My first thought upon seeing the pictures and reading about Verizon’s new 51-foot mobile command center had nothing to do with disaster relief, but was instead: Imagine taking that baby to a tailgate party.
Guess this means I’m never going to get to run FEMA.
From the Verizon press release:
On the outside of the rig are multiple satellite dishes; two 52-foot antenna masts for a variety of radio communications; a complete weather station; a 52-inch external television screen; three external cameras including one that rotates 360 degrees to shoot any type of footage needed during a disaster; and complete exterior lighting for night work. In addition, hot spots and work stations are built into the side of the rig to enable personnel to work outside the facility.
In this podcast, Verizon Business Director Dick Price explains the thought process that produced the behemoth … and says they’ll even make room for reporters.
On the inside, the command center has 700 square feet of space divided into three separate rooms, all connected by sliding doors. The first room features state-of-the-art communications equipment that serves as the nerve center and can disseminate and relay voice and data communications to any position inside or outside the trailer on site, back to a centralized location via satellite or to Verizon Business offices around the world.
The second room contains an eight-person video conference center with full voice and data capabilities, a 52-inch screen and digital whiteboard connected to the Internet. During emergencies, this conference room can be used to relay information to other personnel in the area of the operation or at a centralized location, or to contact network equipment vendors in other locations to discuss the situation on the ground.
The third and largest area inside the trailer is the emergency operations center, with a 42-inch TV screen and 11 individual work stations. Each station includes a video display with nine video sources to select from including television news, weather and local news reports, and external cameras; voice-over-IP phone; an intercom headset so others are not disturbed during individual conference calls; a selection of numerous audio sources; computer docking capabilities; Internet and LAN access for employees; and numerous outlets to plug in various wireless devices.
You can see more pictures here.
No mention of price in the press release. My guess would be if you have to ask you can’t afford it.
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