E911 technology provider TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) introduced today Global ALI with Location Enhanced Objects (GALILEO). GALILEO will deliver a specific telephone number to the PSAP and relates it to a physical location, generally in the form of an address, for emergency dispatchers and responders.

 

Specifically, the new IP-based service is an Automatic Location Identifier (ALI) database that will make possible the introduction of a Next-Gen technology into today's Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). GALILEO will allow a transition path from the traditional legacy landline ALI to a new IP-based ALI that supports all phone users regardless of the type of service.

 

In an official statement issued by the Federal Communications Commission in May 2005, the agency explained that it took steps to protect consumers by requiring that certain providers of VoIP phone service supply E911 emergency calling capabilities to their customers as a mandatory feature of the service. The FCC (News - Alert) communicated it hopes to minimize the likelihood of situations like recent incidents in which users of interconnected VoIP dialed 911 but were not able to reach emergency operators by implementing an order.

 

According to TCS' announcement, traditional ALI databases support FCC's requirement. The service provides "PSAPs, which handle incoming E9-1-1 calls, with the emergency caller's location so that the appropriate first responders can be dispatched to the caller's aid. Prior to introduction of GALILEO, the functionality was restricted to a pre-defined set of characters and a limited number of data fields."

 

With GALILEO, the addition of Location Enhanced Objects extends the information received by giving IP-capable PSAPs supplementary data for quicker response and more detail on the caller. GALILEO is customizable to meet the display and dispatch capabilities of PSAPs and first responders.

 

"The amount of data that can be delivered on an individual call is limited only by the PSAP's or the responder's ability to retrieve it and is no longer limited by the database itself," said TCS' senior director of public safety Dick Dickinson in a statement. "PSAPs can acquire the standard information they are accustomed to accessing, like MSAG-valid address data, and customer name and call-back number. They can also augment the standard data with additional information, such as the Vehicle Emergency Data Set from telematics providers or other information pertinent to that specific caller." 

 

If you are looking to learn everything there is to know about VoIP E911 and other IP-based services, the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & Expo, WEST is an event you won't want to miss. The event is the number one VoIP conference in terms of attendance; the leading VoIP Expo for exhibitors in terms of lead generation; and the VoIP industry event which features special attractions for service providers and resellers. The event runs October 10-13, 2006 in San Diego.

TeleCommunication Systems (News - Alert), Inc.

 

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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit her columnist page.