“The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.” ~ Simon Sinek, posted 27th October, 2021

If you have been anywhere near social media or even just the internet over the last 10 years you have most likely heard of “Find your WHY”, or “Start with WHY”, by Simon Sinek, David Mead, and Peter Docker.

What is finding your why?

To put it simply, it’s your purpose, belief or cause which fuels you every day. And it’s important, because to quote from the book:

“Your vision is only actionable if you say it out loud. If you keep it to yourself, it will remain a figment of your imagination.

One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is also the simplest: storytelling... Storytelling is the way knowledge and understanding have been passed down for millennia, since long before the invention of written language. Storytelling is part of what it is to be human. And the best stories share our values and beliefs…Those stories are both the source of our WHY and the fuel that keeps our WHY alive.”

So, with that being said, please take a seat around our virtual campfire, we’d to like to share some of our WHY stories with you.

Why? Because it defines who our company is and why we are here. Plus we had some great professional headshots done ;)

Our WHY guides each of us at ELi every day, it grounds us, reminds us of what is important, and drives us to keep conversations going. It’s our company’s purpose and our team’s motivation.

---

Troy Yeo

ELi Technology’s Director of Finance and Administration

A business is successful to the extent it provides a product or service that contributes to happiness in all of its forms” ~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

At ELi, our technology directly contributes to saving lives, and reducing loss, stress and ultimately unhappiness in times of dire need and life-altering consequences.

Emergency situations happen every second of every day.  I am very fortunate to work with a committed team with a technology that can save lives, making the world a better place.

This has to be the ultimate career goal for anyone – the ultimate “Why”.

ELi is a generational organization to a global community, and I am very excited and proud to be part it. This is my “Why?”.

“Speech has allowed the communication of ideas, enabling human beings to work together to build the impossible.” ~ Stephen Hawking, posted 20th October, 2021

Way back in the mists of time I was a volunteer firefighter, and I have many friends and family still in the public safety service. So, I feel the ongoing concerns which persist in the Emergency Services Number Network, around provision of a verified dispatchable address/location, really do hit close to home.

But is it just me, or is the press/media coverage around what dispatchable location is, and who is providing it, quite confusing?

So, I asked myself this question…what or who is a First Responder?

Having been one, and worked with many, I know the answer; however, I thought providing a definition might give some clarity to what the purpose of these blog posts is going to be.

A First Responder, according to CIPSRT (Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment) is defined as follows:

“A person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance at the scene of an emergency, such as an accident, natural disaster, or terrorist attack. Historically, first responders have traditionally included paramedics, [emergency dispatchers] and medical technicians, police officers, firefighters, and rescuers.”

And this is what I was looking for, “among the first” and to “provide assistance”.

To be the first on a scene, any scene, you need to know where you’re going. And there’s the rub. We don’t always know. In fact, according to some reports from the US, a dispatcher knows the location of an emergency mobile caller between 5-95% of the time! *

That’s a huge margin of accuracy or inaccuracy! And I think we can agree, it’s just not good enough. Some stories of location failure make the headlines, but thousands do not.

Sometimes we get to put a name to the victim, but for the most part they are sadly anonymous statistics.

Location of a mobile caller needs to be better, needs to be accurate, and needs to be provided with confidence and speed, but as we delve into and discuss the subject further over the coming weeks, we are going to find that this is not happening, and we need to figure out why.

Our EML (Emergency Mobile Location) methodology provides an “actual door to knock on”. It is the vital location tool that will support, improve, and drive the Emergency Service Industry into its requirement for delivering dispatchable address and Next Generation Services.

And our logo reflects this capability and vision with a tagline which describes exactly what we do, and WHY we do it:

Helping YOU save more lives

Who is the YOU? It’s the First Responder, the Dispatcher, the 9-1-1 Operator, the telecommunications network, regulator, federal agency, commission…anyone who works with or for the Emergency Number Network.

