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Challenge (Summary)
Smith Myers is a UK-based communications company specialising in search and rescue IT solutions. The nature of search and rescue operations means all devices and equipment it uses in its award winning ARTEMIS system must be able to operate effectively in a wide range of challenging environments and weather conditions.
Solution (Summary)
Smith Myers uses Getac’s UX10 fully rugged tablet at the heart of ARTEMIS due to its combination of powerful performance, rugged reliability and excellent versatility. In addition to industry leading rugged credentials, the UX10’s excellent battery life and full HD, 1000 NIT touchscreen display make it ideally suited to the demands of search and rescue operations.
Advantages (Summary)
With the UX10, Smith Myers knows all its customers have a device that they can rely on, regardless of the terrain or weather conditions faced. This means that instead of worrying about their equipment, search and rescue teams can stay laser focused on the task at hand, which is finding people in distress and saving lives.
Challenge
Founded in 1987, Smith Myers is a UK based communications company specialising in search and rescue IT solutions. The company’s award winning ARTEMIS system uses cellular engineering to turn mobile phones into locator beacons that help search and rescue teams pinpoint missing persons across a range of challenging and often treacherous environments.
“ARTEMIS has two elements to it - airborne and ground based,” says Ewan MacDonald, Training Manager at Smith Myers. “The airborne element can be deployed on a search and rescue helicopter or small/medium sized drone, while the ground based element is carried in a backpack by rescue teams.”
“Our equipment can be used to find a single missing person in the mountains, at sea, in the desert, or to mass geolocate large groups of people caught up in natural disasters, such as earthquakes, avalanches or wildfires.” The nature of search and rescue operations means they often take place in very difficult conditions. Weather and terrain are the biggest issues to overcome, so Smith Myers needs to ensure every piece of equipment provided as part of its ARTEMIS system is up to the task.
“Everything, including the tablet, must be able to withstand harsh environments. This can range from extreme heat to freezing cold, and weather including rain, snow and high winds,” continues MacDonald. Two other aspects Smith Myers requires from its devices are excellent screen brightness (measured in NITs) and long battery life, both of which play crucial roles in helping search and rescue teams operate effectively.
“The NIT rating is really important,” adds MacDonald. “Our users need to clearly see information displayed on the tablet’s screen, even in bright sunlight or snowy conditions. Search and rescue operations can also take many hours and there is rarely a power supply available to keep the system topped up, meaning devices need to have excellent battery life between charges.”
Solution
Following a comprehensive review of devices available on the market, Smith Myers identified Getac’s UX10 fully rugged tablet as the ideal device to power its ARTEMIS system. Designed with the demands of search and rescue operations in mind, the UX10 offers excellent performance, usability and rugged reliability, all in a compact and light weight form factor.
Key features include enhanced rugged protection, with MIL-STD-810H/IP65 certification, and drop resistance of up to 6ft depending on device configuration, plus, an operating temperature range of -29°C to 63°C. The UX10 also boasts a 1000 NIT, 10.1 inch LumiBond® touchscreen display, offering excellent visibility in snow and/or bright sunlight, whilst rain and glove touch capability helps maintain productivity in extreme conditions.
Furthermore, a range of battery configurations including optional high capacity battery and optional bridge battery, means rescue teams can stay out in the field for as long as necessary without running out of power.
Advantages
With the UX10 sitting at the heart of ARTEMIS, Smith Myers knows its customers have a solution they can always rely on, regardless of the terrain or weather encountered. “The Getac UX10 gives us the flexibility required to run our system in the harshest of environments, where search and rescue missions occur,” says MacDonald. “When teams are facing a race against time, the last thing they want to worry about is their equipment. They need devices and technology that just works, which is exactly what the UX10 does.”
The UX10 is also compatible with a range of rugged accessories to further enhance functionality and usability in the field. “The over-shoulder harness helps to free up operators’ hands when they are navigating harsh terrain and also removes the burden of carrying the tablet during long operations," adds MacDonald. “All of these small things help make the task at hand that little bit easier, which increases the chances of finding victims and saving lives. This is ultimately what matters.”
ABOUT SMITH MYERS COMMUNICATION LTD
Smith Myers Communications Ltd was formed in 1987 from the design partnership of Tony Smith and Peter Myers, both previously engaged as freelance design engineers. That same year saw the launch of the first in a series of radically different test and measurement equipment for the new burgeoning cellular radio market. Intuitive and easy to use, the equipment’s simple user interface masked the complexity of cellular radio technology and protocols. Ease of use became the hall mark of Smith Myers equipment, and even today the user friendly interface offers the professional user the tools to achieve their mission goals in difficult environments.
