F&S: Global first responder C3I spending to near US$100 million

Frost - Sullivan's latest analysis, Global First Responder C3I Market, Forecast to 2025, reveals that digitisation, automation, and event analysis are transforming first responder technologies and equipment needs to more proactive operations and intelligence-led mission planning.

Emphasis is being placed on digital surveillance, digital mobile radio over legacy solutions, increased data collection in the field through body-worn video and mobile readers, and shifting connectivity standards to include higher-frequency, dedicated radio networks and public safety long-term evolution networks to allow for instant, real-time communication.

Global first responder command, control, communications, and intelligence (C3I) spending in 2017 reached an estimated $65,168.5 million and is expected to increase through 2025 to US$99,394.3 million.

"Digitisation is rapidly changing how first responders carry out their public safety duties, from the introduction of more digital surveillance, integrated systems, data collection and analysis, and real-time event remediation," says Frost - Sullivan security industry analyst Danielle VanZandt.

"However, vendors must be aware of these specific agencies' needs, particularly regarding the integration of legacy equipment, long-term value creation, storage constraints, and, most importantly, tight budgets. Public-private partnerships and testing and evaluation periods could be compelling first steps for vendors to undertake when approaching a new first responder organisation and presenting their full solutions offering.

From a regional perspective, technically advanced countries such as North America, China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and Singapore will dominate regional spending due to ongoing technical updates, expansion of first responder networks, and new solution functionality.

"First responder agencies are looking at solutions that allow for easy integration with other agencies," adds VanZandt.

"This legacy technology transition is already underway in countries that have the technical infrastructure to support cloud connectivity, Big Data applications, and more open collaboration capabilities. Other countries will follow as their infrastructure catches up,"

Growth opportunities participants should tap into for future successes include:

• Utilising a higher-frequency network spectrum and partnering with telecommunication suppliers for 5G network functionality.
   
• Adopting sophisticated artificial intelligence capabilities and dynamic machine-learning algorithms.
   
• Public safety agencies pursuing public-private partnerships to update and expand their technology solutions quickly and cost-effectively.
   
• Providing technology-agnostic legacy solution integration platforms to make the transition from analogue to digital systems easier and more cost-effective for agencies.

"The ability to share or access open source investigative data remains a key challenge for first responders; with the advent of IoT connectivity, many agencies are seeking solutions that can make cross-agency sharing and access much simpler," says VanZandt.

Frost - Sullivan's Global First Responder C3I Market, Forecast to 2025 analysis explores the factors, trends and technologies that have shaped the first responder C3I landscape, the challenges that lie ahead, and the opportunities that can be tapped.

The market is segmented into border and area security, first responder networks, disaster/event management, and strategic government networks.

Global First Responder C3I Market, Forecast to 2025 is the latest addition to Frost - Sullivan's Security research and analysis available through the Frost - Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organisations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future.