FirstNet and AT&T launched the first developer program geared toward first responders. The idea is to encourage public safety-focused innovation to help equip first responders with next-gen communications tools. It also brings public safety professionals closer to having their own app store where they can find new solutions purpose-built for their needs, according to the announcement.
“This program will tap into the expertise and creativity of the developer community to drive innovation for public safety,” said FirstNet CEO Mike Poth. “It will also connect first responders with developers to create apps that will help them stay safe and save lives.”
Chris Sambar, senior vice president, AT&T, characterized the FirstNet app ecosystem as an “important building block” in the effort to modernize public safety tools and capabilities.
Through the FirstNet developer program, developers will be able to create apps for public safety and scale them for first responders. Developers now have access to a specialized portal housing resources to help them build, test, deploy and maintain public safety applications. In addition to programming tools like APIs and software development kits, the portal features guidelines to follow when developing for public safety.
Some areas of focus for potential developers include, but are not limited to:
- Situational awareness
- In-building mapping
- Field reporting and records management
- Wearable devices and telemetry solutions
- Forensic intelligence
Developers can now submit their apps for inclusion in the FirstNet app store as either “certified” or “reviewed” for first responder use. Upon submission, FirstNet and AT&T will:
- Evaluate performance, service-level agreements and potential source code vulnerabilities.
- Provide a “certified” or “reviewed” rating depending on the application’s uptime availability, resiliency and scalability for simultaneous users.
- Publish “certified” and “reviewed” apps in the FirstNet app store.
In addition to working with developers, the program will evaluate existing public safety apps for inclusion in the store. Find details on how to submit apps as well as the criteria by which they are evaluated on the FirstNet developer portal.
October 13, 2017
