenda

Inmarsat, a pioneer in mobile satellite communications for over 30 years, is hosting a government conference in Virginia Beach, Va. this July. Topics slated for this two-day conference include:

• Government satellite communications trends
• Introduction to land mobile services
• Future in maritime services and terminals
• Naval case studies
• Using satcom for GIS and situational awareness for remote teams
• Encryption over SwiftBroadband
• SwiftBroadband on helicopters (demo)
• Future Inmarsat developments
• Updates on aeronautical services
• IsatPhone Pro introduction (Inmarsat’s latest global satphone)

Full agenda (subject to change)

OODAkits to be Demonstrated

As an Inmarsat partner, OODAlink was invited to participate and will have OODAkits (integrated with Inmarsat BGAN services) on exhibit during conference breaks. Live product demonstrations will also be conducted outside.

With no fee to attend, the conference is open to end-users and procurement officers from government agencies and the military. For more information, please visit the Inmarsat Government Services Customer Conference website.

OODAlink Invited to Speak on Satcom Technologies

Our Director of Technology, Jeff Jacobson, was invited to speak at one of the event’s workshops, Optimizing Technology: Transport & ICTs, facilitated by Keith Robertory, Disaster Services Technology Manager for the American Red Cross. On Friday, July 23 (10:00 AM), Jeff will explore emerging trends in satellite communications solutions for voice and data connectivity, to which types of scenarios they’re best suited, and factors to consider when evaluating.

“By its very nature, the international development community often works in remote areas with little or no access to mobile phone or broadband services, ” Jeff explains. “And in disaster relief situations, communications infrastructure is often the first to go. We decided to participate in AIDF this year to raise awareness in these sectors about portable satcom solutions that keep people connected anywhere on the globe.”

About AIDF

AIDF, being held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on July 22-23, is currently in its fifth year. However, this is the first event to encompass the development sector as well as humanitarian aid, relief and development. The event is a worthwhile opportunity for the aid, relief and development sector to network, build partnerships and address global humanitarian and development challenges, as well as showcasing goods and services to those responsible for delivery.

As well as featuring suppliers of goods and services in the provision of disaster relief, humanitarian aid and the development of health, education and basic utilities in developing economies, the event will feature a number of workshop sessions addressing key issues such as climate change, combating infectious diseases, global partnerships for development, and logistics and procurement.

For more information, explore the AIDF Event Guide.

Held at the Portland Expo Center and sponsored by the Northwest Fire Equipment Dealers Association, this event will showcase hundreds of the latest products and services to support firefighters on the job.

Stop by our booth (#159) to learn how OODAkits’ data and voice capabilities can be used to support remote search and rescue efforts, wildfire management, and large-scale disasters. Live product demos will be conducted outside by request.

Show hours:
Fri., May 14: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Sat., May 15: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Directions