Leveraging mobile technology to improve emergency response

NORWALK, CT — With over 70 percent of 911 calls now being placed by wireless callers — and no reliable way to pin a mobile phone number to a specific location — it is difficult to see how next-generation mobile services can be life-saving. But they can, and here’s how.

Take, for example, the increase in Voice over IP (VoIP) phone services and 4G capabilities, such as sending an EMT a picture of an accident prior to their arrival or explaining emergency procedures with a caller via video. Such technologies can significantly improve mission-critical communication capabilities when data, images or video are transmitted in a 911 call to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). Compare this with today’s emergency services (E911), in which the public can only make emergency voice calls or teletype calls, both of which only deliver a minimal amount of data, and it’s a no-brainer.

However, integrating Emergency Services IP Networks, or ESInets, with legacy networks requires that PSAPs be able to handle video, streaming, data, texts and voice – not to mention the critical ability to identify the location of a mobile or VoIP phone – which is no easy feat. So how are public safety leaders addressing the challenges of how to move to next-generation emergency services, and what do they need to know in managing the transition?

The Future of Emergency Calling Standards

In an effort to improve emergency communications, the Next Generation 911 initiative (NG911), spearheaded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, offers great promise in dramatically improving emergency response capabilities. It has the goal of incorporating next-generation mobile capabilities into existing PSAPs as a way to expand the range of ways callers can transmit emergency information. In the NG911 environment, the public will be able to make a wide range of emergency “calls” including voice, text and video, from any device – wired or wireless – over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. In addition, PSAPs will be able to obtain data from personal safety devices like medical alert systems and sensors. Not only do these services support a constantly increasing mobile user base, but they also support the deaf and hearing impaired, who frequently communicate via text message, as well as non-English speaking callers.

The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) is also setting the stage for the future of emergency calling. Its recent approval of the i3 standard, a long-term plan to ensure that all public safety networks are transitioned successfully from legacy networks to next-generation IP networks, would allow for more advanced services like video, streaming, data, text and voice communications to be used in emergency calls. The protocol for delivering these “calls” across the ESInet will be the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), or IP Multimedia Subsystem (News – Alert) (IMS, which incorporates SIP). The functional and interface standards developed by NENA describe general SIP and IMS-based architectures that offer agencies flexibility in developing an infrastructure to support the envisioned future (and features) of NG911 calling.

Public safety agencies are thinking about how best to transition to NG911, but with over 6,000 PSAPs in the U.S., transitioning every single PSAP from TDM to IP comes with its challenges – budget being top of mind. The goal of many PSAPs is to become part of a larger regional network that include other PSAPs, thereby reducing the CapEx and OpEx burden and leveraging shared resources to connect various emergency call centers. This could take place in a physical or virtual manner, with several counties working together to consolidate their physical networks, or via virtual IP networks. If executed correctly, the economic and operational advantages of NG911 networks will be significant.

The TDM to IP Transition

There are two options for transitioning from TDM to IP. The first option is for public safety agencies to run two networks in parallel – a TDM and an IP network – until they do the switchover. However, this is hardware-intensive, so it can be very expensive and inefficient.

The second option considers not just the replication of what their networks can accomplish today, but what their networks can accomplish in the future. That way, as new services are introduced they can build on their network rather than having to recreate it again in the future. This option entails implementing the right network equipment that can support both TDM and IP services, so that they can complete today’s E911 services, while transitioning to new NG911 services – without incurring capital expenses. As such, this is a far more attractive option.

Building on Existing Networks: What to Consider

In considering building on top of their existing network, PSAPs should be aware of key network features that can support both TDM and IP. These include the following:

1. Legacy Network Gateway (News – Alert) (LNG): The Legacy Network Gateway is a media gateway solution with additional 911-specific features that allows legacy, TDM-based carrier networks to access the emergency services available in the ESInet.
2. Legacy PSAP Gateway (LPG): The Legacy PSAP Gateway is a media gateway solution that is critical to providing protocol conversion from the NG9-1-1 ESInet to the E911 PSAP equipment.
3. Emergency Services Routing Proxy (ESRP): The ESRP is the base routing of function for emergency calls for NG911. As needed, the ESRP queries the Emergency Call Routing Function (ECRF) for routing instructions and queries the PRF for applicable policy. The ESRP forwards the modified SIP signaling to the appropriate node. The ESRP is also used for calls originating in the PSAP that are bound for responders. It is important to select equipment that supports the necessary recording and media anchoring requirements for the ESRP and can also deliver video services, a key aspect of envisioned NG911 communications.
4. Border Control Function (BCF): The Border Control Function provides a secure entry into the ESInet for emergency calls presented to the network. It incorporates firewall and admission control, and may include anchoring of sessions and media as well as other security mechanisms to prevent deliberate or malicious attacks on PSAPs or other entities connected to the ESInet.

Each of these elements is critical to making the migration from E911 to NG911 as seamless as possible; avoiding the time and money it takes to replace an entire network. They make it possible to tie ESInets to legacy networks to ensure PSAPs can handle video, streaming, data, texting and voice – and, importantly, obtain the location of a mobile or a VoIP phone – taking the public safety industry to the next level.

Call to Action: Public Safety Leaders

The NG911 initiative has been underway for a long time, but the passage of NENA’s i3 standard represents a significant step forward for the public safety industry. Now more than ever, public safety leaders must be aware of the various ways to transition from E911 to NG911. Whether its incident notification, response coordination or mass reporting, NG911 protocols will enable significant leaps in emergency responsive capabilities. Public safety leaders’ understanding of which core components of the network will enable them to make this transition in the most efficient and cost-effective manner will be critical to realizing the promises for next-generation technologies for the public safety industry. Building on their existing network with equipment that supports both TDM and IP so that they can support both existing and future services is the clear option.

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