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September
Kingsport, TN
9/25-9/28
NG9-1-1 Five Step Action
Plan: GeoComm Can Help
Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) outlined a five-step action plan to improve the deployment of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) service at the recent Association of Public Safety Officials (APCO) annual conference. In his statements at the conference and those later released by the FCC his plan emphasized the need for photo, text message, and video capabilities to 9-1-1 public safety answering points (PSAPs) and explained why NG9-1-1 is needed. He also stressed the need for a coordinated approach to planning NG9-1-1 indicating the importance of location accuracy as his first step in the action plan. CLICK HERE to view the chairman's entire action plan.
GeoComm, as a NENA NG9-1-1 Partner, understands and supports the chairman’s action plan and how this plan can be implemented in your agency. Our Public Safety Consulting group can help your agency with aspects of all five steps in the new action plan. GeoComm has the capabilities to assist agencies with the following services to complete the action plan:
• Determining the current level(s) of automatic location accuracy from various technologies, specifically wireless.
• Evaluating current hardware and software capabilities to accept and display IP signaling.
• Developing hardware and software implementation plans including funding strategies.
• Developing a coordinated approach to planning NG9-1-1 for state, regional, and local 9-1-1 authorities.
• Overseeing the processes necessary to determine policy level routing.
• Developing feasibility assessments and funding models to support implementing ESInet’s for state, regional, and local 9-1-1 authorities.
• Determining policies for accepting and processing text, photos, and videos, as well as the operational procedures needed for accepting transmission to 9-1-1 for state, regional, and local 9-1-1 authorities.
No matter what part of the FCC’s NG9-1-1 Five Step Action Plan your agency needs help with, GeoComm’s Public Safety Consulting group has experienced, qualified staff to help you through your NG9-1-1 planning process. CLICK HERE to learn more about GeoComm’s consulting services or to contact us.
Conference Presentations
Tennessee NENA Conference
Tuesday, September 27
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Bledsoe County TN, NG911 GIS Preparations and TIPS Compliancy
GIS data plays a critical role in NG9-1-1. In the NENA i3 Next Generation 9-1-1 architecture, all calls are routed based on location, including wireline 9-1-1 calls. This presents new challenges and requirements for local and regional GIS data planning and management. Essentially, in i3, the GIS data replaces the Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) for routing calls to the correct Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). There are a number of factors to consider for preparing your GIS data for NG9-1-1. The State of Tennessee has taken a step towards NG9-1-1 GIS data readiness through the Tennessee Information for Public Safety (TIPS) standards. The TIPS standards lay the foundation for the required GIS table structure and layer names. Attend this session to learn how Bledsoe County has started taking the steps to prepare their GIS Data for a NG9-1-1 transition and the TIPS compliancy.
Nebraska APCO Conference
Thursday, September 29
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Web GIS Situational Awareness
During the presentation, GeoComm will present on the latest information about Next Generation 9-1-1 from the perspective of GIS, discussing the proper GIS data preparation and development of additional location information accessible during a NG9-1-1 call. It will cover the basic benefits and building blocks of NG9-1-1 and show how the additional location information available in a NG9-1-1 call is developed.
Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) outlined a five-step action plan to improve the deployment of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) service at the recent Association of Public Safety Officials (APCO) annual conference. In his statements at the conference and those later released by the FCC his plan emphasized the need for photo, text message, and video capabilities to 9-1-1 public safety answering points (PSAPs) and explained why NG9-1-1 is needed. He also stressed the need for a coordinated approach to planning NG9-1-1 indicating the importance of location accuracy as his first step in the action plan. CLICK HERE to view the chairman's entire action plan.
GeoComm, as a NENA NG9-1-1 Partner, understands and supports the chairman’s action plan and how this plan can be implemented in your agency. Our Public Safety Consulting group can help your agency with aspects of all five steps in the new action plan. GeoComm has the capabilities to assist agencies with the following services to complete the action plan:
• Determining the current level(s) of automatic location accuracy from various technologies, specifically wireless.
