Norway's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre is bringing in a new computer system that it expects to save at least five more lives a year, NRK reports.
For more than two decades, distress alerts with a vessel's position arrived as ordinary emails, and rescue leaders had to type coordinates into a map by hand while juggling 10 to 15 separate programs. The new system, called Samvirke først, shows everything on one screen and places alerts straight on the map, which the centre says saves several minutes on every operation.
Director Jon Halvorsen said the estimate, based on an analysis by Menon Economics, was cautious, and stressed that the aim was to free staff to focus on leading rescues rather than to replace them. Justice Minister Astri Aas-Hansen said the upgrade cost about 60 million kroner and would save society 3.3 billion kroner over ten years.
Source: NRK