It’s about putting the right and best tool directly into the hands of those who are OUR Emergency Services.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/22/cellphone-911-lack-location-data/23570499/

“Persistence is the most powerful force on earth, it can move mountains.” ~ Albert Einstein, posted 13th October, 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought accelerated growth to technology, digitization, and automation. And whether we’re ready or not, we are undergoing a substantial digital revolution all over the world. Innovation, agility, and market development are moving fast. In the last decade alone, we have seen huge leaps forward: SpaceX, virtual home assistants, driverless vehicles, virtual payment systems, cloud-based services, drones, AI, VR…to name but a small few.

But believe it or not, still in 2021, locating a 9-1-1/112/999 mobile caller presents a hugely significant challenge. Accurate verifiable dispatchable location, or a physical “door to knock on” during an emergency event, is not available, contrary to what many in the industry would have you believe (more on that later).

So, on March 31, 2021, ELi posted our first narrative on emergency mobile location. The objective was to start open conversation on the important challenges our industry faces, including that of location. We wanted to hear from, and speak with, like-minded industry professionals and advocates who are working HARD to make a difference.

We gained so much detailed insight, received so much positive feedback, and made quite a few new friends…so we are back…round 2 here we come!

Emergency Number Networks around the globe face similar challenges. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Ghana, Romania, Qatar, the US, or Sweden the obstacles remain pretty much the same: increasing call volumes and call handling to emergency centers, rising crime rates, increasing severity of crimes, decreasing resources, lower staff recruitment, dropping financial support or training, rising technological advancement (that you need to keep up with), high employee stress…and large, pandemic proportion, health crises and natural disasters.

These are some pretty significant obstacles to work around. But what intrigued us in March, and what intrigues us still, is how the challenge of locating an emergency mobile caller persists, but in comparison to the above, is a simple and elegant fix.

Over the coming weeks we’re going to talk further on dispatchable address, what it truly is, and what it really provides. We will take a hard look at what other location technologies and Next Gen services are currently being spoken about, or even deployed, and whether they are providing a true dispatchable address, or not.  

And then we might look into our crystal ball, to see what advantage accurate mobile location really provides, as we transition into our Next Generation Emergency Services…cue Star Trek music.

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much ~ Helen Keller (author, disability rights advocate), posted 30th June, 2021

For the last 14 weeks we have written and shared blogs, LinkedIn posts and emails covering the poignant topic of “emergency mobile location accuracy” within the Emergency Number Network. Whether you work in the industry or not, we all have a connection to this service, and we all need it.

The industry has faced tough challenges over the decades, as technology moves at lightning speed, and our world becomes more mobile, interconnected, and untethered. Over the last decade or so data privacy and security have also become more powerful influencers, something we never had to consider before, but now are absolutely central to core services and future infrastructures.

Accuracy of a mobile device’s location when calling for help is still an important topic, with countries looking at different options to assist with homing in on the emergency caller’s address, to provide help quickly and efficiently…all whilst trying to balance the privacy, integrity, sovereignty concerns, costs, and upgrades.

Sadly, dispatchable address is still not available in ANY country, even though it’s what the global industry demands. It’s also not due to its lack of existence…the technology is here, it’s Emergency Mobile Location (EML).

What can you expect from ELi Technology for the remainder of 2021?

ELi wants to assist organizations within the Emergency Number Network in saving more lives with our EML methodology. We wish to share our message and discover entities and decision makers who can work with us to bring about this improvement.

Our industry has 2 great conferences coming up this year, National Emergency Number Association (NENA) to be held in Columbus, Ohio, July 24th- 29th, 2021 and also European Emergency Number Association (EENA) in Riga, Latvia, October 6th- 8th, 2021.

ELi will be at both of these events, for meeting requests and also to showcase EML with real-time demonstrations. We hope you can join us there, and if you would like to learn more about ELi, EML and how we can work together, please reply to this email, contact us through our website (https://eli-technology.com/general) or message through LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyvaliant/)

There are some fundamentals to life every human has the right to…and a good standard of public safety is one of them.

