Cross-agency collaboration and coordination (C3) among public authorities is vital to ensuring public safety, especially when dealing with major incidents such as traffic accidents and natural disasters. Agencies including law enforcement and emergency services must share information and coordinate a fast response if they are to minimize impacts and save lives. However, there are a number of obstacles to effective collaboration.

Limited information sharing – Staff from different agencies must travel to meet, which can be slow and costly.

Geographic factors – Traditional collaboration channels, such as radio for speech, can limit situational awareness.

Data sensitivity – Agencies must follow complex rules about which information they can share and where they can store data.