NIKOS – CSD

Emergency announcements for CSD Cologne Pride

autonomous reliable cost-effective

NIKOS is not a conventional PA system, but a radio-based public address, alarm and control system for large events, construction sites and crisis situations, which you can rent by the day through certified partners and either integrate into your PA or use on its own.

Challenge

Warnings must reach the parade despite crowds and music

At CSD Cologne Pride in Cologne, large groups of visitors move along a long parade and event route, while floats, music and dense crowds make emergency announcements difficult to understand. Warnings, evacuation announcements and crowd-management instructions must reach the places where they are needed at any given moment. At the same time, the floats’ mobile public address systems operate independently, while public mobile networks can quickly become overloaded when visitor numbers are high.

Solution

One unified solution for everyday use and emergencies

One platform for everything: NIKOS unites visitor information, alerting, crowd management and control in a single, network-independent system. With NIKOS [dispatcher]², individual announcement locations, specific areas or the entire site can be addressed without installing long cable routes along the parade. NIKOS [audio]² receives the voice transmission on site via radio and outputs it as an analogue audio signal through the floats’ mobile public address systems; NIKOS [horn]² supplements the acoustic output at locations without an existing public address system. This reduces the effort required for materials, installation and support, as separate control units, additional public address zones and distributed operator stations can be reduced.

FAQ

Information for planners and organisers

Are announcements made via NIKOS standard-compliant?+
Yes — NIKOS fully meets DIN EN 50849 (electroacoustic emergency warning systems). The system was designed specifically for safety-relevant announcement and alerting tasks, technically built for everyday operation as well as for emergencies. For ELA systems, DIN EN 50849 sets out the relevant framework. Because NIKOS — unlike mobile network-based solutions — does not depend on any external network, it is always immediately usable and fully meets the requirements set out in the standard. Other safety-related standards such as DIN EN 54, DIN VDE 0833-4 or DIN 14675 (voice alarm systems) concern a different field of use and functional scope and are therefore not relevant for NIKOS in terms of approval. Since 2017, NIKOS has been used successfully many times a public address system for temporary and mobile applications in mission-critical communication tasks. RADACOM and your regional NIKOS partner will be happy to advise you on the wide range of NIKOS functions and support you in implementing the requirements cost-effectively.
Where does NIKOS deliver cost savings?+
Depending on the application, NIKOS can provide different functions via a unified communications platform. These savings can quickly offset the rental and installation costs of NIKOS. You can find some specific examples of these savings here. NIKOS mainly reduces the effort required for separate loudspeaker, control and communication solutions. Material requirements and cabling work are reduced, and information and emergency announcements can be made from a single location. In addition, staff travel, operator stations and security posts are eliminated because recurring tasks are controlled centrally and monitored or carried out by NIKOS. This offsets rental and installation costs through savings in personnel and other technology.
Is NIKOS crisis-resilient?+
Yes. NIKOS operates via its own autonomous radio network and is completely independent of public communications networks and their availability. This makes the system highly resistant to external influences. Because NIKOS does not rely on cable routes but communicates via radio, the connection is automatically re-established after an interruption. NIKOS therefore responds much more resiliently to disruptions in normal operation than many other systems, demonstrating the crisis resilience of this communications system. NIKOS [audio]² has an internal battery with a runtime of up to 16 hours and also powers connected accessory modules. Even if the mobile network is overloaded, the internet provider has been hacked or someone has pulled out the wrong plug, NIKOS continues to operate. This means that emergency announcements for CSD Cologne Pride remain reliably functional even in the event of a power failure or disruptions to public communications networks.
How are announcements noticed when the floats are playing loud music?+
When the music is loud, NIKOS [flash]² uses a flashing light to signal the DJ, bandleader or responsible operating personnel to stop the music immediately. In response to the light signal, playback is interrupted so that safety-related announcements can be broadcast clearly. This ensures that important information reliably reaches groups of visitors in the immediate vicinity of the floats.
Emergency announcements for CSD Cologne Pride: Where can NIKOS be rented?+
NIKOS is rented by the day through certified partners, including advice, instruction and technical support. Your regional partner coordinates the deployment with you. Find a partner and request a rental

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