Any National Public Safety Service begins with the emergency call taker and first responder. These are the frontline personnel going above and beyond, risking their own lives, facing incredible emotional and physical stresses to help save the lives of others. Yet, when time is wasted trying to find the location of an emergency, dispatch and response times increase and lives are lost.

EML can change that, creating a better future for the Emergency Service Number Industry and more importantly, saving lives, providing emergency telecommunicators and first responders with the location information they need.

EML is the final piece in the puzzle.

“I am driven by two main philosophies: Know more today about the world than yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson, posted 23rd June, 2021

In 2021 approximately 67% of the global population owns a mobile device. That’s staggering…and this number is set to keep rising. More and more calls to the Emergency Number System will originate from a mobile, yet accurate location of that device remains the #1 challenge.

The stakeholders in every Emergency Number System are entities involved in the entire chain of making, responding, and handling an emergency call.

From the Caller, Responder, Dispatcher/Operator, Telecommunication Company/ ISP, Handset manufacturer/vendor, Regulators/Government…. all have their crucial part to play.

The sole purpose of the Emergency Number Network is to provide a critical service to civilians in their time of need. Whether it is law enforcement, medical, firefighting, disaster management or a rescue event, the service relies on each stakeholder to participate and coordinate to achieve the best possible outcome.

With differing yet intertwining roles to play in the same process, each stakeholder will distinctly benefit from improved mobile caller location accuracy with EML. But what would those potential benefits look like?

The most significant and motivating benefit would be to reach an emergency scene faster, saving time, and in many cases, saving precious lives too. As we have discussed before, in the US alone, over 10,000 lives are lost annually, attributed to Responders just not finding the location of the mobile caller fast enough, because accuracy issues provide the wrong address, or no address at all.

If we compare the other benefits of better location to entities such as Governments, Regulators, Telcos and Operators both in North America, and across Europe, the benefits are comparative. Lack of proper call information (including location) extends call processing times and drives up costs.

Better mobile location accuracy with the Emergency Mobile Location (EML) methodology would:

• Ensure citizens are protected with the best possible service

• Protect infrastructure investment and leverage existing assets

• Solve the Internet Protocol technical challenge with an infrastructure upgrade

• Create cost efficiency gains in call handling and resource management

• Mitigate any potential 9-1-1 / 112 liability

• Provide regulatory and privacy compliance, eliminate Cloud Act concerns with data sovereignty and integrity

• Support expansion onto other Next Generation emergency services

• Provide accurate, real-time, verified dispatchable addresses for mobile emergency calls

• Meet demand of more accurate information provided to the PSAP, achieving faster response times and improved caller outcomes

• Offer regulatory compliance, such as with the EECC article 109

• Data storage regulatory compliance

• Ensure integrity and sovereign control of data, including Cloud Act concerns

Each stakeholder has much to gain from improving the emergency location accuracy for mobile devices, but the most significant impact is undisputed; more global citizens will have an improved system, so if they ever need to make the call no one wants to make, help will arrive as quickly as possible…and you can’t put a price on that.

Our final email next week will summarize what we’ve covered over the last few weeks, and offer some key insights into what you can expect from ELi Technology for the remainder of 2021.

In the meantime, if you would like to discover how EML could impact your service, business, industry, or association, please reply to this email: info@eli-technology.com, or contact us through our website: https://eli-technology.com/general

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. ~ Thomas A. Edison, posted 16th June, 2021

Globally, over 80% of calls to the Emergency Services are made from a mobile device, and accurate location of the emergency caller is still the most significant challenge.

EML, Emergency Mobile Location, is the next step in the evolution of emergency caller location.

Using GPS, Wi-Fi, and a unique identifier or TAG- based system to pinpoint a mobile devices location, EML offers a

• Verified dispatchable civic address

• Operates in rural, urban & indoor locations

• Has no international roaming challenges

• Provides a vertical reference as a floor and/or room number

• Fully GDPR compliant

EML can provide accurate legacy address and placement information for ALL mobile callers and provides the “right door to knock on”.

