The Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network (GHC 9-1-1) is deploying GIS technology to meet the public safety needs for location-based services. These services include wireless 9-1-1 calls, enhanced automatic crash notification, automatic vehicle location, and others. GIS technologies are also being used for telephone-based early warning systems and improving emergency response. GHC 9-1-1, along with more than 100 other public safety agencies within the greater Houston Texas area, is developing the standards and spatially accurate basemaps required for these technologies. Come see how cooperation is lowering cost and improving public safety needs, while embracing location-based technologies and services.
Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network (Network) in Houston, Texas administers one of the most technologically advanced 9-1-1 systems in the nation. The Network is dedicated to providing the finest technology available for the citizens that it serves. The Network is the largest 9-1-1 system in Texas and the third largest in the United States, serving over 4 million citizens in 2 counties and 47 cities, including Houston. There are 43 fully equipped 9-1-1 call answering centers (PSAP's) within the territory served by Network.
Technology plays a major role in the level of service delivered by public agencies. For almost 20 years, the Network has taken pride in deploying leading-edge technology to improve public safety services within the service area. Over the next few years, the Network service area public will experience some of the most advanced levels of 9-1-1 services available anywhere in the nation. Locating wireless callers, deploying a digital mapping system that shows wireless caller locations and the locations of potential responding law, fire, and EMS units, and having the ability to automatically receive information about a traffic collision are just a few of the services that will be a part of the Network public service offerings.
Network PSAP's have been upgraded with the newest customer premises equipment (CPE). The CPE is the computer systems that integrate the telephony, voice, data, mapping, queries, and other features into a single desktop workstation. The CPE is made by Plant Equipment, Inc. (PEI), a leader in 9-1-1 telecommunications equipment and services, and an Esri partner.
The Year 2000 brought the initiation of a dedicated public safety Geographic Information System (GIS) task force. The Network partnered with the City of Houston and combined resources to produce accurate mapping for emergency response personnel. This program has grown since the very beginning and now has the involvement of over 100 public safety related agencies assisting in maintaining the most accurate and up-to-date spatial database available. This program allows for the synchronization of police, fire, EMS and 9-1-1 geographic data, insuring that all are using common addresses and street naming conventions. This data is being used public safety agencies, and many non-public safety related agencies, as the common base map.
The spatial data is maintained and updated on a daily and often hourly basis. This spatial data is shared with the regional South Texas Addressing and Reference Map, the STAR*Map program. The STAR*Map program shares its data with the Texas Mapping Project, which in turn shares with the National Mapping Program.
9-1-1 is the national emergency number dialed when the fastest possible assistance is required for law, fire, or medical assistance, in a life or death situation. When 9-1-1 is dialed, a complex series of advanced telecommunication processes begin to take place.
In the case of a wireline telephone, such as the phone in your home that is connected by wires to the public switch network (the phone network), 9-1-1 dials into a local public safety answering point (PSAP). The PSAP then can dispatch the proper emergency response agency. The 9-1-1 calls include the voice, and other bits of data that are routed to the PSAP.
This extra bit of data includes information extracted from the local telephone service providers database. A query to the telephone service database is made using the telephone number the call was made from.
The query results returns data including the physical address of the telephone, owners name, other information, and the police, fire, and EMS responding agencies for the geographic area of the 9-1-1 calls. This information is called the Automatic Location Information, or ALI, all Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) areas have this capability. This works very well, usually 99.99 percent of the E9-1-1 call are answered and correctly dispatched. Since privacy is a major concern, the phone number information and the telephone owners name and address are stored at different locations, in different databases.
The information used to perform the matching of the telephone number and the physical address of the telephone making the call is a critical component of moving spatial technology into public safety. Each wireline telephone has a physical service address, usually the address the phone bill comes to. The physical address of the phone is part of the ALI data sent back to the PSAP. This ALI information is parsed out and geocoded against the GIS database, resulting in a map display of the callers location. This is all accomplished in a second or two by the 9-1-1 call takers CPE. The geocoding of ALI data to the map display is often called "Mapped ALI."
