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Next Generation 9-1-1 (acronyms: NG 9-1-1, NG911, and NG E9-1-1) refers to an initiative of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) aimed at updating the nation's 9-1-1 service infrastructure to establish the foundation for public emergency communications services in a wireless mobile society. In addition to calling 9-1-1 from a phone, the public will be able to send text, picture and video messages to the 9-1-1 center (referred to as a Public Safety Answering Point, or PSAP). NG 9-1-1 is the most significant upgrade to the U.S. 9-1-1 system since the early 1970's.[1] The initiative also envisions additional types of emergency communications and data transfer.[2] This NG 9-1-1 infrastructure will replace the current services over time. The phrase and its acronyms are used both to refer to the DOT initiative, and to the developments currently underway to make the goals of the project a reality.[3]
Purpose and history
[edit]The project began in 2005, in recognition of the fact that the nation's current 9-1-1 system was not capable of handling the text, data, images and video that are increasingly common in personal communications. The stated goals of the project are to:
- Establish the foundation for public emergency services in a wireless mobile society
- Pave the way for fundamental changes (who, what, where, how) in moving emergency information
- Enable 9-1-1 "calls" from most types of communication or networked device
The project is aimed at ultimately establishing a national architecture for an NG 9-1-1 system that would meet these goals, and to create a transistion plan for NG 9-1-1. The "proof of concept" phase of the project was completed in 2008, and a report was issued on the results of a proof of concept demonstration conducted over the course of that year.[4] That report has served as the basic blueprint for planning and implementation of these capabilities. Actual implementation of these capabilities is expected to take several years, and will require changes to existing communications infrastructure, as well as changes to the way Public-safety answering points (PSAPs) operate.[5]
Today's 9-1-1 vs. Next Generation 9-1-1
[edit]In today's 9-1-1 environment, the public can primarily make emergency voice calls, Teletype calls (primarily by hearing impaired persons), and, increasingly, internet (VoIP) calls. Only minimal data is delivered with these calls, such as number, name and location, when available. There is no "long distance" 9-1-1 service access, and any required transfer of an emergency call to a different PSAP is normally done over non-emergency phone lines. This transfers only the voice or Teletype call, not the location data that was delivered with it to the original PSAP. Outbound emergency notification (where a public safety agency initiates notification of an emergency to the public) is practical only for land-line (normal residential) phones.[6]
In the Next Generation 9-1-1 environment, the public will be able to make voice, text, or video emergency "calls" from any communications device via Internet-like networks. The PSAP of the future will also be able to receive data from personal safety devices such as Advanced Automatic Collision Notification systems, medical alert systems, and sensors of various types. The new infrastructure envisioned by the NG 9-1-1 project will support "long distance" 9-1-1 services, as well as transfer of emergency calls to other PSAPs - including any accompanying data. In addition, the PSAP will be able to issue emergency alerts to wireless devices in an area via voice or text message, and to highway alert systems. The core technology for this future 9-1-1 system will be Internet Protocol (IP) networks.[7]
Example scenarios
[edit]- Most hearing impaired persons in the U.S. today have a TTY or TDD (Telecommunications device for the deaf) of some sort in their homes which allows them to make an emergency TTY "call" to their local PSAP. However, they have no way of doing this when away from home. In the NG 9-1-1 environment, they will be able to place such a call by sending a text message from their cell phone. They will be able to carry on a text conversation with a 9-1-1 operator, and even send pictures or video when necessary.[8]
- In the event of a major highway accident involving multiple vehicles, including a hazardous material vehicle, a county 9-1-1 center may receive many calls from different motorists. This can cause the center to be overloaded with calls, leading to initial confusion of the locations of the multiple crashes. The confusion can delay response times for the necessary equipment and services, which can, in turn, cost lives and delay return to normal traffic flow. In the NG 9-1-1 environment, everyone in the vicinity with an internet-connected device can be automatically notified to avoid the area. Highway message signs, and the 5-1-1 system can also display the warning. Any involved vehicle with an Advanced Automatic Collision Notification system automatically sends important crash data to the 9-1-1 center, which can dispatch Medivac helicopters even if the passengers are unable to respond.[9]
Stakeholders and technologies involved
[edit]Many pieces of the existing communications and data infrastructure will require modification to make NG 9-1-1 a reality. The private companies and public agencies that provide these goods and services will be significantly impacted. Chief among these are:
- Telecommunications equipment and service providers;
- Information technology equipment and service providers;
- Telematics, including Advanced Automatic Collision Notification;
- Hazmat (Dangerous goods) security alerts to or from commercial motor carriers or rail carriers;