So how does it work?

• Using the existing Wi-Fi ecosystem, EML turns proximity Wi-Fi Access Points (APs) into a network of verified location datapoints, or TAGs.

• These TAGs are unique identifiers for each and every access point.

• During an emergency mobile call the mobile handsets protocols turn on and begin collecting any GPS and Wi-Fi data nearby. At the same time TAG information is also collected. Up to 50 TAGs may be picked up during one call. Each TAG is encrypted in transport to ensure compliance with privacy and security requirements. TAGs are sent along the data network, with the GPS coordinates, to an EML server, which is part of the EML Service.

• The EML Service also consists of a location database which stores the installation locations of the Wi-Fi access points.

• All information collected (incl. GPS, Wi-Fi, EML TAGs) is used by the EML server to determine an accurate verified dispatchable address and the device’s handset GPS location values.

• A Dispatchable address is based on and contains:

  • GPS coordinates, represented as x -axis (latitude) and y-axis (longitude)

  • Z-axis (altitude)

  • County/State/Province, City/Town, and civic street address

  • Indoor location, with useable information such as floor, room, apartment number

• The EML server communicates this converted location information to the public safety answering point (PSAP) servers or Operators.

• This location information is them provided to the first responders, enabling them to provide help faster and more efficiently, saving more lives.

At the NENA conference in 2019, ELi Technology conducted live test case scenarios at the Gaylord Palms convention center.

The tests provide comparative results on what location accuracy provides today, and what could be possible through the deployment of EML:

The location detail with EML accomplishes the Industry goal of a dispatchable address for emergency mobile calls.

EML will help the Emergency Number Network save more lives with better mobile localization.

Our email next week will discuss more around how EML would benefit stakeholders in the emergency number network.

In the meantime, if you would like to discover how EML could impact your service, business, industry or association, please reply to this email: info@eli-technology.com, or contact us through our website: https://eli-technology.com/general

“The best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt, posted 9th June, 2021

Over the last few months we have discussed the subject of working towards “more accurate” emergency mobile location for the emergency number network.

It’s a global problem, a “pandemic” that still plagues our Emergency Number Industry and causes huge loss of life every year because callers on mobile devices are not located fast enough.

We defined that accurate location element as “Dispatchable Address”. It’s data that includes a specific indoor location, with floor and room number, it’s a “door to knock on” for our Responders.

We have also highlighted other important concerns around data privacy, security, Next Generation, Industry demand and concern, and current x, y, z location methods which are working hard to help, but not resolving the issue.

The goal for our Emergency Number Network is a “dispatchable address” would translate location data into a specific street address, floor, and room number of an emergency caller. All this whilst being interoperable, cost efficient and compliant with a country’s privacy/security regulations, laws, and existing infrastructures.

And today there is a methodology which offers the final piece to the location accuracy puzzle; dispatchable address.

It has been thoroughly real-world tested to ensure operation across different networks, existing telecommunication infrastructures and handset manufacturers, with outstanding accuracy results…

We are ELi Technology, and our location methodology is called “Emergency Mobile Location (EML).

EML encompasses the life-saving location information the Emergency Number Network needs, without compromising any of the crucial data privacy, security, or sovereignty concerns.

Our “Design Thinking and Technical Workshop” involving a Global brand technology corporation, and one of Europe’s leading 112 Operators meant we gained first-hand understanding of an Emergency Operator’s objectives and desired future state, whilst quantifying the “value” accurate dispatchable location/address brings to emergency call handling and operations:

• call handling time reductions of 30-90 seconds per call

• efficient utilization of resources

• stress reduction for callers and call takers

• leading to saving more lives

Milton Berle, an 80+ year performer, once said “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door” …in this case, it’s a door to knock on.

ELi Technology, through EML, wants to help the Emergency Number Network save more lives with better mobile localization.

