The Background
SeaWorld Abu Dhabi is UAE's rst marine life theme park and animal research, rescue and rehabilitation center. The park has a oor area of 183,000 square metres, spread across ve indoor levels. It houses more than 68,000 marine animals in eight immersive realms, making it one of the largest and most expansive marine-life aquariums in the world.
It also contains the Yas SeaWorld Research & Rescue marine research, rescue, rehabilitation and return center, which is devoted to rescuing injured, unwell and orphaned marine animals in the Persian Gulf. The need for a reliable communication system to facilitate the work of SeaWorld’s staff and ensure smooth and efficient operations throughout the complex is obvious.
The Demands
The SeaWorld park communication solution needed to provide both voice calls and data services. It had to provide easy-to-use administration and troubleshooting applications, along with a highly secured management system. It also had to support a number of key functions including mobility management, call control, resource allocation and database management.
A further requirement was that the solution must be able to provide interconnection with and communication between narrowband and broadband communications systems. Finally, supervisors and dispatchers needed to be able to easily deliver dispatch functionalities to any radio terminal from a PC.
The Solution
Hytera proposed a DMR-LTE converged solution consisting of DMR digital repeaters, indoor BDAs (Bi–Directional Ampliers), Hytera HyTalk PoC6000 Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) management platform and a Hytera SmartOne Dispatch system. The radio devices included Hytera DMR handheld radios and PDC550 dual-mode DMR/LTE handheld radios.
Hytera BDAs provide an ecient and cost effective way of boosting RF signals in situations where radio signal levels can be degraded by buildings, tunnels and underground areas. BDAs provide a very effective way to maintain the RF signal level throughout the dierent oors of the complex.
The HyTalk PoC6000 platform seamlessly integrates narrowband DMR and broadband LTE technology to support voice, video and data communications, while allowing seamless roaming between LTE, DMR and Wi-Fi. This ensures radio communications are 'always available' in some form or other. LTE expands radio coverage beyond the DMR network and allows PSTN users to communicate with radio users.
The SmartOne dispatch system oers a comprehensive, unied communication platform combining a variety of professional functions, such as dispatching, voice calls, data transmission, voice recording, AVL and camera monitoring, using one intelligent interface. As per the client’s requirement, this can all be administered via a PC interface.
The PDC550 is a smart PoC radio which enables the collaboration of multiple communication modes including 2G, 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi networks and DMR narrowband networks.
Overall, the solution provided by Hytera combines narrowband Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) and broadband LTE voice communications, broadband multimedia application capabilities, live video streaming, location services and dispatch capabilities in one unied system. This provides SeaWorld with a highly exible and adaptable communication solution, which enables sta to run the park eciently and ensure visitors enjoy a great experience.
The Benefits
Converged Narrowband and Broadband Solution
The combination of DMR and LTE oers the best of both technologies, including instant PTT voice services and rich multimedia broadband services such as video. It also provides added resilience, as if one technology is unavailable, users can fallback on the other.
Wider Coverage and Capacity
The DMR/LTE delivers wider capacity as LTE can be used to extend communications beyond the DMR network coverage area. The LTE PoC side of the solution supports a greater capacity of users than DMR on its own and enables the creation of many more talk groups.
Voice and Video Dispatch
The solution enables dispatchers to communicate with sta by voice or video calling. Live video streaming can enhance situational awareness enabling supervisors to make more informed decisions when issuing a task order or responding to an incident or emergency.
Emergency Voice Call
Users can initiate an emergency voice call to a radio or group in emergencies even when the contact is on an ongoing call. In that instance, the emergency voice call will override the ongoing lower priority call and be connected.
Reporting System
The Hytera solution generates Excel format reports on records of calls, messages, emergency alarms, geofencing alarms, radios' online and oine events, and callback requests. It also allows users to playback and download call recordings and export the records.
