Project MESA

Making Progress Toward an International PPDR Standard

I. INTRODUCTION

A significant challenge faced by professionals conducting public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) operations is resolving the problems resulting from incompatible communications systems. While a city fire department may have adequate communications to perform day-to-day operations, that same police force may find itself unable to communicate with units from other PPDR organizations (e.g. police, medical) when responding to a large-scale emergency in a neighboring town. The potential for such communications incompatibilities increases as the scale of the PPDR response increases. In the case of international PPDR responses to disasters (e.g. flood, earthquake) such communications issues are almost inevitable.

Project MESA is a partnership between the European Telecommunications Standards institute (ETSI) and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) that was established in May 2000. The goal of Project MESA is to develop advanced mobile broadband technical specifications that can be used to support the communications requirements of the PPDR community. Project MESA also supports the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in its worldwide effort to harmonize PPDR communications as documented in ITU-R Report M.2033. 

Project MESA membership currently comprises over 100 representatives from a wide variety of national public safety organizations, communications equipment users, research organizations, and the communications industry. While ETSI and TIA support the administrative needs of the project, it is the members who perform the technical work required to develop the Project MESA specifications. Members meet every six months (alternating between European and North American venues) to coordinate program activities and to review project documents for approval.

Rio Grande Valley Wireless Initiative is a proud participant in Project Mesa, along with Matamoros Wireless and McAllen Wireless.

PROJECT MESA- FULL REPORT