For a cellular 9-1-1 call, also called a wireless 9-1-1, the caller must provide the location information to the PSAP. The ability to accurately locate a wireless call is not available for the vast majority of the United States. This is unfortunate since experience has shown that most wireless 911 callers do not know where they are.
In 1994 the National Emergency Number Association, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, and the National Association of State Nine One One Administrators (NENA, APCO, and NASNA) officially lobby the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) for service parity between existing wireline E9-1-1 systems and wireless services. They requested wireless subscribers have the same level of service currently being enjoyed by wireline subscribers. The result of their efforts was the FCC's "Notice of Proposed Rule Making" (NPRM), or CC Docket # 94-102.
The magnitude of the technical challenge became evident to the communications industry. This led the FCC to release a "Report and Order" that identified several phases of implementation, occurring over a specified time, to allow appropriate technological adjustments to bring wireless service up to par with wireline service. The FCC's wireless E9-1-1 rules require wireless carriers to begin transmission of enhanced location information in two phases, Phase I and Phase II.
Phase I requires carriers to transmit, to the PSAP, a caller's call back number of the mobile device, and general location of the receiving cell tower and antenna orientation that received the call. This provides a gross location of anywhere between 3 to over 25 square miles. Phase I is in about one-half of the major population centers in the US, and is widely dependent of the wireless carrier provider.
Being able to assist the 9-1-1 caller, who can not provide an accurate location, is very dependent on having spatial data that includes landmarks, structures, lakes, creek, parks, common places, and other features. This data has proven very helpful in assisting the 9-1-1 call taker to assist in determining the location of the 9-1-1 caller.
Phase II requires more precise location information be provided to the PSAP. Phase II requires the wireless service provider to provide the call back telephone number of the 9-1-1 caller, cell tower location, cell sector (antenna orientation) information, plus longitude and latitude (X, Y) information. Phase II E9-1-1 services exist today in a handful of locations, by a few wireless service providers, but these numbers will grow.
The accuracy requirement imposed on the wireless carriers by the FCC varies depending on the location technology used by the wireless carrier.
For carriers using a network-based Phase II location technology, accuracy of the latitude and longitude provided to the PSAP must be within 100 meters for 67 percent of the calls and 300 meters for 95 percent of the calls. Network-based location technology is usually based on the time it takes for the cellular call to reach two or more cell towers. While not as accurate, it works with any cellular telephone now in use.
For carriers using a handset-based Phase II location technology, accuracy of the latitude and longitude provided to the PSAP must be within 50 meters for 67 percent of the calls and 150 meters for 95 percent of the calls. Handset based location technology is usually based on GPS, or assisted GPS technology. While more accurate than the network-based solution, it requires special hardware and a new cell phone.
The different location technologies currently being examined by the wireless telecommunications industry are Enhanced Observed Time Difference (E-OTD), Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), Angle of Arrival (AOA), Location Pattern Matching (LPM), and Assisted GPS (A-GPS). The TDOA, AOA, and LPM methods are considered to be network-based solutions, while the A-GPS method is handset-based. The E-OTD method is considered to be a hybrid network- and handset-based technology.
Wireless phones and other wireless location devices are the driving force of GIS use and awareness in public safety. Most PSAP's rely on tabular databases of addresses and block ranges to direct the responding agency to a call for help. These tabular databases do not provide adequate information to assist in locating wireless calls, especially if the caller or the call taker is unfamiliar with the area.
Not only does the PSAP need GIS technology to properly dispatch emergency services to the wireless caller, but routing the call to the proper PSAP also requires spatial technology. When a wireless Phase II call is placed, the coordinates are used to route the call to the proper PSAP. Wireless Phase I calls are routed based on the location of the cell tower and the orientation of the cell antennas.
