Got next?

Oct 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Donny Jackson

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

As with much of public-safety communications, most experts believe the technology to provide next-gen 911 generally is available today. IP-based equipment for call-taking positions in the PSAPs has been on the market for some time, and there are multiple proposals regarding the design of the next-gen 911 system.

There are differences of opinion regarding which of these options is best for serving public safety and encouraging competition among carriers, but there is little argument that each can work effectively.

“Technically, we're ready today,” said Dick Dickinson, director of public safety for 911 vendor TeleCommunications Systems.

That may be the case within the network, but industry experts remain concerned about location technologies for next-generation systems. In fact, many are concerned that the location technology for wireless E911 still has not advanced as quickly as predicted.

“I don't think there are any technical issues left, except one big one — automatic-location detection,” NENA's Hixson said.

No such location technology for VoIP is being used today, so the location determination is dependent upon manual updates by VoIP users, which are not very reliable.

When automatic-location technology is implemented, VoIP service providers have asked that their offerings, which often can be moved and remain functional, be held to the wireless standard for location accuracy. But many say that getting a two-dimensional GPS location within 50 meters, 67% of the time — the tightest standard for wireless E911 — is of limited value in urban settings, particularly where there are high-rise buildings.

Intrado's Meer said he believes VoIP users in a fixed location should be located at a level similar to fixed wireline telephony users.

“Today, [with wireline E911], you get location information down to the individual locked door; that's what makes 911 so valuable,” he said. “With wireless, the location can be off by 300 feet in any direction with no regard to height. If we're going to spend a bunch of money to advance to next-generation technology and discover that public safety can't act on it, that would be a big mistake in public policy.”

To this end, Intrado conducted a trial of automatic-location technologies in the very trying spectral environment of New York City (see story on page 18). While that test only provided XY coordinates for location, one of the participants — Rosum, a vendor that uses TV signals to automatically locate any device — has begun testing a solution that also would provide height in its location information.

“We're making large strides toward that,” said Jon Metzler, director of business development for Rosum. “Public safety, in particular, has been very vociferous in saying, ‘Wireless 911 did not give us Z, but we would really like it this time around.’ We've heard that, so we're doing our best to address that, and we think we have something.

“We're trying to get within one floor or two floors, which is certainly a large leap from nothing at all.”