Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service is pushing forward in the post-FiReControl environment with a corporate gazetteer management system from Aligned Assets. The Symphony Bluelight system will see them building on the work they did during the FiReControl project in matching their existing address data to the NLPG (National Land and Property Gazetteer) in order to create one definitive gazetteer that will be used throughout the F&RS.
The management component, the Bluelight Gazetteer, will allow them to complement the NLPG data with emergency service specific ‘local records’ and they will be using the Xtended Data Module (XDM) to create additional fields in the gazetteer to direct users to risk information held about a property.
In this phase of the project, all this data is being made available via SinglePoint, which will give every member of the F&RS the ability to search on the corporate gazetteer and show the results via a Geographical Information System (GIS).
This process will give all users the opportunity to become familiar with the NLPG, whilst the feedback gained will be used to enhance the gazetteer even further, with the ability to influence the NLPG directly through the candidate process. SinglePoint also allows easy access to UPRNs (Unique Property Reference Numbers), which are key to Merseyside F&RS’s Site Specific Risk Information process.
Managing Director of Aligned Assets, Dinesh Thanigasalam said, “We have always designed our software with the end user in mind so have ploughed considerable resources into Symphony Bluelight in order to make it the definitive gazetteer management system for the emergency services.”
“Merseyside F&RS has worked tirelessly to build on the NLPG to create a gazetteer database that is ideally suited for the needs of the modern fire and rescue service. By using the Bluelight Gazetteer to manage it, it will be fully compatible with the National Address Gazetteer and we look forward to working with them to integrate the data into their other systems.”
This second phase of the project will see links being created using Symphony iExchange, which will allow for exports of the gazetteer data into their Vision FX Command & Control system as well as a number of other frontline and back office systems, including Mobile Data Terminals. Key to this will be their ability to export changes within their entire gazetteer database – the NLPG and all their local records.
“Aligned Assets were selected to supply our corporate gazetteer management system following scoring against a rigorous procurement requirement specification,” explained Nicholas Cowley, Corporate Gazetteer Project Manager at Merseyside F&RS. “Our requirements were met through the functionality available in Symphony Bluelight, and their extensive experience of working with the emergency services gave us confidence in selecting them as a partner.”
