Introduction to CAD

The Crimestar Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system is highly functional, fast and reliable tool for dispatchers to track the activity of field personnel.  Unlike a Records Management System (RMS), which is designed to capture and categorize large amounts of detailed information, a CAD system has a very different objective.  In short, a CAD system captures basic call for service information and helps to manage the process of getting field resources sent to the call.  Since it is not uncommon for many different things to be occurring at the same time, the system must use various visual cues to show, at a glance, basic information concerning all field resources and pending activity.  From a workflow perspective, the information received by dispatchers can come from a variety of sources (phone, radio, etc.), and is often fragmented and rarely in perfect sequence.  A CAD system must allow the dispatcher to records specific critical elements of information very quickly and in a very flexible way.  Overall speed is necessary so the dispatcher is never waiting for the computer, before being able to record more information.

(Shown Running within CrimeStar RMS on a single monitor with Two Status Windows)

The combination of good visual cues, operational flexibility and system speed make the technical development of a CAD system an interesting challenge.  Crimestar CAD provides these basic requirements and serves as a great tool for most dispatch environments wishing to more efficiently and effectively manage and track their field resources.