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ADVERTORIAL
FROM THE SKY TO THE STREET: TACTICAL APPLICATION OF MOSAIC AND AIRBOX
How an app designed to help pilots navigate became a powerful tactical tool due to be rolled out across armed policing in the UK
and with adoption among fire services increasing, it
also provides the benefit of wider interoperability.
“It allows officers to work seamlessly across
borders, and increases interoperability with other
emergency services,” explained Grassie. “Other
emergency services can also quickly begin working
together even in developing situations, applying the
JESIP principles from the outset.”
Why firearms?
MOSAIC’s common operating picture is
particularly suited to firearms teams, with a
multitude of factors specific to their operating
environment benefiting from increased speed and
clarity of communication. Situations into which
firearms officers are deployed are by their nature
more likely to be complex and dynamic, with risks
that can elevate in extremely short timespans.
The data-sharing and digital tools integrated
into MOSAIC reduce the time required to plan
and communicate, but also increase the accuracy
of information passed, reducing uncertainty – a
critical factor in building situational awareness. “The
success of most deployments is in the planning,”
explained Grassie. “If you can maximise the quality
of the planning while minimising the time spent,
you’re setting the conditions for success.”
Being able to see the complete operational
picture take shape in real-time at the touch of a
screen also provides a feedback loop, increasing
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confidence that messages have been received as
intended and reducing the cognitive burden of all
those involved in both planning and conduct.
And given that firearms incidents are likely to
attract the greatest scrutiny, the ease with which
MOSAIC allows the situation to be monitored
throughout the chain of command should minimise
the requirement for status updates and reduce the
risk of an interruption at a critical moment.
The future
The deployment of MOSAIC to firearms and
surveillance teams is a big step forward, but it’s not
an end and of itself. “Going back to our roots, our
aviation product ACANS is also employed by all
Air Ambulances and across the National Police Air
Service,” Moore explained. “With ACANS already
able to join MOSAIC networks, this brings another
dimension, more potential sources of intelligence
and more capability to the system as a whole.”
While Airbox Track, MOSAIC and ACANS make
up the ‘user end’ of the Airbox ecosystem, other
workstation and web-based software forms a vital
link into other emergency control rooms, such as
the UK’s Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre,
and Resilience Direct – the government platform
that enables cross-functional collaboration in the
planning and response for major civil emergencies.
MOSAIC alone is used to respond to over
200,000 high-threat incidents annually, supporting
over 60,000 responders and helping protect and
preserve millions of lives. After the planned roll-out,
firearms and surveillance teams will benefit not only
from the software features, but from access to a
well-established and still growing network, capable
of connecting their partners across the emergency
services in real-time.
The simple fact of being armed amplifies the
cognitive burden of a firearms officer responding to
any situation, even the most routine. It dramatically
increases the number of factors, both legal and
tactical, to be considered in highly contingent
circumstances and under intense pressure.
The overall aim of MOSAIC is to allow individual
firearms officers to completely focus on those
factors most relevant in the moment, by removing as
many uncertainties and distractions as possible.
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