911 Calling Technologies Advancing, but Challenges Remain: Report
The 911 calling landscape is changing rapidly, and while challenges remain, advances could make emergency calling more effective, Intrado said in its annual “State of the 9-1-1 Industry” report, released Tuesday. “Advancements in location technologies are greatly improving the data available to 9-1-1 telecommunicators, though challenges persist in attaching more comprehensive and precise location information -- now in three dimensions, not just two -- for emergency assistance requests,” the report said. “The rise of low earth orbit communication satellites has opened a tremendous opportunity to expand emergency communications coverage across the globe.”
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Public safety answering points (PSAPs) are consolidating and migrating to the cloud, and AI “is already helping 9-1-1 telecommunicators triage and translate calls,” the report said. But ensuring the cybersecurity of the 911 system “is a hill we must climb faster.” The report noted the important role of FirstNet, providing “expanded coverage and capacity” and supporting the transition to next-generation 911 “by enabling texts, images, videos and advanced data.”
Intrado said funding issues remain as well. “When traveling around the country to work with states and PSAPs, it quickly becomes apparent that 9-1-1 agencies lack sufficient funding for just about everything -- salaries, technology upgrades, training, and basic equipment (think desks and chairs),” the report said. “This is not to say that states are not investing, but the fact is that we’ve observed unmet needs.”