The National 911 Progress Report: Tracking progress toward next-generation 911

By Harriet Miller-Brown, president of the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA)

Significant progress toward the implementation of next-generation 911 (NG911) is occurring in states and counties across the nation according to the findings in the current National 911 Progress Report.  

In fact, while five states report that 100% of 911 services are supported by an IP network, an additional seven states report that at least 1% of the state’s geographic areas are supported by IP-capable network services that meet industry-accepted definitions of NG911.

Trustworthy data from state 911 leaders

Collected into the National 911 Profile Database by the National 911 Program with the support of the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA), the 911 Profile Database is the most comprehensive collection of 911 statistics and progress toward NG911. 

As noted in a previous article, “National 911 Progress Report provides unprecedented insight into state 911 operational and financial data,” the most recent data summary report includes detailed emergency number data from more than three-quarters of states and addresses findings relating to the 2013 system data that was collected in late 2014.

Increased number of states planning for NG911

While the technology associated with NG911 has been available for some time, states continue to gather the necessary consensus, approval and funding to plan for and implement an IP-based 911 system.

Since the last data collection period, states have made noteworthy advances in laying the groundwork for NG911 (Figure 1). 

In 2011, nine states reported the adoption of a statewide NG911 plan, which is the first of the six steps needed to have a fully operational NG911 system. In 2013, this number grew to 15 states. 

Figure 1:  Statewide NG911 Plan Adoption

While the previous National 911 Progress Report featured aggregated data, the most recent report specifies data in a state-by-state format, providing the opportunity for 911 administrators and others to better utilize the data for collaborative purposes.

NASNA expects that states with similar 911 system characteristics may want to work together to identify and implement best practices for deploying NG911. Neighboring states may choose to compare data to further understand opportunities and challenges that may arise in creating interstate NG911 connections.

Finally, this national information may help federal agencies and national associations better understand the needs of states, in order to provide resources and tools to help the 911 community continue progress toward NG911.