• Evaluating current hardware and software capabilities to accept and display IP signaling.
• Developing hardware and software implementation plans including funding strategies.
• Developing a coordinated approach to planning NG9-1-1 for state, regional, and local 9-1-1 authorities.
• Overseeing the processes necessary to determine policy level routing.
• Developing feasibility assessments and funding models to support implementing ESInet’s for state, regional, and local 9-1-1 authorities.
• Determining policies for accepting and processing text, photos, and videos, as well as the operational procedures needed for accepting transmission to 9-1-1 for state, regional, and local 9-1-1 authorities.
No matter what part of the FCC’s NG9-1-1 Five Step Action Plan your agency needs help with, GeoComm’s Public Safety Consulting group has experienced, qualified staff to help you through your NG9-1-1 planning process. CLICK HERE to learn more about GeoComm’s consulting services or to contact us.
Conference Presentations
Tennessee NENA Conference
Tuesday, September 27
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Bledsoe County TN, NG911 GIS Preparations and TIPS Compliancy
GIS data plays a critical role in NG9-1-1. In the NENA i3 Next Generation 9-1-1 architecture, all calls are routed based on location, including wireline 9-1-1 calls. This presents new challenges and requirements for local and regional GIS data planning and management. Essentially, in i3, the GIS data replaces the Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) for routing calls to the correct Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). There are a number of factors to consider for preparing your GIS data for NG9-1-1. The State of Tennessee has taken a step towards NG9-1-1 GIS data readiness through the Tennessee Information for Public Safety (TIPS) standards. The TIPS standards lay the foundation for the required GIS table structure and layer names. Attend this session to learn how Bledsoe County has started taking the steps to prepare their GIS Data for a NG9-1-1 transition and the TIPS compliancy.
Nebraska APCO Conference
Thursday, September 29
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Web GIS Situational Awareness
During the presentation, GeoComm will present on the latest information about Next Generation 9-1-1 from the perspective of GIS, discussing the proper GIS data preparation and development of additional location information accessible during a NG9-1-1 call. It will cover the basic benefits and building blocks of NG9-1-1 and show how the additional location information available in a NG9-1-1 call is developed.
An historic old Commonwealth of Virginia, and site of the Civil War
battle of Front Royal, Warren County was using out-dated GIS
technology in their 9-1-1 emergency call center and regularly completed
a labor-intensive and cumbersome map data update process to move
current GIS data to their dispatch mapping system in the 9-1-1
emergency call center. The county was also ready to take over the
maintenance of their GIS data and needed a solution to ensure that
their data maintenance was streamlined and accurate.
The county proactively issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to obtain both a GIS data management tool that was compatible with Esri ArcGIS and a GIS dispatch system on current Esri technology: geodatabase. And a system that provides a smooth process for propagating GIS updates from the GIS department to the 9-1-1 emergency call center. Warren County officials understand quality GIS data is an essential component of any successful 9-1-1 system. Responding to an emergency call is all about location and getting to the location of the emergency call faster. Current GIS data is key to fast emergency response.
Warren County chose to implement solutions from the GeoLynx Family of Products to meet their needs: GeoLynx Desktop for dispatch GIS solution on the Esri ArcGIS platform accepting geodatabase, GeoLynx Sync to propagate the updated GIS data out to each telecommunicator position using GeoLynx Desktop, and GeoLynx DMS to manage the GIS data using ArcGIS technology with specific use for public safety data management including: address assignment, road range assignment, and map book creation.
This software implementation project began with a GIS data analysis comparing the Master Street Address Guide (MSAG), Automatic Location Information (ALI) database, and GIS data to one another and then examining each individually. The analysis identified potential problems with the county’s MSAG and Emergency Service Zone layer. Accuracy and synchronization amount these databases increase the frequency and accuracy of locating a 9-1-1 caller on the GIS in the 9-1-1 emergency call center. Once the data analysis was completed, GeoComm implemented GeoLynx Desktop, GeoLynx Sync, and GeoLynx DMS to meet the needs of Warren County. Implementation included on-site training and acceptance testing.