Our email next week will discuss more around how EML works. In the meantime, if you would like to discover how EML could impact and serve your service, business, industry or association, please reply to this email info@eli-technology.com, or contact us through our website: https://eli-technology.com/general

“The future of privacy cannot be assured solely by compliance with regulatory frameworks. Privacy must become an organization’s default “ ~Anne Cavoukian PhD, posted 26th May, 2021

What is privacy?

Why does your home have curtains, drapes, blinds, or shutters? Why does your bathroom door have a lock, or why do you use passwords on your financial or social media accounts? These question provoke thoughts about what privacy actually is, whether virtual or real-world.

Privacy is an enormous and very “current” discussion topic. Impossible to cover all its complexities and controversies in one article post.

Generally though, privacy sets boundaries, and protects us from unwanted interference. Allowing us to negotiate our identity and interact with the world. Shielding us from unjustified use of power by State, Company, or other entity and allows us to regulate what is known about us and also done to us.

The European Convention on Human Rights, states rights to privacy(contained in Article 8) means respecting family and private life: https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Guide_Art_8_ENG.pdf

Why is privacy important?

Here is an extraordinary TEDTalks from Glenn Greenwald, one of the first reporters to write about the Edward Snowden files, and extensive surveillance of private citizens:

Greenwald makes a strong case on why you should care about privacy, even if you’re “not doing anything you need to hide”. He states, “There are all kinds of things we want to hide from other people, topics we discuss with our psychiatrist, lawyer, doctor, spouse - that have nothing to do with criminality”.

Location and privacy.

So what does privacy have to do with location data?

As technology becomes more sophisticated, and we do everything in a more “mobile capacity”, almost every device now has functionality that relies on GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and location mapping. From using taxi services and rideshare, looking at travel or weather apps, locating dining or food delivery options, subscribing to contact tracing, and shopping online, location “tracing/tracking” services are integrated everywhere. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a single ‘smart’ device that does not use a location service of one type or another.

The Consequences

Yet, the mining and sale of location data has become huge business, and its misuse has many people worried. Apart from unwanted advertising, or targeted social media campaigns that allegedly try to alter election results, in the United States it is possible for some law enforcement agencies to obtain location data without a warrant. This data builds a profile of a user’s behavior, but can also lead to unnecessary police stops, false arrests and even false convictions. Privacy and civil rights advocates say the geographic scope of these warrants gives Police information about people in private locales, such as their homes or doctors’ offices.

But law enforcement aside, what about if location data is sold to an unwanted 3rd party, or discovered by a hacker or a thief?

Three years ago a survey conducted by HERE technologies, of over 8,000 consumers across 8 countries, divulged some interesting feedback:

https://www.here.com/PrivacyLocationDataGlobalConsumerStudy2018

One big find was that 84% of consumers do not trust laws and regulations to ensure that there is no misuse of location data.

Privacy-By-Design (PBD)

PBD is a concept centred around integrating “privacy”, into the creation and operation of all new devices, systems, networks, and even policies. Incorporating privacy solutions into the early phase development of any project allows potential problems to be identified, thereby preventing them in the future.

Ann Cavoukian, a former Canadian Information & Privacy Commissioner, was one of the first privacy experts to outline this concept. She defined the “7 principles of PBD”, which are considered the foundation of PBD. From enabling privacy settings by default, being proactive, and being transparent about data collection.

Historically, known data breaches have shown that privacy solutions are often an afterthought. PBD was devised to remedy this concern, by pushing corporations, developers, and administrators to be more proactive, making privacy their priority.

Today, organizations can implement PBD to fulfill compliance obligations from data protection regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR mandates stronger security for personal data.

Privacy and Dispatchable Address

As we move closer towards implementing ever more accurate location methodologies for our Emergency Services, other than better location accuracy, one thing has become abundantly clear; how that data is handled, transferred, stored, and used is absolutely crucial.

The location methodology which succeeds, will not only be able to provide the location details needed to save more lives, but must do so in a trusted, and privacy-compliant manner.

