Mobility Acceleration Coalition

01-2020

MOBILE DATA INTEROPERABILITY 

As public safety agencies advance their communication 

technology tools based on individual priorities and budgets, 

there is the potential problem that the disparate communication 

systems are incompatible with those of other jurisdictions. In 

the absence of regional coordination and strategic planning, 

public safety runs the risk of adopting non-interoperable and 

incompatible mobile data systems. Given the diversity of 

applications, the interoperability issues for mobile data could 

be significantly more challenging than those seen in 

technologies like land mobile radio and computer aided 

dispatch systems. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and 

Technology Directorate (S&T) collaborated with Mobility 4 

Public Safety, the Los Angeles region and the Houston/Harris 

County region to create the Mobility Acceleration Coalition 

(MAC). By working with public safety stakeholders in both

regions, DHS S&T sought to enhance strategic planning to 

develop repeatable interoperable mobile data architectures, 

governance, and associated policies and procedures with 

tactical use case development for public safety purposes. 

LESSONS LEARNED IN HOUSTON/HARRIS 

COUNTY AND LOS ANGELES REGIONS 

As a FirstNet Early Builder, Houston/Harris County region was

one of the initial regions to test, deploy and evaluate mobile 

broadband technologies several years before the rest of the 

nation. The Harris County Long-Term Evolution (HCLTE) 

program had the unique opportunity to support all public safety 

practitioners regardless of agency, jurisdiction or discipline. 

Due to the region’s numerous high-profile special events, to 

include the nation’s first large-scale operational deployment of 

Public Safety LTE at Super Bowl LI, the region experienced 

significant end-user adoption of mobile solutions. 

Houston/Harris County successfully demonstrated the value of 

mobility solutions for multi-agency operations, but it lacked the 

elements for sustainability.

 

The Los Angeles region was also a FirstNet Early Builder, but 

with different priorities and development path. The Los 

Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LARICS) is a quasi-governmental organization that focused on 

formal governance, policies and procedures, and public safety 

grade network deployment. 

The regions’ public safety agencies jointly reached out to DHS 

for funding to develop the MAC, which could continue the 

momentum of the Early Builder programs and accelerate the 

operationalizing of mobility solutions. 

 

Houston Police SWAT Officer uses the Bridge4PS app during a 

public event. The app helps populate operations plans, maps and 

other event information, and allows users to share messages, photos 

and videos to enhance situational awareness. 

 

MAC GOALS

The goal of the MAC is to share lessons learned between the 

two regions. Since each program developed differently due to 

differing Key Learning Conditions, they could each learn and 

benefit from the different experiences and results. MAC aimed 

to leverage (1) use cases from the Houston region to drive 

end-user adoption in LA, as well as (2) lessons learned from 

LA-RICS to formalize a regional mobility program in 

Houston/Harris County area. By building on the successes of 

the Early Builders programs, the MAC could develop a 

sustainable and scalable program for continued support and 

adoption of interoperable mobility solutions.

INTEROPERABILITY STRATEGIES & PILOTS

Phase 1 of the MAC laid the foundation for regional, 

interoperable mobility adoption. The Houston/Harris County 

Working Group focuses on developing a regional governance 

model, how to share first responder identities and 

recommendations for leveraging the cloud for interoperability. 

The Los Angeles Working Group focuses on numerous special 

event deployments to understand first-hand the operational 

value of mobility technologies and regional collaboration.

Contact Us: first.responder@hq.dhs.gov scitech.dhs.gov dhsscitech