911 idea

[moonman239]

So I was thinking -- what if the iPhone used my location to figure out where my 911 call should be routed? This would be extremely handy in California, where all mobile 911 calls go to highway patrol. My local police department has a 10-digit emergency number for calling from a cellphone, however.

Imagine this:

I'm in Vacaville. I see someone having trauma. I tell Siri to call 911. If the phone determines that the traumatic person probably isn't on the highway (this fact would be determined by looking at the GPS data), the phone will call the Vacaville PD. If the trauma could be on the highway, the phone will call CHP.

 

[zachnelson]

So I was thinking -- what if the iPhone used my location to figure out where my 911 call should be routed? This would be extremely handy in California, where all mobile 911 calls go to highway patrol. My local police department has a 10-digit emergency number for calling from a cellphone, however.

Imagine this:

I'm in Vacaville. I see someone having trauma. I tell Siri to call 911. If the phone determines that the traumatic person probably isn't on the highway (this fact would be determined by looking at the GPS data), the phone will call the Vacaville PD. If the trauma could be on the highway, the phone will call CHP.

Reliability. Those few seconds of finding GPS location, etc could be the difference between life or death.

 

[S.B.G]

So I was thinking -- what if the iPhone used my location to figure out where my 911 call should be routed? This would be extremely handy in California, where all mobile 911 calls go to highway patrol. My local police department has a 10-digit emergency number for calling from a cellphone, however.

Imagine this:

I'm in Vacaville. I see someone having trauma. I tell Siri to call 911. If the phone determines that the traumatic person probably isn't on the highway (this fact would be determined by looking at the GPS data), the phone will call the Vacaville PD. If the trauma could be on the highway, the phone will call CHP.

Interesting idea, but wireless 9-1-1 calls are routed via the tower they are affiliated with and that tower passes the call onto the PSAP (public safety answering point) assigned by the local PSAP's along with the telephone co responsible for routing said calls. GPS data is used to locate a 9-1-1 call in a Phase II enabled 9-1-1 system, both at the PSAP and by the cellular carrier. That pinpoints by Lat/Lon for the PSAP within about 100 meters of the phones actual location, typically. If there is no Phase II system in place, then it's likely a Phase I and would only give the location of the cellular tower, not the caller to the PSAP.

 

[moonman239]

Interesting idea, but wireless 9-1-1 calls are routed via the tower they are affiliated with and that tower passes the call onto the PSAP (public safety answering point) assigned by the local PSAP's along with the telephone co responsible for routing said calls. GPS data is used to locate a 9-1-1 call in a Phase II enabled 9-1-1 system, both at the PSAP and by the cellular carrier. That pinpoints by Lat/Lon for the PSAP within about 100 meters of the phones actual location, typically. If there is no Phase II system in place, then it's likely a Phase I and would only give the location of the cellular tower, not the caller to the PSAP.

In California, the highway patrol answers all wireless 911 calls. They forward all non-highway-related calls to the local police or sheriff.

 

[TheBuffather]

Reliability. Those few seconds of finding GPS location, etc could be the difference between life or death.

I don't think it would be any longer (quicker, actually) than having the HP reroute the call to a different emergency operator. I've never heard of 911 routing to HP instead of normal emergency services; very odd to me.

 

[S.B.G]

In California, the highway patrol answers all wireless 911 calls. They forward all non-highway-related calls to the local police or sheriff.

Every state has it's own way of managing how calls are routed and in some aspects of the public safety world, that is unfortunate. I cannot speak for California and they're ways, but I can speak for Michigan. What I described above a few days ago, is how we handle 9-1-1 call routing here.

Does the CHP even answer wireless calls made inside city limits, like L.A., San Diego, & San Francisco...?

 

[nostresshere]

In the works.

Read more here

Google is your friend.

 

[OwenMeasures]

So I was thinking -- what if the iPhone used my location to figure out where my 911 call should be routed? This would be extremely handy in California, where all mobile 911 calls go to highway patrol. My local police department has a 10-digit emergency number for calling from a cellphone, however.

Imagine this:

I'm in Vacaville. I see someone having trauma. I tell Siri to call 911. If the phone determines that the traumatic person probably isn't on the highway (this fact would be determined by looking at the GPS data), the phone will call the Vacaville PD. If the trauma could be on the highway, the phone will call CHP.

Put this to Apple not MacRumors where someone can steal your idea!

 

[ZBoater]

Reliability. Those few seconds of finding GPS location, etc could be the difference between life or death.