“We are in great need of people being able to stand in someone else’s shoes. To see the world through their eyes.” ~ Barak Obama posted 19th May, 2021

With multiple stakeholders involved during an emergency call, each has an important role to play: Regulators, Emergency Operators, Telecommunications companies and PSAPs, Dispatchers, Responders, and the emergency caller.

It is important we try to understand the different pain points which influence and guide decisions within our Emergency Number Networks to assist in improving the mobile location flaw.

Feb 2020, and a “Design Thinking and Technical Workshop” took place between a Canadian location technology Startup, an American multinational technology company, and one of Europe’s leading 112 Operators for this exact purpose (button to full pdf whitepaper is attached below).

The workshop was designed to gain a better understanding of the 112 Operator’s operational needs and desired future state. Openness and participation during the workshop developed a mutual consensus around the “value” accurate dispatchable localization information brings to emergency call handling and operations. Achieved outcomes included:

• call handling time reductions of 30-90 seconds per call

• efficient utilization of resources

• stress reduction for callers and call takers

• leading to saving more lives

Making emergency mobile location data more accurate will result in a better call outcome. Saving and improving lives is the primary purpose of our Emergency Number Network.

Big Tech and start-ups have been attempting to fill the technology gap for accurate location for many years, with localization methods that just don’t meet dispatchable location requirements. The system is still not fixed.

There have also been ongoing concerns discussions centred around location data privacy, security, and sovereignty (more on that in later emails).

As Thomas Edison said

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

We know what needs to be done, we just have to choose the right path.

Design Thinking Workshop:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2d3t2bqrhwglhhu/112%20Design%20Thinking%20Workshop%20White%20Paper%20PDF%20Format.pdf?dl=0

“What you see and hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.” ~ C.S Lewis posted 12th May, 2021

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

There are approximately 33 million calls to 999, 240 million calls to 9-1-1 and 150 million to 112 each year… Calling the Emergency Services is one of the most important phone calls a person makes. It generally means they are having a terrible day and need help to arrive quickly.

However, why, when we live in a world of immense technological achievement, does there remain the problem centred around inaccurate mobile location?

Maybe because our daily lives are constantly flooded with news stories of sorrow and disaster? Our world is “noisy”, and even large-scale events struggle to permanently shift our way of thinking. From tsunamis, pandemics, mass-shootings, earthquakes, and hurricanes, we hear about those who suffer…feel sympathy, or empathy, but slowly, those feelings can fade. Why?

Those who are still immersed in chaos and pain, or who work in that environment, continue to feel the impact, and their lives become forever altered. For the rest of us, our lives carry on (and maybe somewhere in our subconscious, we hope and pray it will never happen to us?).

Has this become a pattern within our Public Safety Industry?

Responders and Dispatchers work hard mentally and physically, in stressful and challenging positions.  Submerged “in it” everyday, they see the problem around inaccurate location, and they see what needs to be done, but for those on the outside, maybe we don’t…or maybe we forget?

But it is crucial we do not forget. The consequences of mobile location failure continue to happen:

Taken from media news articles, sources available on request

The stories are heartbreaking and still happening. Dispatchable location would help significantly, and thousands of lives could be saved! Sadly, years after stories such as the ones above… we are still not there.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “The future depends on what you do today.”, and Abraham Lincoln once said, “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.

It’s time to assume a different perspective… and to act.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable.” ~ Charles Darwin, posted 5th May, 2021

It’s 1875 and there is a race between Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray for registration of an acoustic telephone patent.

Almost 150 years later and our telecommunications networks bear little resemblance to what they were. WHY? Because society and industry demanded it and needed it.

Originally, when the Emergency Service Network used landlines finding a residential addresses was done using the phone number and installation location.  When cellphones were introduced, cell tower triangulation roughly located the mobile caller. And when GPS arrived there was approximate location of the mobile handset, but not a “pinpoint location”.

Steps towards improving mobile location efforts are being made, but so far in 2021 nothing offers a dispatchable address.

