CommandWear Systems in Vancouver, B.C., has been selected by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and its research and development partners to create a smart city technology to assist public safety.

The company will develop a prototype of responder-focused mobile communication and sensor suites to increase responder situational awareness and building security as well as enhance mission-critical operations.

The award is the result of the Request for Innovators (RFI) released earlier this year for the DHS S&T Smart Cities Internet of Things Innovation (SCITI) Labs program. The SCITI Labs program, a collaboration between DHS S&T, the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), Smart City Works, and TechNexus, focuses on rapid commercialization of technologies.

After a highly competitive selection process, 13 companies, including CommandWear Systems, were selected to develop initial prototypes.

“We are excited to work with these innovative partners to quickly get tools into new commercial markets that benefit our first responders, DHS components, and industry partners,” said DHS S&T Program Manager Jeff Booth. “Our goal here was to identify technologies already on the market that could be adapted to meet the very specific needs and challenges of those protecting and serving our communities. We are very much encouraged by the work already accomplished and look forward to what is on the horizon.”

In coming months, the selected companies will refine and integrate capabilities to better meet use case requirements and demonstrate end-to-end connectivity between various sensor suites, building infrastructure, and first responders.

For more details about the selections and the SCITI collaboration, click here.