EMS Data traces it's origins all the way back to 1998, and the introduction of Peer Patient Care Reporting (PCR) auditing to EMS in Grande Prairie. This PCR Audit was originally completed on a paper form, until we replaced the paper process with an electronic one, originally using MS Access and its VBA based User Interface.
It didn't take long to move beyond the limitations of stand-alone software, and consumer-grade databases and migrate to the first web-based, SQL Server backed version of the product. It was this product which became the backbone of multiple applications, as all web-based data applications have a common need in security and user management, and back-end data structure and business logic processing. Over the course of its 20 year life this product went through 5 major versions of the PCR Audit platform, before being rebuilt and rebranded in 2010 to the EMS Data V1 platform.
The Peer PCR Audit component we started from no longer exists as a function on our platform, nor does the Western Canadian EMS Benchmarking project, nor the CAD/PCR integration engine, nor the EMS response time compliance reporting app. The Fleet Management System, originally added in 2000, has evolved and grown throughout the years and remains a key function of the system. The addition of eCheck and integration with the fleet managment module also remains a key and evolving function. With the first release of version 3, we've added the AFRRCS radio tower monitoring system for our public safety (Alberta) clients.
As we any product evolving over multiple years, needs change, technology changes, and eventually the underlying system must be updated to leverage new tech and to meet modern needs. That is where we find ourselves today with the release of version 3 of EMS Data. The entire system, data structure, business logic, and user interface, have been rebuilt from the ground up to leverage the latest technology, to add exciting new features, and to implement changes requested by our clients from past versions.
Improved data structure design and data integration will result in a faster, cleaner user experience, with more robust reporting, and overall quicker interactions with large data sets.
Utilization of an updated software development platform permits more robust pre-deployment testing, and quicker feature development and deployment.
The user interface has seen a major overhaul. Standardization of data display and interaction not only improves the user experience and decreases errors, it also makes new feature development much faster and less error-prone. Standardization of data tables with resizable columns, sort, search, and row-count features will make interaction with data sets much simpler. Unique user-based memory for search, sort-order, page #, etc will make working with this data much faster and simpler from the user's perspective.
A mobile friendly version of the site will make for a much improved user experience from mobile platforms for those functions typically accessed via mobile devices.
A new messaging system has been added based on customer requests. This system manages messaging from admin to individuals or groups, including message delivery/read status, and expiry. The messaging engine also permits automated messaging from user-defined triggers within other modules.
For our Alberta Public Safety Customers using the AFRRCS radio system, a system monitoring module has been added. This module shows a real-time radio-tower operational status map, and allows users to define custom notification rules to alert them of issues impacting specific site(s), within defined issue types, status, etc. For public safety dispatch centers a direct data feed to their CAD or mapping system is available to show a radio status layer on the CAD map screen.
The dashboard feature has been requested by customers for some time, to provide a first-screen overview of key metrics. The Dashboard interface is completed, and dashboard modules will be rolled out as features are added to the system.
The management of list and asset data just got way easier! Features like user-control of which custom fields are displayed in the main data table, the addition of tool-tip functionality to help guide users in data entry, the addition of images to list data, and improved sorting and searching just to name a few. Users can build and define personal asset lists based on both static and dynamic criteria to improve their ability to see reports on data specific to their area of responsibility or interest.
A number of upgrades have been done to the user account management area. The addition of email and SMS based (2 factor) authentication improves security while making for a friendlier, smoother, user experience with username and password change/reset issues. From the user administration perspective, the ability to administer custom profile fields, and display, sort, and filter by them makes for a much more powerful and friendly experience. Changes in security group access and membership makes the administration of security roles much simpler - including the ability to manage both from a group perspective, and from an individual perspective. The ability to see roles by user, and understand which group(s) are providing those roles makes changes much easier.
The V3 Fleet module is under construction. A number of upgrades are coming, however all that is complete in this alpha release is the addition of conditional hour-tracking for fleet assets. More details are available here.
eCheck development is not yet started on V3 alpha, however more details are available here.
eTicket development is not yet started on V3 alpha, however more details are available here.