In a historic milestone for municipal first responder communications, the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) and Northrop Grumman Corporation today announced that the New York City Wireless Network (NYCWiN) is operational citywide.  NYCWiN is a high-speed, mobile data network representing the most aggressive commitment by any municipality in the United States to provide a next-generation public safety infrastructure.  The network is now operational across New York City's more than 300 square miles and exceeds requirements for coverage and data throughput speed.

"With Northrop Grumman, we have worked to deploy a network and capabilities that will propel New York City into the 21st century," said DoITT Commissioner Paul J. Cosgrave.  "NYCWiN will provide robust, reliable and resilient data communications, enhancing coordination and ensuring that critical information reaches our mobile workforce, to the benefit of all City agencies and the people we serve.  We are pleased to have worked collaboratively on this significant and transformative initiative with Northrop Grumman, which has proven itself in the field of public safety communications."

NYCWiN provides first responders high-speed data access to support large file transfers, including fingerprints, mug shots, City maps, automatic vehicle location, and full-motion streaming video.  A fully-interoperable, IP-based network, NYCWiN enhances coordination by linking first responder personnel, on-scene, wirelessly with incident managers at remote sites through real-time data and video feeds.

"The development of NYCWiN represents a major accomplishment and opportunity to transform the way New York City government operates, by improving the capabilities and efficiency of public safety and service agencies" said Tom Shelman, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman Information Systems' Civil Systems Division.  "NYCWiN is a model for how states, cities, and counties can deploy and manage their own mission-critical communications infrastructure."  

For example, DoITT and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) are now working toward the installation of wireless modems in 1,800 marked patrol fleet vehicles, which will enable officers in the field to access critical applications via NYCWiN previously available only from their desktops - mobile access to mug shots and moving traffic violations information being prime examples.

"The NYCWiN technology platform provides data transfer speeds 100 times that of our legacy networks and enables us to deploy a wealth of broadband applications - including streaming video to increase situational awareness among our first responders," said Steve Harte, DoITT's Associate Commissioner of Wireless Technologies.  "Leveraging this capability, we have also created an interoperable video management system (IVS) that allows the New York City Mayor's Office, NYPD, Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management, and a variety of other agencies to access shared, incident-based video feeds as needed."

Recent examples of IVS deployment include Operation Safe PATH 2009 - a full-scale, multi-agency exercise to test the City's and the Port Authority's response to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonation on a New Jersey-bound Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train - and US Airways Flight 1549, which ditched into the Hudson River last January.  In each case the IVS was mobilized at the incident scene, enabling first responder command units to stream video back to the City's Emergency Operations Centers.

NYCWiN can also be leveraged by City agencies to improve service delivery to New Yorkers.  Automated water meter reading, traffic signal control and myriad handheld inspectional programs are now planned or underway, allowing New York City's mobile workforce to not only to function more efficiently, but also to realize substantial cost savings across participating agencies.

Working with partner Grey Island, Northrop Grumman is also helping the City deploy an automated vehicle location system in nearly 400 vehicles across more than a dozen City agencies.  This effort will help meet Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC goals for improved sustainability by decreasing vehicle usage, improving gas consumption, and providing real-time management of the City's vehicle fleet.

To enable these and other high-speed mobile applications, DoITT, Northrop Grumman and IPWireless deployed NYCWiN's extensive communications infrastructure across the City's more than 300 square miles, covering all five boroughs of New York City.  In addition to building the system, Northrop Grumman manages day-to-day network operations, including management of 24-hour network operations centers.

Commissioner Cosgrave continued: "While implementation of NYCWiN represents a substantial public safety and infrastructure achievement, it also illustrates how New York City is transforming itself into a mobile virtual organization.  By deploying new wireless applications, we will enhance service delivery to New Yorkers, improve the efficiency of City operations, and raise the bar for the administration of municipal government."

DoITT transforms the way New York City interacts with its residents, businesses, visitors and employees by leveraging technology to improve services and increase transparency, accountability and accessibility across all agencies.  In 2006, DoITT awarded Northrop Grumman a five-year contract to implement the New York City Wireless Network, the nation's most comprehensive, high-performance mobile broadband infrastructure.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC)  is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.