Unwrapping Reston Town Center's ParkRTC: The LiveSafe Platform

RESTON, VA — The ParkRTC app has been delayed until early 2017 as Boston Properties gets to work trying to better explain -- in their words -- what exactly they're bringing to Reston.

Patch.com is speaking to people involved in the project, who are invited to fully explain what the platform brings to Reston residents. In today's edition, we interview Carolyn Parent, the CEO of LiveSafe, a platform that will be incorporated into the ParkRTC app as a safety and security enhancement. LiveSafe is based in Rosslyn, but serves many organizations nationwide, including the San Francisco 49ers, Coca-Cola and many college campuses, to name just a few clients.

What kind of features does the LiveSafe platform offer to Reston residents?

Parent: LiveSafe is a mobile safety platform. It basically has two components: one component is the mobile component, which is a mobile app that you download on your phone. It does a number of things: it receives information about safety and security and weather, and it also gives you the ability to send information or request a connection to local security. The second piece is the back end, which is used by safety and security officials. That is the receiving end, so if you had a mobile app on your phone, and if you saw something suspicious, you could take a picture, send a text, or post a video, and with one tap it would go to the appropriate official. They would be able to communicate with you via chat.

How exactly does LiveSafe tie into the ParkRTC app?

Parent: We are the safety component, so when patrons download the parking application, there will be a component that will allow them to [take action] if they see a suspicious person or need help and want to contact security, all of that is native and in the actual parking application.

Is there anything that makes this specific version of LiveSafe unique to Reston?

Parent: Each system, from a mobile application perspective, is unique to the entity, and the functionality is designed so that Reston Town Center can pick types of tips and information they want to receive from their patrons. The rest of the capabilities, in terms of the communication and broadcasting, all of that capability is used the same way.

Reston residents are concerned about their information being vulnerable. What is LiveSafe doing to protect their information?

Parent: First, this is a completely voluntary application, and when you decide to engage in the application to connect with safety officials, you make a determination of if you want to identify yourself or if you want to communicate anonymously. LiveSafe does not have any personally identifiable information. We don't know who users are or have any information about them. The fact that they can do it anonymously really encourages reporting.

Are there any other features Reston residents should be aware of?

Parent: What's in the platform today is our Safewalk capability. That's the ability to get a virtual escort to and from your different points, and that's been something that's really been exciting. In the university space we've had a lot of kids on college campuses who want to ask security or friends in their contact list to walk them home virtually.

Image via LiveSafe