Focal4 SSA System Adds Responsive Search

  • Jul 10, 2015

Honeywell announced that its Focal4 Shared Situational Awareness (SSA) system now delivers real-time topic trending information from Twitter.

An add-on to the Focal4 software, CAPSOL, which stands for Capture Social Media, uses search engine optimization to look for keywords cited in open Twitter feeds, for example shooter, bombing and fire. Because most Twitter activity is public and includes geo-locations based on the IP address of the person posting information, CAPSOL and Focal4 can accurately pinpoint the location of that communication and determine if it is relevant to the safety and security of an organization.

“When we look at how people communicate today, it’s through social media,” said John Stofa, CET, CFPS and municipal consultant, Honeywell Fire Safety. “Twitter provides a platform for real-time communication and CAPSOL can analyze those messages and make them actionable if they help identify a potential threat.

“It’s all about our ‘see something, say something’ world. If we see something on social media through CAPSOL, we can get that information to the right people and get feet on the ground to assess and respond to a situation.”

Focal4 helps improve emergency response and streamline day-to-day operations by monitoring disparate safety, security and building systems, quickly identifying potential threats and delivering that information to facility and security personnel through a central interface or mobile devices.

Tapping information from multiple sources is critical in crisis situations, especially if there are several events occurring simultaneously. That capability is bolstered by CAPSOL and the ability to add Twitter feeds to the available sources.

CAPSOL is easy to download and integrate into the primary Focal4 software. Users can activate the social media engine and enter the rules and keywords that are important to the safety and security of their organization. In addition, they can choose how on-site personnel and emergency responders are notified of alerts, including text messages and email.

CAPSOL can also show the volume of conversation so users understand if one person or numerous people are tweeting about an event, and tailor their response accordingly. It has connectivity with Facebook as well, but is more limited because of the privacy settings of the platform.

The Focal4 SSA system is built on an open architecture and easy to scale up, making it fit smaller facilities as well as enterprise systems worldwide. Add-ons such as CAPSOL are sold à la carte, which allows users to buy only the capabilities they need.

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