Design observations regarding public safety networks

Through this paper we advance an initial set of 12 observations that will form the basis for developing design principles for public safety networks (PSN), and more broadly for inter-organizational systems within the public sector. A public safety network is an interagency collaboration focused on the development and use of information and communication technologies to support the information sharing and functional interoperability needs of public safety organizations engaged in law enforcement, criminal justice, and emergency response. Our goal in presenting this initial set of PSN design observations is to: (1) encourage improved PSN systems design through the development of design principles and (2) increase the attention paid, when designing and developing these forms of information systems, to the co-design of structures of governance and operation that PSN entail. © 2011 ACM.