Wed. May 11, 2022 | By Ben Miller | Gov Tech |
The technology will use GPS data from mobile devices to route calls to the nearest 911 dispatch center, making it more likely the call goes to the right place. And dispatchers won’t have to do anything to get it.
Soon, 911 dispatch centers nationwide will have better location data in hand for many mobile phone callers — at least, those using AT&T.
The telecommunications firm has begun rolling out new technology called location-based routing that will mean using data from mobile devices themselves to establish location. That means calls will be routed to the nearest public safety answering point (PSAP), and the dispatcher will be able to establish where the caller is within 50 feet of their mobile device.
Today, most of the time, a cellphone call is routed to a PSAP based on which cell tower the call is routed through. That might not actually be the closest dispatch center — especially in places close to county borders or outside big cities.
“You have a tower on a border location, and study this tower by tower, and analyze what percentage of the calls are going to what 911 centers or PSAPs, and whoever has the most calls, you route all the calls to that center,” said Kurt Mills, executive director of Snohomish County, Wash., 911.
Snohomish County, just north of Seattle, has frequently dealt with callers being routed to the wrong PSAP. But Snohomish County 911 became the first dispatch organization in the country to use the new technology and saw a decline in the need to transfer callers…
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