In the future, Warren County hopes to use GeoLynx DMS for creating hard copy map books for their fire and rescue departments. Atlas creation was previously outsourced to a third party vendor, but county officials are hoping that ArcGIS 10.0 and GeoLynx DMS will give them the ability to create the data driven maps. To get them started with their own atlas generation, GeoComm provided Warren County with one hard copy atlas and an atlas template to use as a starting point so they could enhance and update it as they saw fit. The atlas sample included numerous pages showing named and addressed roads in the unincorporated areas of Warren County, as well as within the corporate boundaries of each municipality. It also included one county township map along with enlargements of each community. Finally, a street index was generated and included in the sample atlas.
“Our GeoLynx DMS trainer was very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. Our training session was very informative. GeoLynx DMS has been very easy to use compared to the other software, so it does not take up nearly as much of my time.” Eric Patton, GIS Coordinator, Warren County, Virginia
Warren County is relieved that any issues that were present in their map data have been identified and corrected. They are confident that the tools they have in place will better aid them in 9-1-1 situations, and help them to better manage their GIS map data.
Successful Implementation of GeoComm's NENA i3 Emergency Call Routing Software in Synergem's i3 ESInet in North Carolina
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 an 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
The county proactively issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to obtain both a GIS data management tool that was compatible with Esri ArcGIS and a GIS dispatch system on current Esri technology: geodatabase. And a system that provides a smooth process for propagating GIS updates from the GIS department to the 9-1-1 emergency call center. Warren County officials understand quality GIS data is an essential component of any successful 9-1-1 system. Responding to an emergency call is all about location and getting to the location of the emergency call faster. Current GIS data is key to fast emergency response.
Warren County chose to implement solutions from the GeoLynx Family of Products to meet their needs: GeoLynx Desktop for dispatch GIS solution on the Esri ArcGIS platform accepting geodatabase, GeoLynx Sync to propagate the updated GIS data out to each telecommunicator position using GeoLynx Desktop, and GeoLynx DMS to manage the GIS data using ArcGIS technology with specific use for public safety data management including: address assignment, road range assignment, and map book creation.
This software implementation project began with a GIS data analysis comparing the Master Street Address Guide (MSAG), Automatic Location Information (ALI) database, and GIS data to one another and then examining each individually. The analysis identified potential problems with the county’s MSAG and Emergency Service Zone layer. Accuracy and synchronization amount these databases increase the frequency and accuracy of locating a 9-1-1 caller on the GIS in the 9-1-1 emergency call center. Once the data analysis was completed, GeoComm implemented GeoLynx Desktop, GeoLynx Sync, and GeoLynx DMS to meet the needs of Warren County. Implementation included on-site training and acceptance testing.
In the future, Warren County hopes to use GeoLynx DMS for creating hard copy map books for their fire and rescue departments. Atlas creation was previously outsourced to a third party vendor, but county officials are hoping that ArcGIS 10.0 and GeoLynx DMS will give them the ability to create the data driven maps. To get them started with their own atlas generation, GeoComm provided Warren County with one hard copy atlas and an atlas template to use as a starting point so they could enhance and update it as they saw fit. The atlas sample included numerous pages showing named and addressed roads in the unincorporated areas of Warren County, as well as within the corporate boundaries of each municipality. It also included one county township map along with enlargements of each community. Finally, a street index was generated and included in the sample atlas.
“Our GeoLynx DMS trainer was very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. Our training session was very informative. GeoLynx DMS has been very easy to use compared to the other software, so it does not take up nearly as much of my time.” Eric Patton, GIS Coordinator, Warren County, Virginia
Warren County is relieved that any issues that were present in their map data have been identified and corrected. They are confident that the tools they have in place will better aid them in 9-1-1 situations, and help them to better manage their GIS map data.
Successful Implementation of GeoComm's NENA i3 Emergency Call Routing Software in Synergem's i3 ESInet in North Carolina
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 an 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
LaVista, NE
9/27-9/29
October
Wilmington, NC
10/2 - 10/6
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