DAM Lifesavers?
This AP Story talks about an initiative to expand the 911 emergency program to accept videos and images. It sounds like a great idea to put the ubiquity of cell phone cameras and mini video cameras to use. Not only would the thousands of words expressed by a picture be effective in explaining the facts to the 911 operator, these images could be valuable evidence in legal trials that might arise from the emergency. However, there is concern about the ability of the already extended 911 system to handle all the images and videos that might be reported. In addition to uncertainty about adequate network bandwidth, 911 operators need the tools and processes to evaluate and catalog all the visual content that they receive - a perfect application for a Digital Asset Management solution.
The article does not name vendors that they are talking to but this would be a very cool case study. The solution would have to be optimized for rapid-response usability and also records retention. This kind of Digital Asset Management implementation might also push the state of the art in automated image interpretation (is this a fire or a hit and run? is the person in the picture a convicted felon?).