An Internet-based alert service that has quickly grown to encompass 4,600 public safety and law enforcement agencies now plans a move into the business arena.
Nixle has enjoyed a near monopoly on linking law enforcement personnel directly to citizens by text, cellphone, email, and the Web. Nixle’s system lets public safety agencies and local governments send secure, opt-in alerts simultaneously to residents by SMS, email, and through Web-based networks such as Twitter. This speeds communications and frees agencies from reliance on local media to broadcast alerts. Nixle launched in March 2009, and its 4,600 clients make it the largest provider of a service like this.
Part of Nixle's secret sauce is that it struck the first public networking partnership with the International Justice and Public Safety Network (NLETS). That allowed Nixle to integrate its technology into the NLETS closed-network public safety system. Nixle also houses its servers in the NLETS secure facility, ensuring security and reliability.
This is what alerts from Dallas-area public safety agencies look like online. Source: Nixle
Now, Nixle is trying to elbow its way into the highly competitive space occupied by companies such as 2ergo, mdeliver, and ILoop Mobile, which send local restaurant and shopping coupons to consumers. By creating new information channels that leapfrog traditional pathways through local newspapers, radio, or TV, Nixle has increased and sped up citizen engagement.
In Santa Fe, New Mexico, for instance, sheriff's deputies looking for a robbery suspect texted his description and mug shot. A shopper who received the text saw the suspect at Walmart and called deputies, who arrested the man after a foot chase.
In Pasadena, California, a man who received alerts of a 3-year-old boy reported missing after his father was arrested went off in search of the child and found him.
In Southern Pines, North Carolina, police sent out a photo of a suspected credit card thief. Within four hours, police had a tip that led to an arrest.
The system has been used to issue weather alerts, complete with maps from the National Weather Service. And when a storm in Las Cruces, New Mexico, took out local phones and Internet, Nixle still worked over its cellular delivery channel.
Nixle has also been used for inter-departmental communications. During the G-20 economic summit in 2009 -- a magnet for trouble -- Pittsburgh police used Nixle’s secure group text messaging to link partner agencies providing security at various events.
Agencies on the system can send alerts, less-urgent advisories, community news, and very localized information about traffic conditions. Residents can look up information on the Internet or text their zipcode to 888777 to subscribe to free cellphone alerts. Nixle uses VeriSign (Syniverse) for dedicated SMS distribution.
The service has not been without problems, however. In one case, a disgruntled former employee whose access to the system was not terminated used the system to send out bogus messages.
Still, the FBI has expressed a preference for getting the word out about unsolved crimes through Nixle because it can no longer count on the local news media to do that.
In late January, Nixle announced it is expanding into businesses with WireWords, a service that allows merchants to text coupons, instant deals, and discounts to customers who subscribe. These business alerts are meant to attract media companies, advertisers, retailers, and small and medium-sized businesses.
As Nixle expands the uses of its online network, the company likely will have to fight harder to be as successful at arresting consumers as it has been at apprehending criminals.
— Joe Grimm is a visiting editor in residence at Michigan State University's School of Journalism, and founded journalism careers Website The JobsPage.
We'll have a chance to find out. I don't think Nixle plans to do it, but other companies are using geolocation in different ways.
We're familiar with the Foursquare application where you can report that you are in a certain place, but we also have services that -- alert you when you are approaching a target or zone and some that will use GPS and cell phones to tell two individuals who are using a service when they are getting close to each other.
" I might be more likely to use SMS coupons if they were geolocated: "Hey, we notice you are approaching the barbershop and are just five miles away. There are two chairs empty and we see you haven't been in for two months."
That might be an interesting alert. But I doubt many will be interested. Good luck to them anyway.
You nailed it! The technology, all by itself, is not the answer. It has to be used in conjunction with some smart thinking and some great communication among the parties who share it.
So many good ideas flop because we fail to use them in the right way or to even take the time to plan how we will deploy them. I'd say your local situation is about 30 percent technology and 70 percent people talking and working together.
This is such a wonderful use of technology! Our neighborhoo assocation teamed up with our local city-wide system like this, and it was really an asset to our community. The days of Community Watch are kind of redefined as our law enforcement can communicate with us about dangers, things that need attention, warnings, and trends to be aware of. To hear the success you mention about is so great. Almost like why would everyone not be a part of this While I realize your Walmart example was an extreme case, it is still what can happen the community comes to together. While technology has driven us farther apart, things like this bring us bacl together.
Great idea, slfisher, but I am pretty sure Nixle sends, but does not receive.
One problem to work out: We are already seeing that people very often use 911 for things it is mot meant to do -- "Is today the day we set our clocks back?" -- clogging the system.
For me, I might be more likely to use SMS coupons if they were geolocated: "Hey, we notice you are approaching the barbershop and are just five miles away. There are two chairs empty and we see you haven't been in for two months."
Problem is, that is just TMI for someone else to have on my location and habits.
Handier would be this: my car GPS tells me: "Hard left! Hard left! There is an ice cream store up ahead and you have hit your calorie allowance for today."
Your sheriff sounds like a character. Using a publicly paid-for service -- especially one for alerts -- to campaign for yourself violates a couple of laws.
But anyone wh sells Kevlar vests on eBay is probably not concerned about those laws ... he's looking for the BIG trouble.
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For all the times we wished someone would tell the tailgater behind us to back off, we may get some help this spring. And it only took about 70 years, WiFi, and GPS to get from conception to testing.
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