Facilities
The Interior Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network maintains premises for the use of member organisations of the Velocity Interoperability Network. Facilities are available to any member in good standing and are provided without charge, subject to the booking procedure and the conditions of use set out below.
Departmental premises adjoin the shared data hall and were set aside for meetings, exercises and training when members transferred the first sites into common holding in August 2026. Fourteen rooms, floors and stores are available; each is listed with its reference, capacity and notice period in the Schedule of Facilities.
- Meeting rooms
- Five rooms seating between eight and forty people at departmental premises, available to members for meetings of working groups and committees. Two adjoining rooms on the first floor may be booked together.
- Assembly hall
- A single hall seating up to three hundred people, reserved for plenary sessions, general meetings of members and public hearings. Thirty working days' notice is required.
- Exercise floors
- Two equipped floors of twenty-four workstations each, on which members may run interoperability exercises against a copy of the Network's shared infrastructure that is isolated from the live Network.
- Training rooms
- Three rooms fitted for instruction, available to members for the training of their own staff in Network standards and procedures.
- Secure stores
- Three lockable stores at departmental premises in which members may hold equipment between exercises, while it awaits installation on shared infrastructure, or during works on their own premises.
Facilities in figures
- 5
- Kinds of facility
- 14
- Rooms, floors and stores
- 300
- Seats in the assembly hall
- 10
- Working days' notice for most bookings
The assembly hall
The assembly hall is the largest room at departmental premises and the only one open to the public. It is reserved for plenary sessions, general meetings of members and public hearings, and is held for the general meeting of members on the first Monday of each quarter.
Because of the notice its use requires and the standing bookings held for Network committees, members are asked to request the hall at least thirty working days in advance and to direct smaller meetings to a meeting room.
How to book
Step 1: Send a request
Requests are made by email to the Department, stating the facility reference from the schedule, the dates and times required, the number of attendees, and the member organisation on whose behalf the request is made.
Step 2: Allow for notice
Requests must be received at least ten working days before the first date required. Requests for the assembly hall must be received at least thirty working days in advance.
Step 3: Await confirmation
The Department confirms a booking in writing. A facility is not reserved until confirmation is issued.
Step 4: Allocation
Bookings are allocated in order of receipt, except that meetings of Network committees take precedence over other use.
Step 5: Cancellation
A booking may be cancelled without charge up to five working days before the first date. Later cancellations are recorded against the member's allocation.
Conditions of use
- Use by members
- Facilities are booked by and for member organisations. A member may invite guests to a meeting or hearing it has booked but remains responsible for them while they are on departmental premises.
- Purpose
- Facilities are used for the business of the Network and of its members. They are not available for private, commercial or political purposes.
- Equipment
- Members may bring their own equipment. Equipment connected to an exercise floor or to the Network is connected under the direction of departmental staff and operated to the Network interoperability standards.
- Condition on return
- A facility is left in the condition in which it was found. Damage beyond ordinary wear is reported at once and is made good at the member's expense.
- Secure stores
- Only the member's own equipment may be held in a store. Records, hazardous materials and equipment belonging to third parties are not accepted. The Department does not insure stored equipment.
- Recording
- Meetings and hearings may be recorded only with the agreement of those present. Public hearings in the assembly hall are recorded by the Department as a matter of course.
- Allocation
- Each member's use of facilities is recorded. Where demand exceeds supply the Department may limit the bookings of a member whose use is out of proportion to that of others.
Enquiries
Booking requests and enquiries may be sent to contact@interior.gov.vin. Members housing equipment on shared sites should see Infrastructure; the land on which departmental premises stand is recorded under Land and Wayleaves.