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Serious question... why can't I SMS 911? This article focuses on geolocation data... which is fine. But what about cases where a person is unable to speak verba

Serious question... why can't I SMS 911? This article focuses on geolocation data... which is fine. But what about cases where a person is unable to speak verbally because of either physical impairment, or because they are afraid or otherwise unable to do so? This would be so easy to implement, can it even really be said to be a technology problem?

wlesieutre 12y ago
> In an agreement with NENA and APCO, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have voluntarily committed to provide text-to-911 service by May 15, 2014 in all areas served by their networks where a 911 call center is prepared to receive texts. http://www.fcc.gov/text-to-911 http://www.fcc.gov/text-to-911
Rynant 12y ago
Implementing SMS for 911 is not simple. First of all, many 911 call centers (PSAPs) still use analog equipment [1] For those PSAPs that do have NG911 equipment, managing an SMS "call" is tricky because SMS messages are not sent on a persistent connection. Each message requires routing through the wireless network to a selective router which then routes the call to a PSAP, and the PSAP routes the message to a call taker. So somehow subsequent messages need to be able to find their way to the same call taker that handled the first message. - How do all of the routing points know what "call" each message belongs to? - How do they know when the call ends? - What happens when the caller's location changes and the wireless network routes through a new selective router? - What if a PSAP is busy or offline? Unlike normal SMS, messages need to be re-routed. - 911 calls need to be recorded. Who is responsible for storing the SMS conversations? Sometimes PSAPs are required by a state to record conversations. If the SMS solution is a web-hosted application, state laws may need amending to allow the application provider to record the SMS conversation. The wireless network, selective router, and PSAP equipment may each be managed by a different entity, so it requires new laws, standards and equipment to coordinate a 911 SMS conversation correctly compared to normal SMS calls where the number that is being sent to maps to a single subscriber. [1] http://www.911.gov/ng911_law/whatisng911.html http://www.911.gov/ng911_law/whatisng911.html

wlesieutre 12y ago

> In an agreement with NENA and APCO, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have voluntarily committed to provide text-to-911 service by May 15, 2014 in all areas served by their networks where a 911 call center is prepared to receive texts. http://www.fcc.gov/text-to-911 http://www.fcc.gov/text-to-911

Rynant 12y ago

Implementing SMS for 911 is not simple. First of all, many 911 call centers (PSAPs) still use analog equipment [1] For those PSAPs that do have NG911 equipment, managing an SMS "call" is tricky because SMS messages are not sent on a persistent connection. Each message requires routing through the wireless network to a selective router which then routes the call to a PSAP, and the PSAP routes the message to a call taker. So somehow subsequent messages need to be able to find their way to the same call taker that handled the first message. - How do all of the routing points know what "call" each message belongs to? - How do they know when the call ends? - What happens when the caller's location changes and the wireless network routes through a new selective router? - What if a PSAP is busy or offline? Unlike normal SMS, messages need to be re-routed. - 911 calls need to be recorded. Who is responsible for storing the SMS conversations? Sometimes PSAPs are required by a state to record conversations. If the SMS solution is a web-hosted application, state laws may need amending to allow the application provider to record the SMS conversation. The wireless network, selective router, and PSAP equipment may each be managed by a different entity, so it requires new laws, standards and equipment to coordinate a 911 SMS conversation correctly compared to normal SMS calls where the number that is being sent to maps to a single subscriber. [1] http://www.911.gov/ng911_law/whatisng911.html http://www.911.gov/ng911_law/whatisng911.html