As Research Vice President for IDC's Worldwide and US Public Safety practice, Dr. Alison Brooks leads public safety and first responder research and advisory services, with a specialization in Smart Cities and Communities. Dr. Brooks' research examines the digital transformation of public safety agencies, covering technologies that serve the full spectrum of first responders — including fire, EMS, and law enforcement — across areas such as connected communications, AI-enabled situational awareness, autonomous systems and drones, data interoperability, integrated physical security, and next-generation command and control. With nearly 20 years at IDC, Dr. Brooks brings a long-term perspective on how public safety agencies adopt, adapt, and extract value from emerging technologies.