Next Generation is NOT Dispatchable Location

Next Generation 112/911 technology plans to allow Emergency Callers to share lifesaving data like videos, texts, and images with emergency call centers. It aims to enhance inter call centre communication and improve system resiliency. It would allow the public to send rich digital data to call centers, or PSAPS, and let PSAPs receive data from devices such as wearables and car computers. This information is important because it can help EMS responders make more informed decisions, ensure faster response and keep EMS responders safer with improved situational awareness.

Our Industry talks about the importance of Next Generation Services, and it is hugely important; however, how valuable is a Next Generation service if it doesn’t have the accurate LOCATION element, the Dispatchable Address?

The FCC requires dispatchable location information to be conveyed with 9-1-1 calls so first responders can more quickly locate the caller. They define dispatchable location as the street address of the caller, and additional information, such as room or floor number.

So Next Generation Services need to have a Dispatchable address…the “right door to knock on”

Changing how data is received will help Responders do their job more effectively…but if they don’t have the dispatchable location, then what is the point of all this additional sharing of information?

If we are not moving forward, then we are standing still. If we want to survive, we have to adapt our thinking, and we have to solve an issue that has been plaguing our Industry for a long time… dispatchable location…it’s the FOUNDATION of the system.

“Information is power, only if you take action with it” ~ Daniel Burrus, posted 28th April, 2021

Daniel Burrus is a New York Times bestselling author, technology futurist, business strategist, speaker on global trends and disruptive innovation.

“Information only becomes powerful if you act on it.”

For our Emergency Service Network, emergency caller location is a powerful piece of data, that when accurate and provided to First Responders, ensures help arrives when it is needed most.

That emergency location information is defined as handset-derived location or dispatchable address…. but what does that mean?

Section 506 of *RAY BAUM’S Act states “dispatchable location” information conveyed during an emergency call would allow First Responders to quickly locate the caller.

Dispatchable location/address includes ALL of the following:

• GPS coordinates, represented as x -axis (latitude) and y-axis (longitude)

• Z-axis (altitude)

• County/State/Province, City/Town, and civic street address

• Most importantly accurate indoor location with useable information such as floor, room or apartment number.

Emergency mobile calls to 112/ 9-1-1 today are not providing a complete dispatchable address. What we get, looks more like the picture on the left, than the more detailed information provided on the right.

Specifically, the indoor multi-storey locations, such as downtown environments, face extreme accuracy challenges…that are still not resolved!

Until we have a “door to knock on”, Responders will continue to struggle locating mobile callers, and lives will continue to be lost.

Dispatchable location is powerful information that will change our emergency system for the better.

“Change only takes place through action.” ~ Dalai Lama, posted 21st April, 2021

Recently, EENA, the European Emergency Number Association, discussed the ongoing challenges around Advanced Mobile Location deployment, and cases where even when AML is deployed, countries are still not compliant with the European Electronic Communications Code:

EENA, Jan 2021

“19 European Member States reported to have AML enabled. This means that 8 countries are not complying with article 109(6) of the EECC and are exposing themselves to sanctions.

In addition, among the 19 countries that reported using AML, there is evidence that the technology is sometimes not working in parts or the entirety of the country, which is also in conflict with the requirements of the EECC.”

Source : https://eena.org/knowledge-hub/press-releases/several-eu-member-states-risk-sanctions-for-not-complying-with-eu-legislation/

Our paramedics, firefighters and police are still not getting a “door to knock on” or a “dispatchable location”.

A Dispatchable Location is detailed, efficient, accurate address information. It is NOT a ground-level estimate or an approximation to within 50 metres, it is a complete civic street address which includes an indoor and vertical element such as a floor/room/apartment number.

In the US, Regulators state that location accuracy for emergency calls is a significant Public Safety concern, and if it were fixed, over *10,000 lives could be saved alongside $97 billion.

In the EU a similar number of lives** could also be saved with better handset-derived location.

