Tickets – The FREE Open Source Computer-Aided-Dispatch and Situation Awareness Software

Lead programmer on the Tickets project is Arnie Shore, who was reportedly involved for many years in the technical implementation of the Moscow-Washington “Hotline”.  And, I mean seriously, if he could be trusted with keeping the entire planet from turning into a globe of glass, don’t you think his team’s FREE Computer-Aided-Dispatch (CAD) software is good enough for you?  The Chinese think so – they’ve downloaded thousands of copies of Tickets. 

Here’s what you get:

• Web-based system – that works in any browser, with any Operating System,
• Real-time operation, with a no-Internet option,
• Basic U.S. National Grid support, regionalization (new), map markup, operator chat, KML support,
• Mobile unit tracking via APRS, Latitude, Instamapper, LocateA, and others,
• Extensive tailoring to support local operation requirements/terminology - e.g., a Spanish language version is available,
• Dynamic situation awareness via color-coding, and
• Tablet support.
   

Typical usage: Natural resources law enforcement, airport security, EMS response, special event support, and small units of government that can’t afford big-ticket CAD systems.

Want to know more?  Start here with this online article.  Then checkout the project home page and download site at www.ticketscad.org.  Don’t expect one of those fancy websites that the commercial vendors slap up with customer money – but you will be able to figure out if Tickets makes sense for you (I recommend viewing the screen shots).  Heck, Arnie and his crew will even include free web hosting for public safety operations.  And to me, that makes Tickets the best CAD deal going no matter how hard you look!