- Integration of Intelligent transportation systems with public safety communications systems..[10]
Other major stakeholders include:
- State and local 9-1-1 agencies
- Public safety and emergency management agencies
- Emergency services industry
- Federal departments, including Transportation, Commerce, Homeland Security, Justice and the Federal Communications Commission
- National organizations with active interests in 9-1-1
- IT research community
- Standards community
Major contributors and stakeholders in the standards community include:
- NENA (National Emergency Number Association)
- APCO (Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International)
- IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)
- TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association)
The Department of Transportation has commited to facilitating the involvement of all these stakeholders going forward in order to develop the architecture and migration plan necessary to make NG 9-1-1 a functional reality.[11]
Public network infrastructure impacts
[edit]In order for a useful connection to be made between the Public Safety Answering Point and person reporting the emergency, and number of changes need to be made to the existing infrastructure. For example, if a user is sending a text message, perhaps with video attached, the data needs to be routed to the PSAP that serves the area where the person is currently, and the location of the wireless device must accompany the message. The person's wireless carrier will receive the message first, then forward the message to the appropriate PSAP along with the location information. Since three different protocols may be used by the wireless device (SMS for text, MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) or Wireless Application Protocol for multimedia), translation to a common protocol may be required prior to forwarding. In the case of Advanced Automatic Collision Notification data, the service provider must be able to similarly route this data, along with location data to the PSAP serving the area where the collision occurred. For the PSAP to be able to send out automatic notifications to all wireless devices currently operating in the area of an emergency, a similar routing mechanism must exist in the opposite (outgoing) direction. Here again, the wireless carrier will be forwarding information.[12][3][13]
PSAP infrastructure impacts
[edit]Local PSAP network impacts
[edit]A High availability IP infrastructure interface will be needed at the PSAP for it to be able to send and receive all this data. A key element of this will be equipment and software to support VoIP communications. Internal routing of the emergency communications to the appropriate systems (i.e. text, picture and video data to the Computer-assisted dispatch system, and simultaneously to the communications recording system) will require modifications to the existing PSAP network equipment and software. Some of these changes will be non-trivial.[12][3][13]
Local wireless infrastructure impacts
[edit]Since some of the emergency communications data will need to be forwarded to field units such as police and fire vehicles, changes will be required to the software running on the terminals that receive the data, and on those that transmit the data.[3] If the existing wireless communications system is Project 25 compliant, little or no change will be required to the transmit/receive equipment itself, since it already supports transmission of any type of data.[14]
Communications recording system impacts
[edit]The NG 9-1-1 test plan requires that these new types of emergency communications (text, pictures, video) be recorded along with the voice communications that have traditionally been recorded. Most existing communications recorders are not capable of recording anything other than audio, and major changes may be required to bring these devices into NG 9-1-1 compliance. This may require a significant investment on the part of the PSAP if the existing equipment cannot be modified to support the new requirements.[15][4]
Human resource impacts
[edit]There will also be significant operational impacts on the PSAP "call takers", dispatchers (those who dispatch emergency vehicles and personnel), and on their managers. Workloads are expected to increase, and significant new training will be required for those responsible for responding to these new communication types. Similar impacts on both public and private emergency response providers, and on Telematics and medical services providers are also anticipated.[16][3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ NG 9-1-1 overview
- ^ U.S. Dept. Of Transportation NG 9-1-1 initiative
- ^ a b c d e Mission Critical Magazine: "Greater Expectations"
- ^ a b NG 9-1-1 Proof Of Concept Test Report
- ^ D.O.T. NG 9-1-1 Overview
- ^ About NG 9-1-1
- ^ Today's 9-1-1 vs. Future 9-1-1
- ^ Next Generation 9-1-1 System Preliminary Concept of Operations
- ^ NG 9-1-1 Examples and Scenarios
- ^ NG 9-1-1 technologies
- ^ NG 9-1-1 stakeholder involvelment
- ^ a b NG 9-1-1 Operational Needs
- ^ a b NG 9-1-1 Infrastructure
- ^ Telecommunications Industry Association standard "TIA.102" (series)
- ^ NG 9-1-1 recording requirements
- ^ Operational Impacts and Needs
External links
[edit]NextGeneration9-1-1.org website
Emergency Transportation Operations Initiative
ITS Public Safety Information Exchange Project
FHWA Office of Operations Emergency Transportation Response
Cybertelecom :: VoIP and 911 - Federal Internet Regulation]
NENA (National Emergency Number Association) website
APCO (The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials - International) website