NexCAD - Computer-Aided Dispatch Platform for Emergency Services

NexCAD - Computer-Aided Dispatch Platform for Emergency Services NexCAD is a mission-critical dispatch platform used by 911 call centers and field responders to manage live incidents, track units in real time, and pull investigative data in seconds. I designed the full system: the dispatcher's command console, live mapping and unit tracking, cross-database search tools, hazard alerting, and the incident communication layer connecting dispatch with officers in the field.

The core design constraint was speed under pressure - every screen had to support split-second decisions during active emergencies, which meant prioritizing scannability, status clarity, and zero ambiguity over visual polish for its own sake.

One Screen, Every Active Event The dashboard a dispatcher lives in during a shift. A live table of active events sits alongside a real-time map showing every unit's position, with a running remarks feed on the right so nothing gets missed. I designed this as a three-panel layout specifically so a dispatcher never has to navigate away from active events to get map or communication context - everything they need during a live call stays on one screen.

Catching Bad Addresses Before They Cost Time Wrong addresses during emergency dispatch can cost minutes that matter. I designed an address verification step that surfaces close matches the moment a dispatcher enters a location, letting them confirm the correct one in a single click rather than discovering the error after a unit is already en route. The event entry form beside it captures caller info, event type, priority, and disposition in a dense but structured layout built for fast, repeated data entry under time pressure.

Surfacing the Context Dispatchers Need, Automatically When a call comes from a known business or location, dispatchers need contact and site details immediately - not buried in a separate lookup. I designed a responder information panel that surfaces this automatically, alongside a unit notice display confirming exactly which units have been notified and dispatched to a given event, reducing the chance of duplicate or missed dispatches.

The live map uses colour and iconography to distinguish unit types and status at a glance - critical when a dispatcher is tracking dozens of units simultaneously across a jurisdiction. A companion Command Status panel lists every connected unit's current state in text form, giving dispatchers both a spatial and a list-based way to confirm unit availability depending on what a given moment calls for.

Not everything needs a radio call. I designed a lightweight messaging layer tied directly to each incident, so dispatchers and field units can exchange quick updates - location changes, additional details, confirmations - without cluttering voice channels. Each thread stays attached to its incident, so context is never lost when a shift changes hands.

A small but important detail: when a unit marks arrival, dispatchers get an immediate, unmistakable toast confirmation with a location snapshot - no need to hunt for the update in a log. On the flip side, I designed a clear, low-friction error state for when something fails on the backend, giving users a direct retry action instead of a dead end, which matters enormously in a tool where every second of downtime has real consequences.

Officers and dispatchers need to cross-reference people, vehicles, firearms, boats, and equipment against records instantly. I designed a consistent search pattern reused across every entity type - Person, Vehicle, Gun, Boat, Fire Parts, Article - so once a user learns the interaction once, it works everywhere. Inline validation (shown here catching an incorrectly entered article ID) prevents wasted queries and flags likely data-entry mistakes before they propagate.

Beyond monitoring, the platform supports active navigation - a full-screen map mode with turn-by-turn directions and a highlighted route, letting a dispatcher or unit see the fastest path to an incident overlaid with live traffic and hazard context, rather than switching to a separate consumer maps app mid-response.

Hazard alerts (chemical spills, structural danger, armed suspects near a route) needed to break through every other piece of information on screen instantly. I used a high-contrast red banner reserved exclusively for this alert type, positioned to interrupt without fully blocking the map underneath - ensuring dispatchers see it immediately without losing situational awareness of the incident they were already managing.

During an active incident, knowing what's physically nearby - fire hydrants, hospitals, schools, known hazards - can change how a response is handled. I designed a category-based quick filter so dispatchers can toggle these points of interest on and off the map instantly, instead of manually searching for each one.

For after-action review and reporting, I designed a media replay tool that lets users scrub through historical unit movements and events across a specified date and time range - turning the live operational map into a retrospective investigation tool without needing a separate reporting system.

A single incident can accumulate a large amount of related data - linked events, remarks, hazard notes, involved vehicles, and prior history at the same location. Rather than spreading this across separate pages, I organized it into a tabbed modal so a dispatcher or investigator can move between categories of information without losing their place on the underlying map.

Clicking any unit on the map surfaces a compact detail card - status, current assignment, contact info, and live telemetry like speed and direction - giving dispatchers a fast way to check on a specific unit without leaving the map view or interrupting the broader operational picture.

The dispatch board gives a supervisor-level view across an entire jurisdiction: every unit's current assignment and status colour-coded by type, alongside a live queue of calls still pending assignment. This was designed as the highest-density screen in the product, deliberately - at this level, dispatch supervisors need maximum information per glance to balance workload and catch bottlenecks before they become delays.