The Cisco® IP Interoperability and Collaboration System (IPICS) solution streamlines radio dispatch operations and allows organizations to rapidly respond to incidents, emergencies, and facility events. Cisco IPICS dissolves communication barriers between land mobile radio systems and devices including mobile phones, landline phones, IP phones, and PC clients, helping enable interoperable communications among users of all devices, wherever they are located. The flexible and scalable communication interoperability of Cisco IPICS enhances the value of existing and new radio, telephony, and IP communications networks. The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console is a part of Cisco IPICS solution that helps coordinate incident response.
Features and Benefits
The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console is an end-to-end radio dispatching solution designed for mission-critical radio communications. It is the vital link between dispatchers and field personnel, helping to coordinate field response and ensure personnel safety. It is designed and built to take advantage of the newest IP communications technologies, making it easier to dispatch responders and provide them with information that improves their situational awareness. Running on a standard PC platform, it extends existing push-to-talk (PTT) radio channels so that users with a variety of communication devices can participate.
The IPICS Dispatch Console provides control of radio resources through an easy to use on-screen interface (see Figure 1). It allows users to monitor and coordinate emergency response across incompatible radio systems and between multiple agencies, jurisdictions, and departments. An intuitive GUI provides access to all dispatch features, including:
• PTT and monitor up to 50 radio channels and talkgroups
• Select/unselect/deselect channels
• Select and unselect audio speakers
• On-screen volume controls
• Channel patching
• Receive and transmit on-screen indicators for channel activity
• Handset, headset, or desktop microphone operation
• Individual channel mute/All mute
• All talk
• Instant recall recording per channel
• Last call transmit
• Alert tones
• Channel multi-select
• Confirmation tones for trunked systems
• Unit ID/talker ID
• Emergency alert/acknowledge
• Coded/clear channels
• Loop prevention
• Integrated telephone
• Frequency select
Figure 1. Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console
The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console integrates with virtually any analog or digital radio system, enabling dynamic any-to-any PTT communications. It is compatible with almost any dispatch operation that requires radio interoperability including public safety, homeland security, emergency operations centers, defense, and physical security environments.
It also introduces rich media incident management support, giving dispatchers the power to consolidate information relating to an incident and instantly share it among participants. Incident dispatch enables the sharing of multimedia data such as the following:
• Live video sent from surveillance cameras, access control gateways, and mobile clients
• Archived videos such as Flip or YouTube
• Photos
• Alarm monitoring
• Journal and live statuses
• Website links to resources such as FEMA and hazardous material databases, standard operating procedures, and maps
When dispatch consoles reach their end-of-life and parts become difficult to find, it is important to move to a state-of-the-art dispatch console that takes advantage of current technology and is ready for future advances. The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console provides numerous benefits including:
• Comprehensive feature set: The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console supports the features most important to a dispatcher delivered as an IP-based application.
• Mobility: The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console can move with the user's PC anywhere there is an IP network, unlike traditional dispatch consoles that stay where they are installed.
• Radio interoperability and beyond: The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console supports multi-agency talkgroups, talkgroups between disparate radios, and talkgroups that include radios, PCs, phones, cell phones, and IP phones.
• Rich media incident management: The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console goes beyond audio to support rich media incident management and a new generation of mobile endpoints.
• Integrated policy engine: Dispatchers gain a new set of tools that simplify notification and improve response time.
• Smooth evolution path: to P25, Tetra, DoD, and other radio protocols.
The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console comes in two versions, Silver and Platinum. The Silver version provides a simple user interface and supports basic radio and incident dispatch functions. The Platinum version includes patch capabilities, integrated telephone, incident management, and policy management support.
Minimum PC Requirements, Audio Only
Microsoft Windows XP Professional (SP2)
Up to 4 active channels:
• 800 MHz Pentium III, including Mobile Pentium
• 512 MB RAM, 1 GB free space
• Network interface card
Up to 6 active channels:
• 1.5 GHz Pentium IV, including Mobile Pentium
• 512 MB RAM, 1 GB free space
• Network interface card
Up to 50 active channels:
• 3.2 GHz Pentium IV, including Mobile Pentium
• 2 GB RAM 1 GB free space
• Network interface card
Minimum PC Requirements, Audio and Video
Microsoft Windows XP Professional (SP2)
Up to 6 active audio channels and 4 video streams:
The Cisco IPICS server checks the license count for proper software and resource licenses. For example, one dispatch console license is required for each IPICS Dispatch Console client logged into the IPICS server. This means that the Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console can be installed on as many PCs as needed, and the licensing is only based upon the Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console sessions that are in use at any given time.
Ordering Information
The Cisco IPICS Dispatch Console is one component of the broader Cisco IPICS solution. It is available direct from Cisco Advanced Services and through select technology partners. To place an order, visit the Cisco Ordering Homepage or contact your IPICS account manager.
Table 1. Ordering Information
Product Name
Part Number
Cisco Dispatch Console Silver License
CIS-CON4.0-SIL
Cisco Dispatch Console Platinum License
CIS-CON4.0-PLA
Cisco Dispatch Console Silver Upgrade License
CIS-CON4.0-SIL-UG
Service and Support
Using the Cisco Lifecycle Services approach, Cisco and its partners provide a broad portfolio of end-to-end services and support that can help increase your network's business value and return on investment. This approach defines the minimum set of activities needed, by technology and by network complexity, to help you successfully deploy and operate Cisco technologies and optimize their performance throughout the lifecycle of your network.
For More Information
For more information about Cisco IPICS, contact your local account representative or visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/ipics
