Improved Wireless 9-1-1 in Time for 2010 Olympics
February 02, 2010
(OLYMPICS TECHNOLOGY)
February 1 was the deadline for Canadian emergency services contact centers to go live with enhanced 9-1-1 (E-911), which can generally determine a wireless caller’s location within a radius of 10 to 300 meters (40 to 1,200 feet) from where the call originated via GPS and triangulation technology.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) reported that the wireless-location technology has been tested and rolled out in 121 contact centers. The wireless industry and the public safety community are working it says to resolve technical issues at nine additional centers. Previously, emergency responders could only narrow down the location to a sector within the area served by the cellphone tower nearest to the caller. This could represent a radius of up to 20 kilometres (12 miles) in rural areas.
One of those contact centers that have successfully gone live and just in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games that begin Feb.12 is E-Comm. It is the regional emergency communications center that serves southwestern British Columbia including Metro Vancouver and Whistler where the events will be taking place.
E-Comm reports that it has been using the technology successfully for the past several months, well in advance of the deadline. It worked closely with TELUS (News - Alert), the telephone network provider and all wireless providers (Rogers, Bell and TELUS Mobility), to have Wireless Phase II developed, tested, and fully implemented.
Making the E-911 technology exceptionally critical in the region say residents is the rugged terrain which is dotted by steep snow-capped peaks and a plethora of rocky islands. Searching for someone within 12 miles is one thing in the flat Prairies but in that part of British Columbia it is quite another.
Following the implementation of Wireless Phase II, 9-1-1 contact center agents now receive latitude and longitude coordinates that can be plotted on a computerized map. For those callers who cannot communicate their location, this technology has the potential to create a better search area that could assist in emergency response.
Wireless Phase II is being rolled in stages in Canada because of the amount of technology development that is required. It will be followed by the development of the technology required for mid-call location updates (e.g. callers in moving vehicles) and out-of-country cell phone users (roamers).
E-Comm answers more than one million 9-1-1 calls each year in the region. More than half of those calls come from cell phones. It also provides dispatch for 24 police and fire departments including those in Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler.
“Wireless Phase II is a very positive step for 9-1-1 in Canada and a welcome addition to our technology support tools here at E-Comm, “said Doug Watson, E-Comm’s Vice President of Operations.
“We are delighted that wireless service providers have risen to the challenge of upgrading their 9-1-1 services,” said CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C. “Canada is now one of the few countries where 9-1-1 operators automatically receive location information from the moment a call is placed from a cellphone. Thanks to the collective efforts of everyone involved, the safety of Canadians will be greatly improved during emergency situations that require quick action.”
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) reported that the wireless-location technology has been tested and rolled out in 121 contact centers. The wireless industry and the public safety community are working it says to resolve technical issues at nine additional centers. Previously, emergency responders could only narrow down the location to a sector within the area served by the cellphone tower nearest to the caller. This could represent a radius of up to 20 kilometres (12 miles) in rural areas.
One of those contact centers that have successfully gone live and just in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games that begin Feb.12 is E-Comm. It is the regional emergency communications center that serves southwestern British Columbia including Metro Vancouver and Whistler where the events will be taking place.
E-Comm reports that it has been using the technology successfully for the past several months, well in advance of the deadline. It worked closely with TELUS (News - Alert), the telephone network provider and all wireless providers (Rogers, Bell and TELUS Mobility), to have Wireless Phase II developed, tested, and fully implemented.
Making the E-911 technology exceptionally critical in the region say residents is the rugged terrain which is dotted by steep snow-capped peaks and a plethora of rocky islands. Searching for someone within 12 miles is one thing in the flat Prairies but in that part of British Columbia it is quite another.
Following the implementation of Wireless Phase II, 9-1-1 contact center agents now receive latitude and longitude coordinates that can be plotted on a computerized map. For those callers who cannot communicate their location, this technology has the potential to create a better search area that could assist in emergency response.
Wireless Phase II is being rolled in stages in Canada because of the amount of technology development that is required. It will be followed by the development of the technology required for mid-call location updates (e.g. callers in moving vehicles) and out-of-country cell phone users (roamers).
E-Comm answers more than one million 9-1-1 calls each year in the region. More than half of those calls come from cell phones. It also provides dispatch for 24 police and fire departments including those in Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler.
“Wireless Phase II is a very positive step for 9-1-1 in Canada and a welcome addition to our technology support tools here at E-Comm, “said Doug Watson, E-Comm’s Vice President of Operations.
“We are delighted that wireless service providers have risen to the challenge of upgrading their 9-1-1 services,” said CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C. “Canada is now one of the few countries where 9-1-1 operators automatically receive location information from the moment a call is placed from a cellphone. Thanks to the collective efforts of everyone involved, the safety of Canadians will be greatly improved during emergency situations that require quick action.”
Brendan B. Read is TMCnet’s Senior Contributing Editor. To read more of Brendan’s articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Patrick Barnard
