DENVER, June 14, 2006 – Seismology experts agree that Vancouver is long overdue for a major earthquake, which could trigger a communications nightmare for rescue operations similar to what happened in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  Help came from all over, but many first responders could not communicate with each other because their radio systems were not compatible. 

Ways to overcome this type of communications calamity in public safety applications will be addressed at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, June 20-22, during the general meeting of the Software Defined Radio Forum (SDR), an international industry association supporting the development and deployment of SDR ("smart" radio) technology, which enables flexible, adaptable architectures in advanced wireless systems. 

"The last major quake in the Vancouver area was believed to have occurred around 1700 and caused tsunamis in Japan," says Marshall Lew, an internationally renowned earthquake authority and vice president of the environmental engineering firm MACTEC, Inc.  "A large quake off the coast here could be as much as a magnitude-9 event, which would especially hit hard the ports and the low areas near the rivers."

Man-made catastrophes, such as an attack on the Port of Vancouver, would also pose enormous communications challenges for search-and-rescue operations – a threat brought close to home to Canadians after the recent arrest of 17 terror suspects in Toronto.  A report released last week by the July 7 Review Committee of the London Assembly – examining last summer's terrorist bombings in London that killed 56 people – sharply criticized the various emergency services for not having compatible radio systems.  Many other cities also have inadequate legacy communications systems, which force police, fire and emergency medical personnel to radio their own dispatcher, who then must reach the other services' dispatchers over land lines.  This not only wastes valuable time during an emergency situation, it is also vulnerable to telephone lines being inoperable due to the disaster.  Fortunately, SDR technology can adjust itself over the air, independent of land lines, so all first responders can be interconnected. 

Public-safety radios today incorporate SDR technology that supports multiple protocols for significantly improved interoperability.  On the horizon is SDR support of multi-band radios that include software to control operating parameters such as frequency and modulation.  This would allow, for example, a responder to configure a single radio to operate on Vancouver's 800-MHz radio system or on the Burnaby Fire Department's VHF system, based on the location of the incident.

 "Software defined radio is an increasingly important technology for robust communication systems, and its value is most apparent in situations where lives are at stake," says Caroline Lewko, chair of the Wireless Innovation Network of British Columbia (WINBC), as well as CEO of the Wireless Industry Partnership.  "We have a number of member companies actively working with SDR, doing their part in keeping Vancouver at the leading edge of communications technologies."

 One of those WINBC member companies is Burnaby-based Spectrum Signal Processing, whose CTO, Lee Pucker, is also on the SDR Forum's board.  "Most land mobile radios used for public safety today incorporate SDR technology to support multiple protocols and interoperable communications," he says.  "There are also SDR offerings on the horizon with cognitive capabilities, allowing them to temporarily allocate unused spectrums in a disaster to keep communication lines open." 

 The SDR Forum recently released a new report, "Software Defined Radio Technology for Public Safety," which probes potential benefits of SDR as well as critical issues that need to be addressed.  The report can be downloaded from the Forum website (www.sdrforum.org/appr_docs.html, Document 2006-A0001)

 The SDR Forum general meeting is open to anyone interested in SDR and cognitive radio technologies, including non-Forum members.  Additional details and registration information are available on the Web at www.sdrforum.org/MTGS/next_meeting.html or by calling 303-628-5461.

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About the SDR Forum
The SDR Forum, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, is an international industry association dedicated to supporting the development and deployment of software defined radio systems that enable flexible and adaptable architectures in advanced wireless systems.  Presently numbering more than 125 organizations, the SDR Forum's membership spans commercial, defense and civil government organizations, including wireless service providers, network operators, component and equipment manufacturers, hardware and software developers, regulatory agencies, and academia from Asia, Europe and North America.  The SDR Forum's administrative office is headquartered in Denver.  The SDR Forum website is www.sdrforum.org