Future 911
Emergency call centers in Virginia and Texas are testing out new technology that would revamp 911 communications by allowing 911 dispatchers to provide emergency responders with an array of high-tech information from emergency scenes.
The technology, known as Next Generation 911 (NG911), has been introduced by a consortium that includes the National Emergency Number Association, Columbia University, and Texas A&M University.
NG911 is based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, and it allows emergency responders to utilize cutting-edge communications technologies.
For example, the system would allow witnesses to a highway accident to send cell phone video or text messages to the 911 center. The system also would allow sophisticated car security systems to automatically call 911 if the vehicle’s air bags deploy, forwarding the driver’s health history to the 911 call center.
The system also could potentially allow first responders to send video demonstrations of the Heimlich maneuver to someone’s cell phone or allow fire fighters to receive the floor plan of a building before reaching the building.
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration has provided the consortium with a $570,000 grant.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Boston Globe (07/24/06); Cutler, Kim-Mai .
