St. Cloud, MN: Two public safety agencies in North Carolina now have one of the nation’s first NENA i3-compliant Emergency Services IP networks (ESInets).  The North Central North Carolina (NCNC) Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) Regional Compact,  consisting of the Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) and  neighboring Surry County, recently accepted a newly implemented pilot i3 NG9-1-1 system.  The system provides NG9-1-1 location based call routing and an updated IP network capable of delivering voice, video, text, and data to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) when available.

The pilot NG9-1-1 system is a collaborative effort between GeoComm, Synergem, RedSky Technologies, and Avaya.  The four companies worked together to implement a complete system fulfilling the technical and operational requirements for the NG9-1-1 i3 ESInet.   This initial 12 month provisioning phase of the NG9-1-1 project was primarily funded by a $2.4 million grant from the NC 9-1-1 Board to the NCNC NG9-1-1 Compact.

According to Julia B. Conley, Winston-Salem Police Department IT Manager and fiscal agent for the compact, “we are very pleased to have the core NG9-1-1 infrastructure in place and are now in the commissioning phase of the multi-year project.  During the next 12 months, we anticipate that all of the TSPs (Telephone Service Providers) in our region will be interconnected to the ESInet and then NG9-1-1 will be ready to go live.  At the core of NG9-1-1 is Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and the regional spatial database developed by GeoComm.  We are excited about the future benefits to our citizens that NG9-1-1 can deliver with GIS enabled selective call routing and location based multi-media input, such as mobile phone video/images and traffic cameras feeds that can augment PSAP call information for the emergency responders.  However, before we can fully utilize the potential of NG9-1-1 information that the ESInet can provide, PSAP enhancements must also be implemented.  We want to emphasize that the NG9-1-1 system is not live at this time and WSPD and Surry County PSAPs are not yet capable of accepting video or text messaging from the public.”

Components of the pilot NG9-1-1 system include an Emergency Call Routing Function (ECRF) which provides location based route determination for 9-1-1 calls, and a Location Validation Function (LVF) for validating civic locations associated with subscriber records. GeoComm implemented its GeoLynx Spatial Router product to provide the ECRF/LVF for the project.  In addition, GeoComm’s GIS team created or enhanced digital mapping data required for NG9-1-1 location based call routing and location validation, and managed the process of provisioning this data into the network’s ECRF/LVF system.  Also, GeoComm’s consulting team assisted in transitioning the current 9-1-1 ALI DBMS to a Location Information Server (LIS) system for managing subscriber locations and provided overall project management on behalf of participating public safety agencies.

“We are excited the pilot system passed all operational testing criteria. It illustrates a path to advanced 9-1-1 services for the participating agencies and any other agencies that may want to join the system as it continues to develop in the future,” said Tom Grones, GeoComm President/CEO.  “All in all it is yet another incremental step forward on the road toward providing next generation public safety services to our citizenry.”

The new system supports the public safety agencies responsible for providing 9-1-1 service to their constituents in a number of ways:

• Improves response times by routing emergency calls to the correct PSAP faster
• Enables common location based selective call transfers across PSAPs using different 9-1-1 CPE/CTI brands
• Accomplishes fast routing changes in just a few seconds, such as to a virtual PSAP during a public event or large-scale manmade or natural disaster

• Utilizes the industry leading Esri ArcGIS Framework commonly used by cities and counties across the country, thus leveraging existing GIS data, staff, expertise, and investment, available to 9-1-1 Authorities
• Standards based to ensure compatibility with the nation’s emerging NG9-1-1 system

About GeoComm: GeoComm, an integrated GIS and public safety consulting firm, creates systems for 9‑1-1.  These systems originate from three dedicated angles: accurate map development, highly functional mapping software, and comprehensive consulting services ranging from wireless Phase I and II planning to two-way radio and networking to CPE, RFP and PSAP consolidation studies.  Over the past 16 years, GeoComm has successfully deployed over 8,000 licenses of public safety and law enforcement focused GIS software applications in different sites throughout 43 states.

GeoComm’s Family of Products provides the tools necessary to speed and enhance emergency response.  These tools reduce response times, improve data accuracy and quality, accelerate communications, and provide mission critical GIS-based decision support.