Really? If seconds count, count on yourself, not 911. When seconds count the police is only minutes away...

 

[RickAdair]

The 911 systems across the country are highly fragmented. The problem right now is a standards issue that is currently being working on by NENA. These include everything from wireless to video 911 calls. The major issues are that parts of the country don't have the hardware needed to even handle wireless calls properly. VOIP is the next big thing to be addressed. I work in this space and the direction it seems to be moving in is trying to make the systems less hardware dependent and more software driven. If this can be accomplished then the sky is the limit.

 

[S.B.G]

In the works.

Read more here

Google is your friend.

I'm not sure if you're referring to me or the OP, but I had already referred to the different phases of wireless 9-1-1 in my initial post in this thread.

The 911 systems across the country are highly fragmented. The problem right now is a standards issue that is currently being working on by NENA. These include everything from wireless to video 911 calls. The major issues are that parts of the country don't have the hardware needed to even handle wireless calls properly. VOIP is the next big thing to be addressed. I work in this space and the direction it seems to be moving in is trying to make the systems less hardware dependent and more software driven. If this can be accomplished then the sky is the limit.

You're exactly right. I was fortunate to get a millage a couple of years ago and I installed an i3 [NENA] based NG9-1-1 telephone system whereby my 9-1-1 center is now capable of accepting MMS/SMS/video etc... from cellular users. Our problem in Michigan is that AT&T has no plans on building out an ESInet which is unfortunate, but not unexpected. Therefore we cannot get those types of communications yet.

 

[moonman239]

Does the CHP even answer wireless calls made inside city limits, like L.A., San Diego, & San Francisco...?

Yep. They handle ALL 911 calls coming from a cellphone.

Note: That's our state. California is the only state I'm aware of where the highway patrol handles all wireless 911 calls.

 

[S.B.G]

Yep. They handle ALL 911 calls coming from a cellphone.

Note: That's our state. California is the only state I'm aware of where the highway patrol handles all wireless 911 calls.

Yeah, that's interesting and every state is different in how they handle them.

 

[moonman239]

Yeah, that's interesting.

I think they do that because most wireless 911 calls are highway-related. That's also the number CHP tells people to call to report a drunk driver.

Actually, I just looked it up and it looks like it depends on where you are. By default, CHP answers all wireless 911 calls, but a local PSAP can handle calls within its own jurisdiction, if it obtains permission at the local level and at the state level.

If the call is routed to the CHP - in my area, it would be - CHP has to take the call and inform local police of the emergency. This process can take minutes, depending on how busy the communications center your call is routed to is.

 

[saa001]

In California, the highway patrol answers all wireless 911 calls. They forward all non-highway-related calls to the local police or sheriff.

Here in Los Angles county that is false, and I know other counties it is false also. The local PSAP actually gets the call based either on the gps coordinates or the cell phone tower location. The CHP is still supposed to get the calls on the freeway.

There are basically two phases, phase one and phase two. Phase two gives the most accurate location. What we see on the screen is the GPS coordinates along with a probability in percentage and the diameter of the circle around those GPS coordinates the call is like to be from. I.E., we could receive a call and the GPS coordinates translate to Main st and First ave with a 90% probability that the caller is within 100 meters of that location (that would be the more accurate phase 2). In phase one you basically get a 100% probability that the call is withint maybe 1700 meters.

In the end you can't rely on GPS alone to guide emergency responders. You need to tell them where you are at whenever possible. That is one reason why we ask up front, and sometimes will spend a lot of time determining, your location. After all if we can't get you help there, wherever there is, it does little good to tell us what you need.

 

[RickAdair]

You're exactly right. I was fortunate to get a millage a couple of years ago and I installed an i3 [NENA] based NG9-1-1 telephone system whereby my 9-1-1 center is now capable of accepting MMS/SMS/video etc... from cellular users. Our problem in Michigan is that AT&T has no plans on building out an ESInet which is unfortunate, but not unexpected. Therefore we cannot get those types of communications yet.

ESInets are going to take decades to get setup properly. You are going to end up with 3rd party solutions using short codes and such to get the functionality everyone is clamoring for. A very sad state of affairs.

 

[S.B.G]

A very sad state of affairs.

Indeed it is. I fear it will take legislation in order to force the telco's to implement the ESInet's and deliver NG9-1-1 to us PSAP's. From their perspective, I assume they don't do it on their own because it's a cost of business whereby they don't get any return profits - a fiscal liability if you will.