When our global communication systems became more sophisticated, we knew we had to keep pace. Now 80% of emergency calls are on a mobile device, yet the location technology we use to trace those calls is not sufficient and needs change!

Some modifications are being made, and have improved some parts of the system, but it is still not fixed.

Better location information in the hands of Emergency Responders will ensure more people each year are helped and saved.

As the Dalia Lama said, “Change only takes place through action.”

It’s time to take action, and change how we implement mobile location technology.

"To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” ~ Richard Buckminster Fuller, posted 14th April, 2021

Emergency Services Network infrastructures around the world are showing their age, and have been looking to resolve inaccurate mobile location for many years.

In 2018, the European Commission published a supplemental directive to ensure mobile caller location during emergency communications. It stated:

“A caller-location solution based on a hybrid system that continues to provide cell-ID positioning, together with the Wi-Fi and GNSS location information already available on the end-user's mobile phone, would lead to significant benefits in both indoor and outdoor emergency situations”

Source: https://docplayer.net/124222438-Commission-delegated-regulation-eu-of.html

The Federal Communications Commission in the US issued the Ray Baum Act:

“The Commission adopted rules under Section 506 of RAY BAUM’S Act to ensure that “dispatchable location” information is conveyed with 9-1-1 calls so that first responders can more quickly locate the caller. Dispatchable location information includes the street address of the caller and additional information, such as room or floor number, necessary to adequately locate the caller.”

Source: https://www.fcc.gov/911-dispatchable-location

Both Commissions acknowledge the ongoing need for accurate mobile location and what its impact on the Emergency Services would be.

However, still today, the current model for determining a mobile caller’s location is not offering a dispatchable location, and it is hard to understand WHY with all our technology available.

Global pioneer, humanist, architect and futurist Richard Buckminster Fuller got it right when he defined Societal wealth in terms of knowledge, and as the "technological ability to protect, nurture, support, and accommodate all “growth needs” of life.

Our pursuit of better location accuracy is a journey through technology.

It should be our duty to explore all and any viable solutions in order to come to the best possible outcome…and that is to save lives with a better dispatchable address.

“Next to creating a life, the finest thing a man can do is save one.” ~ Abraham Lincoln, posted 7th April, 2021

There is an ongoing issue of “accurate mobile location” within our Emergency System Number (ESN) Industry.

Not all emergency callers know their location, maybe they are in an unfamiliar area or country, cannot speak or understand, or the call becomes disconnected. Sometimes help arrives too late and it has devastating consequences for the caller, their families, and the Emergency Responders.

In order to FIX this problem, we have to understand WHY it is happening.

Before mobile phones, landlines were the main tool for calling 112/9-1-1. Each landline had a registered residential address, so finding the caller location was pretty straightforward.

Mobile phone location is significantly more complicated, and PSAPs use combinations of cell tower triangulation, GPS and sometimes Wi-Fi to narrow down the search. But this process remains imperfect, with urban and indoor locations (including multi-level and/or underground buildings) being especially challenging.

Deployment of Advanced Mobile Location, AML, has helped location accuracy, but the call detail and reliability is not enough. AML cannot locate a caller inside a multi-storey building, and with more people now living in cities and high-rises it’s important we work towards fixing the problem, whilst not impacting privacy or security; “Progress without Compromise”.

Below is a tragic, but non uncommon, media story centred around the ongoing issues of poor mobile location, and when it fails it has devastating consequences:

In 2020, United States, young student Yeming Shen, was found dead after 9-1-1 rescuers could not locate him.

Located in Troy, New York, United States. Emergency crews conducted a 45 min search for the student. The 9-1-1 system provided only a general location. Five officers, 3 firefighters and a police dog searched each floor of the apartment building but could not locate him Authorities said.

Source:https://apnews.com/article/ab4f1dad49ee0242f17d82a0db8fa3dc

As Abraham Lincoln said, “Next to creating a life, the finest thing a man can do is save one.” And this is not something we should give up on.

Saving lives…isn’t this the reason why we do what we do?