Lollapalooza, a premier music festival in Chicago, presents unique challenges for security and medical teams managing the safety of 400,000 attendees. High attendee density often congests cell networks, complicating communication and coordination efforts crucial for rapid incident response.
Somewear transformed our dispatch with real-time visibility of field operations. The positive impact of the technology was so significant that by the second day, we onboarded all of our medical team to Somewear before commencing their duties.
The Challenge
During the festival, the existing communication systems faced several significant challenges:
Network congestion: The sheer volume of attendees overloaded the cell networks, disrupting traditional communication methods.
Lack of real-time operating picture: The incident command post lacked a common operating picture, heavily relying on voice communications which were often unreliable due to background noise and high radio traffic.
Reliability of Land Mobile Radios (LMR): The LMRs used failed to provide reliable location data to dispatch. Utilizing these radios for location transmission also drained the batteries in less than two hours, compromising essential voice communications.
Limited tool utility for field personnel: Field personnel found traditional tools inadequate as they provided voice communications without any real-time situational awareness.
The Solution
To address these critical challenges, Somewear Labs was engaged to enhance the operational efficiency of the medical teams and dispatch. Each medic and medical cart was equipped with a Somewear Hotspot and a mobile device with the Somewear app, enabling the entire team to offload all location information and messaging to Somewear’s platform. While the medics in the field carried a Somewear Hotspot and mobile phone, the Incident Command Post (ICP) was equipped with Somewear Grid, our commercial web app, to empower the dispatcher to maintain situational awareness and manage operations.
The Results
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- Awareness and control at the ICP: Dispatch established real time situational awareness of all medics to more efficiently and effectively deploy resources, reducing voice communication requirements.
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- Empowered every medic: Every medic in the field could access real-time data at a glance and monitor the location of all deployed resources, which was critical for coordinated and efficient responses. First responders were no longer solely dependent on the incident command post for situational awareness.
- Resilient communication: Somewear’s software-defined network, equipped with intelligent routing logic, ensured reliable communication even when cell networks were congested, delivering all Position Location Information (PLI) and messages over the built-in satellite link.
- Decreased response times: In order to maximize efficiency at the Incident Command Post, utilizing Somewear Grid Web, the dispatcher uploaded a KML/KMZ file containing the Lollapalooza stages and vendors. The dispatcher’s ability to track medics’ location relative to the venue’s points of interest, ultimately accelerated decision making and decreased response times.
Conclusion
Somewear Labs’ deployment at Lollapalooza demonstrated the critical role of resilient communication technology in managing the safety of large-scale public events. Somewear ensured that medical and security teams could maintain high operational effectiveness, ultimately enhancing safety and response capabilities at one of the nation’s largest music festivals.
Products
Global Hotspot
SATELLITEAn encrypted, resilient satellite solution that integrates into any kit. Ideal for asset tracking and for isolated personnel who require SATCOM to stay connected.
Grid
Web, iOS, Android, ATAKEstablish situational awareness that encompasses all assets and empower your team, from operator to command, to maintain complete control of missions.
Node
MESH & SATELLITEAn encrypted multi-network solution, combining the efficiency of mesh radios and resilience of satellite communication with SmartBackhaul™ technology.