Dear [contact name],
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) usability team is currently researching the usability of communication technology for first responders as part of the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) effort. Over the next 20 years, technology advancements will enable data, video, and eventually voice communications to migrate from Land Mobile Radio (LMR) networks to a single nationwide Long Term Evolution (LTE) broadband network, the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN). Emerging technology within this new infrastructure presents opportunities and challenges for public safety, and the process of modernizing responder communications requires significant coordination and planning.
We recognize that in order for this transition to be successful it is critical to understand the users. A key element of our methodology is meeting with different types of first responders, including Fire, EMS, and Law Enforcement, to understand their communication needs and requirements. We are looking to conduct structured interviews with public safety personnel in order to get their beliefs and perceptions of current communication and information exchange practices and to gather input about new communication needs and possible technologies.
As part of the project we will be visiting a variety of different cities gathering input from Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement and Communications in urban, suburban and rural areas. We are hoping to conduct approximately 250 interviews across the country. Our goal is to get input from those with a range of experience and years in the field as well as career and volunteer perspectives.
We are planning to be in your area [dates, specifics] and want to take the opportunity to meet with you and/or your colleagues. We are hoping to interview up to 15 [insert domain] in your area. We would meet with people individually for about 45 minutes at a location convenient for them.
Best,
[NIST Contact Information]
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Theofanos, Mary Frances (Fed) |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-20 |