https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Public Safety


Article

The future of emergency response

The future of emergency response

Understanding the GIS data requirements for the shift to NG911
  • Written by Lisa Caldwell and Ashley Buzzeo
  • 30th October 2019

The public safety community is experiencing a monumental shift as the transition to NG911 occurs. One significant shift is that by deploying NG911 solutions, geographic information systems (GIS) become paramount to supporting geospatial call routing. Once these systems deploy, properly maintained geospatial data at the local level will be responsible for determining which 911 center will receive the emergency call, which will reduce the number of transfers and in turn help ensure a timely response from the appropriate first responders.

The value of deploying NG911 is threefold: 1) improved call routing using local GIS data, 2) having access to data-rich call information and 3) benefiting from new ways of communication. GIS data in NG911 is life-critical and can provide data-rich call information using an improved geospatial call routing system. Additionally, dispatchers will have access to complete, consistent and high-quality addressing information so they can direct first responders to the proper emergency location. Each end result requires complete and accurate GIS data, only achievable by taking the proper steps. And it all starts with understanding the data requirements.

The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) works with professionals in public policy and public safety to facilitate the creation of NG 911. They also help establish industry standards, training, and certifications. The most recent GIS data standards were released in June 2018.

The NENA Standard for the NG911 GIS Data Model provides a framework and describes the structure (such as field names, field data types and domains) of GIS data. It provides requirements on the field names used, the properties of each field, and specific guidance on the attribution to be placed within the fields of an entity’s chosen GIS data file format.

The actual data model document provides fields, for example, that are mandatory, conditional and optional. Accordingly, the GIS data must be “transformed” into the data model schema and populated, if necessary, prior to provisioning. The result is a common standard used across the nation for interoperability and data sharing, which reduces confusion and ambiguity from unstandardized data, and provides the data structure that allows the NG911 functionality that routes calls to the correct destination.

The NENA Standard for the Provisioning and Maintenance of GIS Data to Emergency Call Routing Functions (ECRF) and Location Validation Functions describes the data quality assurance checks that should be performed on GIS data prior to provisioning into the ECRF/LVF and once you are in maintenance mode.  The LVF and ECRF rely on and use GIS data for address validation with caller locations and spatial queries so calls are directed to the correct responding NG911 PSAP. Put simply, the ECRF is used to properly route 911 calls to the appropriate PSAP, while the LVF validates the location prior to a 911 call and mandates the use of the ECRF to route calls to the ESInet.

NENA’s NG911 standards also include synchronizing the Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) and Automatic Location Information (ALI) tabular databases used in today’s 911 environments with the GIS data to a 98 percent match rate. Many believe that the 98 percent match rate is good enough, however DATAMARK highly recommends going beyond the 98 percent match rate because it enables public safety organizations to support all 911 systems moving forward.

According to NENA, the primary benefits of implementing these standards include the following:

  • A standardized, interoperable GIS data model that can be used nationwide.
  • The validation of locations (the full street number, full street name and municipality) before a 911 call is made.
  • A data structure that allows the NG911 functionality to route calls to the correct destination.
  • Maintained or improved support for accurate plotting of 911 calls in public safety mapping applications for call handling purposes.
  • Consistent provisioning of data to ECRF/LVFs.
  • Streamlined data maintenance.
  • Synchronized datasets between MSAG, ALI, and GIS in agreement to support the shift from E911 to NG911.

As a leader in government, you can and should be involved in the process of preparing for NG911 to help create a successful outcome.  Here are a few recommendations you can initiate:

  • Educate yourself by having a conversation with your public safety and GIS staff surrounding NG911 technology and encourage collaboration among all stakeholders.
  • Understand the current health of your local GIS to identify the level of effort it will take to produce public safety grade NG911 data across all sections of GIS.
  • Investigate the impacts on the local budget and explore alternate funding opportunities.
  • Explore workflows across departments and breakdown unnecessary silos in order to create efficiencies and cost savings.
  • Engage the public and private sector NG911 experts to seek guidance and explore services that will provide the right fit for your community.

Taking an in-depth look at the objectives and requirements of GIS in NG911 doesn’t have to be overwhelming. To create the most accurate and up-to-date GIS data, begin to form partnerships with the public safety community stakeholders at all levels of government, and be sure to collaborate with public safety and GIS industry experts to guide you in transitioning GIS data to meet the requirements of NG911.

Lisa Caldwell, public safety subject matter expert at DATAMARK, is the strategic planning sub-committee chair to the Washington State 911 Advisory Board, a logistics team member of the Southeast Washington Incident Management Team and former first responder with a career spanning more than three decades.

Ashley Buzzeo, public safety GIS subject matter expert at DATAMARK, is adjunct faculty at Towson University and the Community College of Baltimore County. She has over 15 years of experience in project management and the GIS industry, and is seasoned in utilizing geospatial products to achieve cost-efficient, effective, and relevant outcomes. In several roles with the State of Maryland, she has extensive experience with multi-jurisdictional coordination and data sharing efforts, GIS data creation and maintenance, and software development.

 

 

Tags: In-Depth Public Safety Smart Cities & Technology In-Depth Public Safety Smart Cities & Technology Article

Related


  • Public safety needs a better way to triage emergency calls
    The overarching goal of the public-safety community is to ensure that 911 callers receive the most appropriate emergency response as quickly as possible. Lives often are on the line in an emergency, and every second matters. Achieving a balance between sending the optimal response to an emergency and having it arrive as fast as possible […]
  • Florida county announces successful test of Motorola Solutions’ cloud-based P25 core technology
    A Florida county recently announced the completion of a successful test of Motorola Solutions’ CirrusCentral Core, the cloud-based secondary core for ASTRO 25 P25 systems that is designed to provide redundant reliability to the land-mobile-radio (LMR) network without the costs associated with a physical secondary core site. In Sumter County, Fla., the absence of a […]
  • D.C. police begin identifying Capitol rioters
    Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to identify the supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. “MPD seeks assistance in identifying persons of interest responsible for Unlawful Entry offenses that occurred yesterday on US Capitol Grounds, 100 block of 1st […]
  • Person working on laptop computer
    Embracing digital within local government in 2021
    While COVID-19 has brought on a litany of challenges, it has also shown government leaders the need to employ the right digital solutions for their constituents

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Biden Administration – Projected 25x greater Investment in smart cities
  • How 2020 accelerated government reliance on new sources of economic data analytics
  • Governments must help consortia drive autonomous progress
  • 2021 is when AI in public safety gets real

White papers


How a unified HR system helps one public safety organization manage crews, payroll, and more in a single platform

7th January 2021

Your Roadmap to COVID-19 Funding

18th December 2020

The One Where Everyone Wins: A Mutually Beneficial Contracting Method

10th December 2020
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

The latest episode The Young Leaders Podcast focuses on Cyril Jefferson. Cyril is the youngest African American to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Hillsboro, Oregon is pioneering a new #renewableenergy generation technology through a partnership with… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

The impact of the #COVID19 pandemic on #telework was swift and profound. Now, the big question is whether – and to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Get ready for the can't-miss webinar on how to kickstart your efficiency improvement plan with Luke Anderson of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Among all states headed into the 2020 general election, which ones have voting populations that are the most demogr… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in our readership survey to help us shape future content so that we c… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

See how cities different approaches to distribute masks in their communities >> spr.ly/6010GAPLa

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

While #facialrecognition is a powerful tool that can improve law enforcement efficiency, that doesn’t necessarily t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X