Major Initiatives > Next Generation 9-1-1

Overview

Improved technology for 9-1-1 will enhance driver safety and mobility by enabling motorists to send quicker, more accurate, and more useful forms of information about incidents to emergency dispatch centers.

Enhancing 9-1-1 Wireless

Text, data, images, and video are increasingly common in personal communications and are critical to future transportation safety and mobility advances. However, the 9-1-1 system of the 1970s was created to transmit voice media only and was not designed to handle the challenges of multimedia communication in a wireless, mobile society.

The NG9-1-1 initiative will leverage the progress from the Secretary of Transportation’s Wireless E9-1-1 Initiative. The Next Generation 9-1-1 initiative will establish the foundation for public emergency services in this wireless environment and enable an enhanced 9-1-1 system compatible with any communications device.

Communicating Effectively with 9-1-1 Centers

The goal of the Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) initiative is to enable the transmission of voice, data, or video from different types of communication devices to the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and onto emergency responder networks. The initiative's three phases will:

• Engage stakeholders. Leverage Wireless E9-1-1 Initiative activities, ongoing work of other National and Federal 9-1-1 projects, and involve necessary stakeholders through a variety of outreach efforts.
• Establish the vision. Partner with public safety agencies and the telecommunications industry to achieve a concept of operations and user requirements for an Internet/multimedia-capable 9-1-1 system.
• Define the future. Define the system architecture and develop a transition plan that considers responsibilities, costs, schedule and benefits for deploying the NG9-1-1 System across the Nation.

Updated October 9, 2008 4:11 PM