This week Vistacom is excited to be attending PA TechCon, the largest governmental tech conference in Pennsylvania, where technology vendors and thought leaders with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will bring a wealth of knowledge and innovation to attendees.
Operating with the tagline, “Inspiration. Imagination. Innovation,” PA TechCon embodies the spirit of technology developments for the government sector. Local officials, especially in a state like Pennsylvania, face a myriad of challenges such as shrinking and aging populations, the call for technology to create smart cities balanced with the concern for privacy, and the continuing challenge of public safety. No city, state or country has figured out the exact equation on how to fix or manage any of these issues perfectly, but some of the top analytic and technological minds in the state will be at this event to inspire, brainstorm and debate potential solutions for the future.
While Vistacom works with a variety of different industries, government work is a very unique market of itself. Most of these projects are 100% government-funded, or in other words, taxpayer-funded. This means there is a particularly close eye on the bottom line. When budgets are limited, creativity must flourish, which is where Vistacom excels. There is not always one solution to fix a technical need, but there is an unlimited amount of possibilities if you can use a little imagination.
Vistacom had the great opportunity to work on the City of Philadelphia’s Traffic Operations Center (TOC) on one such project. The TOC serves as a traffic control nerve center, receiving live traffic cameras and roadway monitoring data from around the city, but the facility just wasn’t set up to handle the demands of the growing city. In fact, every other major U.S. city had an interactive traffic operations center to handle traffic problems in real time, except Philadelphia. With some strategic planning and creativity, Vistacom worked with the TOC’s engineers, PennDOT, the Philadelphia Police Department and SEPTA to streamline processes between all departments to help facilitate better decision-making and a more efficient response. This included networking live video streams from more than 5,000 cameras, a 10-monitor Barco video wall to display traffic cameras and signal management software within the command center, and tying into Philadelphia’s federated Genetec video management system which allows the TOC to send and receive critical information between other agencies and stakeholders.
Vistacom also had the opportunity to work with the Pennsylvania Turnpike, also known as “America’s First Super Highway.”
With the Keystone state having a strong historical presence, it’s a unique preposition to keep our history intact, while also innovating the state to be ready for what the future holds. The PA Turnpike officially entered service on October 1, 1940, so by 2017, the Command Center relocated and needed the capabilities to handle the influx of cars and integrate technologies that can streamline response times. The Command Center is critical to the management and overall communication of information throughout the organization. Vistacom developed a variety of systems that can be used for multiple purposes within the command center, conference room, offices, and other common spaces. Special care had to be taken to utilize products and technologies that are robust and specifically manufactured for the 24/7 operations.
Vistacom is proud to have worked with our own home state of Pennsylvania on solving issues to make our home safer, more efficient and ready for the future, and we are excited to be part of PA TechCon 2019. Stop by our booth at the show to find out how we can help you achieve the best possible results from your next project.
Vistacom also expands their experience in working with the Commonwealth by being an active Supplier on the Pennsylvania COSTARS contract, the cooperative purchasing program of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, providing discounts and additional benefits to local and state-affiliated entities.
Learn more about Vistacom’s past government projects.