Mary-Louise Hoffman
Cisco and TeleCommunication Systems have partnered to combine their mobility and geospatial emergency messaging platforms with the goal of helping first responders track 911 cellphone calls.
TCS will demonstrate its GEM9-1-1 data mapping technology with Cisco’s Wi-Fi-based Mobility Services Engine at this week’s NENA Annual Conference in Nashville, Tenn., TCS said Monday.
According to TCS, the Cisco system is designed to locate emergency callers or texters from inside of buildings and send location details to 911 operators.
“Every second counts in an emergency situation, and so we need to find a way to provide accurate information to 911 dispatchers, especially when victims request help from a mobile phone,” said Mary Brown, Cisco senior director of government affairs.
“We believe this demonstration shows how our Mobility Services Engine can dramatically improve indoor location information associated with emergency calls, reducing the time first responders are able to locate and assist the caller,” Brown added.
TCS says that millions of Wi-Fi access points are available throughout the U.S. and the alliance aims to utilize this network to assist emergency location tracking efforts.
