BT will build a National Resilience Extranet (NRE) for the UK government, to help the fire, rescue and other resilience services to share information and communicate with each other during emergencies.
The NRE is expected to cover more than 1,000 organisations, including Category 1 & 2 Responders, government departments and agencies and other key organisations. The service, which is expected to go live in 2009, will be available on a subscription basis.
A browser-based collaborative working tool, the NRE will enable the parties to share information during routine planning as well as during emergencies in a secure environment. The service will also provide optional Emergency Information Management (EIM) and GIS capabilities.
John Stokoe, director of BT Global defence & security, said: “We are ideally placed to deliver this capability as we understand the obligations and responsibilities associated with emergency planning. BT is a Category 2 Responder and heads the telecommunications emergency response command chain.”
BT will develop the NRE in association with Ultra Electronics Datel. Ultra provides managed support services to multi-agency planning during emergencies.
BT and Ultra were awarded the NRE contract by the UK Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat, and Communities and Local Government, following the government’s moves to mitigate loss during floods, medical and other emergencies.
Bruce Mann, head of Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat, said: “We are delighted to be working with BT and Ultra Electronics Datel on this important project. The extranet will help the resilience community to plan for and manage emergencies in a more joined-up and consistent way.”
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