The COTAK program has begun to directly fund the development of the iOS version of TAK, known as iTAK. The first COTAK-funded feature for iTAK has been released. This feature is a breadcrumb tool that allows a user to optionally track any map marker, including their own, as it moves across the map. When engaged, this feature leaves a trail of breadcrumbs behind as the marker moves, allowing users to establish the direction of travel and a marker’s previous locations. This trail can be exported as a route or can be converted into a shape. Learn more about this feature by watching our training video.
This past month, the Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting (CoE) achieved a significant milestone by launching the Colorado Team Awareness Kit (COTAK™) service.
Introducing the Colorado Team Awareness Kit (COTAK), a free real-time location-based service for Colorado public safety agencies.
The COTAK team recently met with Aerial Fire Magazine to discuss how we are providing real time information to wildland firefighters and other first responders.
CBS 4 Denver featured the COTAK program in a story describing its development and how it is being used to improve the situational awareness of first responders.
CoE Deputy Director of Science and Research Dr. Bob Gann was recently featured on the “Smart Firefighting” podcast with a discussion on COTAK. Bob has been instrumental in building the cotak.gov website and user management system, and in this podcast he shares his insight on why COTAK was built and what our value proposition is to first responders in Colorado. If you have 20 minutes to spare the podcast episode is well worth a listen!
A user forum has been added to the COTAK website. Any user with a valid COTAK login can access the forum at forum.cotak.gov and logging in with the same username and password used by your main COTAK account. The forum allows first responders using COTAK to ask questions and receive support from other first responders using COTAK and the COTAK project team. The forum also serves as a central location for first responders to learn about how others are using COTAK and exchange ideas.
The COTAK system is now capable of supporting mutual aid, meaning that multiple agencies can use COTAK to access a common channel in the app and view the locations of first responders from all agencies involved in an operation. COTAK currently has statewide mutual aid channels for law enforcement, wildland fire, and snowstorm operations. Mutual aid channels for smaller counties or regions of the state can be created as well.
The way mutual aid works in COTAK is through the creation of "parent" entities, which can have multiple agencies as their "children." One or more channels can be created in the parent, and all children agencies automatically are given access to these channels.
For example a county can be a parent entity, and within that county the three fire departments, two police departments, and the sheriff's office can all be designated as children of the county. Then COTAK creates a county "owned" channel in TAK called "County MAC" and this channel automatically becomes available to any first responder in the six agencies within that county. This channel can be turned on or off by each first responder depending on their needs.
Contact the COTAK project team at support@cotak.gov if you would like to learn more or have mutual aid deployed in your area of Colorado.
The CoE has begun creating new training materials for the COTAK project, including training videos for the Android, iOS, and WinTAK apps. Check back frequently as new videos will be posted as soon as they are made.
Video are organized into curriculums on the COTAK training page (available with a login) or on our YouTube channel:
Channels selection for iTAK has been recently released as part of the 2.7 app update (July 2023). This major enhancement now allows all COTAK users using ATAK, iTAK, or WinTAK to choose which channels you would like to share your location and interact with.
Turning a channel to the "on" position means you are sharing your location on that channel and can view and interact with all other COTAK users on that same channel. Turning a channel to the "off" position hides your location from users on that channel. There is no limit to the number of channels you may turn on at a time.
Since it is a significant upgrade to the iTAK app we're recommending users completely delete iTAK and re-download the app. This will require the user to log in again and select the "Tak Channels" tool along the bottom menu bar, then turn on the appropriate channels. If you've forgotten your password, go to cotak.gov, attempt to log in and use the forgot password link. Reload the app, set your callsign, dot color and use the QR code for your username/password. The iTAK Installation Guide for COTAK contains detailed instructions on how to accomplish this.
The cotak.gov website has been updated with Agency Administrator tools. With an admin login you can create new COTAK users for your agency personnel, create and manage your own private channels, and perform standard user management. If you do not know who your agency administrator is for COTAK, or would like to become an agency administrator, contact the COTAK support team at support@cotak.gov, and we will vet your request.