When the longitude and latitude coordinate is received for a wireless Phase II call, it is "run through" a database which contains the service area polygons of the 6000+ PSAP's in the US. This point-in-polygon procedure allows the wireless call to be routed to the proper PSAP. The database that performs this feat is known as the Coordinate Routing Database, or CRDB for short. The Network uses the CRDB provided by Intrado, which uses Esri's SDE technology.
All this depends on having accurate, current, and precise base map information. The main data layer of the base map, for public safety, is the street centerline and the PSAP boundaries. Without this spatial information, wireless request of emergency services cannot be properly located. Without having accurate and current street centerline data, emergency services cannot be efficiently dispatched.
GIS technology is allowing emergency responders to reduce response time and locate individuals in distress. This ability to use GIS in emergency response depends on having and accurate, complete, and current street and addressing information on a local scale. The street centerlines, along with other related spatial data, helps speed response, reduce transfer time, and maximize existing resources. GIS technology has come into public safety, it will not be going away.
The original goal of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1994 was to allow users of wireless phones the same benefits of wireline customers. Dialing 911 would result in the wireless phone call back number, and the location of the call, being displayed at the PSAP.
That seemingly simple mandate-to provide the 911 caller's location-set off great debate among wireless carriers and public safety agencies about how the service would be funded, what technology would be used, and how soon carriers should be required to provide the service. It also started the wireless carriers thinking on how the location information could be put to other purely commercial uses, and to collect revenue.
Thus was born the word "telematics," which originally had European roots and meant the study of human-computer interfaces. Today, telematics refers to in-vehicle electronics that provide fee-based location and communications services. Telematics are services derived from the combination of wireless telephony and the automobile. In the simplest terms, "providing services to people based upon their current location." The service package usually consist of:
Telematics has been used to allow the driver of a vehicle to request emergency services through the telematics service provider, by pressing a button. This feature was also activated by airbag deployment, and was touted as "Automatic Crash Notification."
Telecommunications, automotive and location technologies are converging to automatically notify emergency responders when a vehicle is in a serious collision. Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) systems use wireless telecommunication technologies to instantly alert a telematics service providers call center when a passenger presses the car's Mayday button or the air bag deploys. In an emergency, the dispatcher at the call center quickly informs the appropriate emergency dispatcher of the vehicle's location so care can be sent.
Each year, more than 6 million crashes occur on US highways. Crashes kill more than 41,000 people, injure about 3.2 million, and cost more than $150 billion a year. Despite public information campaigns and vehicle and infrastructure design improvements in recent decades, driver error remains the leading cause of highway crashes.
Thousands of Americans die each year and far more suffer severe and lasting injuries because emergency responders do not know when an auto crash or medical incident has occurred. Precious minutes and lives are lost because emergency responders cannot automatically locate a wireless 911 caller or dispatch appropriate emergency care.
In an Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) situation, the telematics service provider (TSP) would locate the vehicle, and determine the proper PSAP to call, based on the location. The TSP would then call a ten digit telephone number of the PSAP and relay the information by voice. The PSAP had to determine the proper responding agency based on the information provided.
In June of 2000, the Greater Harris County 911 Network, in partnership with Intrado (then SCC) Communications, Southwestern Bell, Veridian Engineering, Plant Equipment, Inc. and Combix Corp. conducted the nation's first end-to-end trial of automatic crash notification (ACN). This test included a GPS location of the vehicle involved, and crash pulse data-information such as change in velocity, number of occupants, selt-belts in use, and other data-to a PSAP and a trauma center.
Upon vehicle impact, the location and crash data was instantly transmitted to Intrado. Based on the longitude and latitude of the vehicle, this data was relayed to the Houston Fire Department. Intrado initiated a voice connection between the cell phone in the vehicle, and connected the call to the Southwestern Bell Selective Routing Tandem in Houston. The 9-1-1 CPE allowed voice communication, crash information, and the location of the crash on a digital map. The crash pulse data was also relayed to the receiving trauma center.
