Ohio Turns To Tech For Land ManagementOhio Turns To Tech For Land Management

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has new technology to manage more than 590,000 acres of land.

The department recently received 300 land and water vehicles equipped with Panasonic Toughbook CR-30 notebooks for accessing data from the field, improving internal communications, and enhancing public safety. CDW Government provided the notebooks, which are built to withstand rain, spills, dust, and vibrations and can be read in harsh lighting conditions.

"We were able to test drive a variety of ruggedized mobile computing solutions, exposing the technology to the elements our officers face on a daily basis," Dean Bolton, telecommunications manager at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said in a statement.

"From sub-zero temperatures to extreme heat conditions to the rigors of off-road driving, day in and day out, the Toughbooks provide our officers with near-instant communication and back-end system efficiency that allows us to better protect our citizens along with our rivers, lakes, forest and wildlife," said Bolton.

Bolton said that the department has improved efficiency by doing away with the need to send information via radio and dispatch.

LEDCO provided rugged computer mounting systems to withstand rough terrain and to allow workers to access the notebooks inside their vehicles and easily remove them as well.

"State and local government agencies need enhanced situational awareness to work effectively and respond rapidly to incidents in the field," said Jim Grass, CDW-G's senior director of state and local government sales. "Mobile technology solutions like the Panasonic Toughbook enable the anytime, anywhere information access that is essential to citizen safety and employee productivity in today's increasingly mobile, paperless society."

The notebooks allow workers to access software applications for law enforcement, topographical maps, and GPS data.