MapInfo Solutions Help Carriers Providing Landline VoIP Phone Services Meet New 911 Rules from FCC | MapInfo Press Release | 5.24.05
Troy, NY—May 24, 2005— MapInfo Corporation (Nasdaq: MAPS), the leading global provider of location intelligence solutions, today announced that its specialized solutions PSAP Pro™ and RateCenterInfo™ solutions will help Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers meet the latest Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling, which states that VoIP service providers must have adequate Public Safety Answer Point (PSAP) service agreements in place with Local Exchange Carriers within the next four months, or risk losing the right to offer VoIP services in the U.S.
In issuing the ruling, the FCC cited several recent cases where callers using Internet phone services had problems reaching 911 emergency service centers, or 911 centers were unable to identify the calling phone’s location. On May 19, FCC officials announced their intent to establish new rules mandating broader compliance with location recognition systems in emergency 911 systems. …
First Ever Next-Generation E9-1-1 Solution Showcased Today | MapInfo Press Release | 5.26.05
WASHINGTON D.C.—May 26, 2005—Today at the National Press Club researchers from leading universities and technology companies will demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a next-generation E9-1-1 solution. Called NG9-1-1, this is currently the only solution that ensures that emergency callers will reach the help they need regardless of the technology used to originate or answer the call. MapInfo Corporation’s (Nasdaq: MAPS) Location Intelligence technology is an integral component of the prototype.
The prototype will demonstrate the capabilities of an Internet-based emergency call delivery for nomadic and mobile Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) users to an IP- capable PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point). The current emergency phone system was not developed to handle newer technologies such as mobile and Internet phone services and it is getting increasingly more difficult for 9-1-1 dispatchers to pinpoint a caller’s geographic location. NG9-1-1 addresses the time-critical issue of location identification for Internet-based phones and other IP-enabled communications devices.
NG9-1-1 leverages research work being done at Columbia University’s Fu Foundation, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the recently created Internet2 Technology Evaluation Center at Texas A&M University, and the expertise and knowledge of Internet2, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the offices of Emergency Communications for the States of Texas and Virginia as well as industry leading equipment providers such as Nortel and others. …
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 goal of the Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) initiative is to define the Next Generation 9-1-1, to design a system to support it, and to develop a transition plan and framework for implementation.
The NG9-1-1 initiative will leverage the progress from the Secretary of Transportation’s Wireless E9-1-1 Initiative, which has enhanced location capability for 9-1-1 calls placed from wireless phones. 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 initiative’s first phase will determine operational policies and user requirements for an Internet- and multimedia-capable 9-1-1 system. In partnership with the 9-1-1 community and the private sector, this initiative will:
- Establish call center requirements
- Establish operational policies and standards
- Increase public and industry awareness of the implementation issues in 2005
The next generation 9-1-1 system will be defined during the second phase of this initiative. By 2007 the initiative will describe and document the framework to enable common devices (cellular telephones, PDAs, computers, and others) to communicate effectively with 9-1-1 call centers.