By Dana Bykowski
January 10, 2005

SentryPoints, LLC, a provider of homeland security and public safety software and systems, recently introduced the Mayor's Dashboard, a new software product that serves as an executive command system for municipal government leaders. Designed to act in concert with SentryPoints' Mayor's Crisis Center (MC2) model, the Mayor's Dashboard provides critical information in near-real-time by linking first responders' command and control systems, 911 emergency response systems, 311 non-emergency systems, and automated Threat and Vulnerability Assessment (TVA) systems, all which are available from SentryPoints.

In addition to linking these systems, the Mayor's Dashboard provides data exchange capability with existing systems and presents priority information in a single window, giving the user an overview of the current situation. The user can then drill down further to get more detailed information in additional screens from either the Mayor's Dashboard interface or from another application running on the same workstation.

SentryPoints Chairman Paul Helmke, former mayor of Fort Wayne and Past President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said that the Mayor's Dashboard offers an improved level of streamlined functionality and key information in one place.

"When a mayor is faced with a crisis situation," Helmke said, "time is not on your side. That's why we've designed the Mayor's Dashboard system to provide an overview of the situation at a glance. It allows the mayor to understand the big picture before deploying resources."

Key features offered by the Mayor's Dashboard include remote access to the Internet and an intuitive user interface requiring very little training. This gives access the Dashboard regardless of time of day or location, even via a dial-up connection and can be used daily or in an emergency situation and still provide ease of operation. Helmke explains that these features recognize the real world in which mayors live.

"Whether on the road or in your office" he states, "as mayor you need to stay in touch with your operations and emergency management people. Technology has done wonders for communications, but we think the Mayor's Dashboard improves upon even the best that technology has to offer. It's crucial to have that level of knowledge regardless of your location."

In acknowledging that the communications continuum includes those outside of municipal government, the Mayor's Dashboard allows the user to view headline news from local, state, and national media, organized in an intuitive manner. This gives the user an overview of the stories being covered from a variety of sources without performing multiple searches or visiting multiple media web sites. Features include a user-definable interface that will allow for automatic keyword searches allowing for richer, customized search capabilities. Like other dashboard features, this information can be accessed remotely over any standard Internet connection.

Helmke said that the Mayor's Dashboard is designed to overcome the limitations of existing options, which he says are often incompatible and work only as stand-alone systems that limit information within their own network and are not always accessible from the outside.

"It's critical for systems to communicate and share information," he stated. "Stovepipe solutions for individual agencies no longer provide the diverse data collection, processing, and visual display capabilities required for true command and control. We believe the Mayor's Dashboard gives city leaders the most current and accurate information to make the best possible decisions for their communities and the safety of their citizens."

For more information regarding SentryPoints, please contact Dana Bykowski at the United States Conference of Mayors at 202-861-6738 or send e-mail to dbykowski@usmayors.org.