Just this past Friday I was talking to a "with-it" emergency manager who had OneNet, FirstNet, FirstToSee and SitMap all jumbled up. If you don't deal with it every day, I can see how that might happen.
I'll attempt with this blog post to unravel the confusion for you.
First (bad word for this topic) let's address OneNet. OneNet is the office here in Washington state that is administering FirstNet. They are the ones coordinating the state's readiness to plan for and use FirstNet when it is fielded, at some point in the future. OneNet is not a communications system itself -- just the name of the staff office doing the work on behalf of FirstNet in Washington state. And, by the way, they are recognized nationally for what they have been doing. Washington state comes up regularly in discussions as one of the states that is "ahead of the curve" on planning and outreach on FirstNet.
FirstNet on the other hand, is a federal effort to provide a dedicated public safety wireless network for first responders, and others like critical infrastructure owners and operators. This physical network is probably at least two years away. The OneNet office has been doing outreach to a whole gamut of people and organizations to get their input on what is needed for a system to function here in Washington state. Information on gaps in existing wireless service has been collected and almost 200 surveys have been submitted to OneNet by potential users of FirstNet on what their current wireless usage is and what they would like to see in a new network.
Then there is FirstToSee, which has nothing to do with FirstNet as a program -- they just share the word "first" in their names. It is a social media management system that can be used by both operational people and public information officers (PIO) to collect information for situational awareness (think EOC operations and plans) and rumor control in the Joint Information Center (JIC). And, its use is not confined just to emergencies and disasters. You could use it daily to keep a finger on the pulse for what the public is thinking and writing on social media. There is an app associated with it, but that is only a very small part of the power of this system. Want to use it? Contact me! It is free for governments in the greater Central Puget Sound!
Lastly, there is SitMap, which does not do what FirstToSee does in any shape or form in the perspective of using the power of social media. It really is an operational tool that can provide a common situation map for almost any jurisdiction or agency of any size to share and obtain situational awareness for what is going on in their region.
The power of it comes from each organization being responsible for putting its incident information on a GIS map (THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A GIS TECHNICIAN TO POST), do it quickly and then have it available for everyone to see. That way, you can share what is going on in your jurisdiction, you can see a regional picture because others are putting their information on a common map. While the input of data is only by authorized organizations, the general public and business can also see the incident information and it allows them to be part of the "Whole Community" response by empowering them with information on the incident. Want to use it? Contact me! This could be adapted to other regions of the United States.
