FRAMINGHAM, Mass., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Rave Mobile Safety, the trusted software partner for campus and public safety, has announced that Smart911 was voted a winner in the 2012 Edison Best New Products Awards™ competition, receiving Silver for Personal Safety/Security in the Innovative Services category. Rave Mobile Safety's Smart911 is a public/private partnership creating a first-of-its-kind critical caller database that is already helping citizens and emergency responders across 23 states. At a sold-out event held April 26 at the Capitale ballroom in New York, Rave's Chief Executive Officer, Tom Axbey, joined hundreds of top level executives from some of the world's most recognized companies to hear winners announced and celebrate 25 years of the Edison Awards honoring innovators and innovations.

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"As the pace of innovation quickens and the 'race to next' becomes ever more competitive, it's increasingly important to take a moment out of our hectic lives to recognize excellence in innovation and greatness in the teams of innovators who make our future. We are honored to present Rave Mobile Safety with an Edison Award as one of the leading innovators of today and tomorrow in a particularly critical area, public safety," says Thomas Stat, 2012 Edison Awards Steering Committee Chairman.

Currently, when 9-1-1 receives a call, only a phone number and some level of location data are displayed. Smart911 is a national system that provides citizens with the ability to create safety profiles online holding personal data that is automatically displayed to 9-1-1 only during emergency calls. Information can include children's photos, medical conditions, disabilities, home addresses of cellphone callers, or other rescue-related information. This enables emergency responders to be more effective because they have access to a rich source of critical health and logistics information before arriving at the scene of an emergency. Smart911 also supports the critical need to effectively capture and manage data for special needs citizens.

"Every day, 9-1-1 call-takers across the country answer life-impacting calls and emergency responders enter very stressful situations to help citizens," said Tom Axbey, CEO of Rave Mobile Safety. "Our goal through this public-private partnership is to provide these professionals with critical information that can increase their effectiveness, enabling them to save valuable time and lives. The Edison Awards are acclaimed for identifying innovation and we are gratified that the importance of Smart911 for protecting citizens is being highlighted."

Since 1987, the Edison Awards have recognized ideas at the forefront of new products, services, marketing, design and innovation. Being recognized with an Edison Award has become one of the highest accolades a company can receive in the name of innovation and business. The awards are named after Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) whose inventions, new product development methods and innovative achievements, literally changed the world, garnered him 1,093 U.S. patents and made him a household name around the world. 

Nominees for the Edison Best New Product Awards were judged by a panel of more than 3,000 individuals, including members of the Marketing Executives Networking Group, an organization comprising America's top marketing professionals and academics. Judges also included professionals from the fields of product development & design, engineering, science and education. This year, in a comprehensive, peer-review process, nominees were judged on a new set of evaluation criteria developed in partnership with Nielsen. These new criteria establish a new definition of innovation, leveraging the primary assessment themes of Concept, Value, Impact and Delivery. 

About Rave Mobile Safety

Rave Mobile Safety is the most trusted software partner for campus and public safety. Used by leading Institutes of Higher Education and State and Local Agencies, the award-winning portfolio of RaveAlert, RaveGuardian, Eyewitness, Smart911 and SmartPrepare enables millions to feel safe, secure and connected. Rave Mobile Safety is headquartered in Framingham, MA. For more information please visit www.ravemobilesafety.com

About the Edison Awards

The 2012 Edison Awards are sponsored by Nielsen, Discovery Communications, SCIENCE, USA TODAY, CSRware, applepeak and ViridiSTOR.  For more information about the Edison Awards and a full list of winners, visit www.edisonawards.com.

Media Contact:
Marty Querzoli
Davies Murphy Group
pr@ravemobilesafety.com
(781) 418-2433

SOURCE Rave Mobile Safety