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Public Safety Agencies Gain New Technology

OSSI incorporates NeoSpeech's Text-to-Speech product to enhance safety and convenience while in the field

FREMONT, Calif. -- NeoSpeech, a provider of speech technologies for handheld, desktop and network/server applications, announced that Open Software Solutions has selected NeoSpeech's flagship Text-to-Speech product, VoiceText, for incorporation into its Mobile Computing application (MCT). OSSI is a leading provider of public safety software and currently provides over 200 law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in the United States with a broad range of mission-critical business applications.

NeoSpeech's VoiceText offers the same high-quality voices across all different footprints and across all major platforms. VoiceText generates natural-sounding voices from text input and offers the same text-to-speech (TTS) solution across handheld, desktop, laptop and network/server applications, while supporting a broad range of industry standard operating systems. Available in several languages, VoiceText can process any size or type of text, from virtually any source, including OSSI's Mobile application, which processes names and addresses, a particular challenge for any TTS engine.

OSSI sought to enhance its baseline voice capabilities with a robust, best-of-breed solution that would enhance its MCT application with a more sophisticated level of voice-based capabilities. The company wanted the new system to accurately recognize and clearly communicate critical information to law enforcement officers, ensuring that the information relayed did not impede their understanding.
OSSI's MCT application equips over 50 emergency medical service and law enforcement agencies with technology to improve their safety and efficiency in the field. Once VoiceText is deployed, OSSI will have an improved way of supporting officers' information requests made from their in-car laptops. Now, information relayed back to responding units will be done via voice technology. Critical data provided to in-field personnel will include address and cross streets, vehicle registration or outstanding warrant checks.

OSSI provides several important benefits. Because in-field personnel are able to minimize their distraction of having to read information displayed on a laptop, they are able to receive information about their calls in a safer, more convenient fashion -- while the responding unit is in motion. This allows the officers to focus on driving and be more alert and responsive as they arrive on the scene. Agencies' resources will also be maximized, as the radio traffic volume is redirected to the automated in-vehicle systems.
Miriam Jones is a former chief copy editor of Government Technology, Governing, Public CIO and Emergency Management magazines.