The crash pulse data was transmitted to the Ben Taub General Hospital Trauma Center, where it was fed into a computerized model. The computer model took the crash pulse data and recreated the details of the crash as an animated video clip. The data proved useful in demonstrating to trauma personnel the value of crash information prior to the patient's arrival. This valuable exercise laid much of the groundwork for what is now the National Mayday Readiness Initiative.
"This type of technology will directly benefit patients by allowing for immediate alerting of local emergency responders when a crash occurs," said Dr. Persse, Director, City of Houston Emergency Medical Services. "In the future, patients will benefit from this technology by allowing emergency physicians and surgeons to more accurately predict the type of injuries and the severity of those injuries sustained by the patient," said Persse.
"Every surgeon who works in a trauma center ought to find this valuable because it literally puts them at the scene of the accident, and provides impact information which can be correlated with their injuries," said Dr. Mattox, Chief of Staff, Ben Taub General Hospital. "We have always had these windows of time where we have been unable to fill in the blanks, and this technology should allow us to have a more complete model to look at how injuries occur and how we should treat them," said Mattox.
The National Mayday Readiness Initiative (NMRI) is a public-private partnership of more than twenty national organizations which have been meeting to develop and address the primary issues that arise in the dealings between private Mayday telematics service providers (such as OnStar, ATX, Cross Country Automotive, and AAA) and the nation's public emergency response agencies. The NMRI is co-sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation and the ComCARE Alliance.
The June 2000 staged crash showed that it was possible for a vehicle equipped with telematic devices to relay data into a PSAP, and to a trauma center. This proof-of-concept lead to the "Enhanced Automatic Crash Notification" project. This project would deliver enhanced crash data and voice communication from the telematic equipped automobile into the existing E9-1-1 system. This project started in the latter part of June, 2002, in the area in and around Houston Texas. This area has E9-1-1 service under Greater Harris County 911 Emergency Network.
The Greater Harris County 911 Emergency Network partnered with Ford Motor Company, Cross Country Automotive Services, Veridian, Trimble, Southwestern Bell Communications, Intrado, and 18 local area law enforcement and fire response agencies to begin the next generation of automatic crash notification. The project is known as the Enhance Automatic Crash Notification (EACN) Fleet Program.
Ford Motor Company has installed advanced crash detection systems by Veridian, GPS units by Trimble, and next generation sensors by Ford Automotive, into 300 public safety vehicles within the Network's area. Cross Country Automotive Services is providing the telematics service providers services, Intrado is providing the database services, with communications networks via Southwestern Bell Communications.
In the event of a crash, an EACN device immediately initiates a connection, using wireless communications capabilities, to emergency responders and transmits critical crash information.
Specifically, EACN provides responders with the location of the crash and crash data elements. These data elements can include data and time, longitude, latitude, datum, location confidence, telematics service provider name and phone number, vehicle type, color, model, year, license plate number, owners name, number of occupants, crash severity estimation, thrown occupants, entrapped occupants, seat belt usage, whether or not the vehicle rolled over, the difference in vehicle speed at the time of the crash, the principal direction of force, and others.
The Enhance Automatic Crash Notification Fleet Program is a two year program, using 300 law enforcement and fire response vehicles, to meet the following objectives:
The likelihood of survivability increases when crash victims receive medical attention within the first hour following the crash referred to as the "Golden Hour." Most deaths occur within a few hours of the automotive crash.
The value of these devices may eventually lead to them being installed on every vehicle, much like seat belts are today.
The goals of the EACN Fleet Program includes:
Stored ACN data has tremendous value. Stripped of individual characteristics to preserve citizen privacy, ACN data could build a valuable aggregate database. This data can help government, industry, and safety experts avoid issues like the recent Firestone problems. The aggregated data could be used to design better safety systems, reduce errors in first response and trauma care, and decrease medical cost by providing better models.
Reducing emergency response times saves lives and reduces the impact of injuries. Knowing which emergencies are serious and where they are can save tax dollars and target emergency resources. Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) is the next major advancement in auto safety.
The Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network is integrating a target notification warning system into their existing systems. The target notification system allows a specific area to be targeted for rapid calling and delivery of emergency messages. It's like having 9-1-1 call you. This type of service has proven valuable in quickly locating missing children, alzihamers patients, HazMat emergencies, and weather threatning conditions.
The Target notification system being developed in the Network's area will be called the Network Early Warning System, or NEWS. The system will be one of the most advanced tools available to rapidly identify, notify, and instruct affected individuals based on their geographic location. By parterning with Southwestern Bell Communications and Intrado, the system will be able to dial and relay a message to thousands of people every minute.
The area to be notified is identified by drawing a polygon on the GIS mapped data display. The street centerlines within the target area are highlighted and selected. Each street centerline has attributes data such as the high and low address range, the left and right side addresses, street names, and other information. The selected streets and addresses are matched up, by address, with the 9-1-1 telephone numbers in the selected area. The telephone numbers are placed into a calling que and dialed. When the phones are answered a message is delivered. The system calls back unanswered and busy numbers, and keeps records of the totals of all calls.
In a crisis situation, seconds count, getting the right information to the right people, at the earliest possible time, saves time. Using the telephone system as the contacting medius is more efficient, less costly, and more reliable than any other method available. The telephone is also on of the most reliable forms of communication available, when the power fails, the phone system still works.
The advantages of the system is that it uses the GIS street centerline maintained by the Network, and updated daily, and the 9-1-1 telephone number database. This database contains every wireline telephone number, including un-listed and non-published numbers. Since the Network manages data on a daily basis, the data is the most accurate possible.
The system also allow for call list so individuals associated with the search and rescue teams, volunteer fire departments, SWAT Teams, HazMat crews, and other groups can be quickly called, based on the are they are near. They system can even call the same individuals, using multiple phone numbers, until they are contacted.
Since the Network covers over 150 different public safety agencies, one of the big task was getting them to agree that the first certified individual to an incident could initiate the activation of the system. Full activation of the system can only be initiated by an approved agency head, or one of their alternates, with a one-time password. Since the password would need to be transmitted over radio, it would only be good once, to prevent possible unauthorized activation. The Networks 7x24 command center is the primary contact point for launching any events.
The Network has also purchased a custom 911 weather alerting and prediction system to help provide better information so better decessions can be made. The system allows our GIS data to be integrated into the system, and their data to be integrated into our GIS. The system allows for displaying real-time weather information in a highly detailed manner, and has the capability of providing critical storm prediction information. The accuracy of the future weather predictions rival any other weather prediction system. The system allows alarms, and alerts to be set and activated by certain weather conditions within certain geographic areas. The alerts and alarms can be FAXed, set by page or mobil phone text messages, or e-mailed to certain individuals. The 911WxAlertTM System from Weather Decision Technologies of Norman, Oklahoma will play a key role in the daily operations of the organization's weather coordinator, the Network Command Center and its 43 PSAP's.
"The 911WxAlert System will assist the Network with continuing to provide the newest technology available for the citizens that it serves" says John Melcher, Deputy Director of the Network. "This unique weather prediction and alerting service greatly enhances our PSAP's ability to make critical operational decisions, to protect the citizens of Harris and Fort Bend Counties and manage our resources during periods of severe and hazardous weather."
GIS technology and spatial data play an increasingly important role in the public safety arena. In the near future one will probably see the 9-1-1 infrastructure of this country joining forces and forming partnerships with others that can not even be imaged. Technology will continue to improve, and will also give rise to new problems to the 9-1-1 infrastructure. How can one make a 9-1-1 call from a two-way pager, a wireless connected PDA, or a computer connected to the Internet through a dial-up connection? These questions and many others are being asked by public safety personel today, so the future will not "sneak up" on 9-1-1. We will see more innovations in the next few years than we have seen since the first 9-1-1 system was put in place, just over 20 yeras ago.