The Map Is the Network: Inside NG911 GIS Mapping

Key Takeaways:

  • In legacy 911, routing and caller location were two separate flat-file lookups stitched together by phone number, and either could fail independently. NG911 GIS mapping changes that: the map itself becomes the routing engine, with the ECRF running a geospatial routing query against the authoritative GIS layer to find the right PSAP and the LVF validating location data before a call ever happens.
  • GIS coordinators are now adjacent to call delivery. A centerline edited Tuesday can carry live emergency traffic by Wednesday. Most counties’ GIS was never built to be a routing layer, which is why INDIGITAL runs MSAG and GIS mapping in parallel until NG911 GIS quality is provably equal or better.
  • INDIGITAL’s DIG validates incoming GIS data at the source, and LIOS monitors data already in service and produces the documented evidence Phase 2 approvals require. When the FCC’s next round of Phase 2 requests moves through carrier review, provably accurate NG911 GIS mapping gets approved on first submission; assumed-accurate data gets bounced.
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5 Reasons NG911 Modernization Can’t Wait

Key Takeaways:

  • NG911 modernization is no longer optional. FCC 24-78, effective Nov. 25, 2024, calls for originating service providers (OSPs) to deliver 911 traffic in SIP format on request.
  • NG911 modernization built to NENA i3 is the difference between a 20-year deployment and a five-year one. The standard defines specific interoperable functional elements (ESRP, ECRF, LVF, BCF, etc.), allowing systems to evolve without a complete overhaul.
  • NG911 modernization must account for disaster resilience as a core architecture requirement, not an afterthought. When Livingston Parish’s 911 capability collapsed during the 2016 Baton Rouge flooding, the IT director physically carried a CAD server through rising floodwater as neighboring dispatchers recorded call notes on paper. A pre-positioned mobile emergency voice operations unit would have been a game-changer for emergency response.

In the spring of 1968, a switchboard operator at the Haleyville, Alabama Police Department picked up a ringing line and answered the first 911 call ever placed in the United States. The caller knew where the call was going because they were in Haleyville. The receiver knew where the caller was because the address tied to the phone number on a piece of paper in a binder.

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5 Things To Look For In A Vendor Partnership

In a PSAP/ECC, vendor partnership can’t mean we signed a contract and hope for the best. When 911 is a 24/7 operation, vendor relationships have to function like an extension of your team because when something breaks at 2:00 a.m., dispatchers don’t care whose system is at fault. They just need it to work. Here are 5 tips for having successful vendor partnerships.

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St. Francois County 911 Advances Emergency Response with INdigital ESInet and Ryzyliant Call Handling & Mapping

FARMINGTON, Mo. and HOOVER, Ala. and FORT WAYNE, Ind., March 19, 2025 — St. Francois County 911 has taken a major step forward in modernizing emergency communications by going live on INdigital’s Emergency Services IP Network (ESInet) and Ryzyliant’s EDGE 9-1-1™ call handling and mapping solution. This integration enhances the county’s ability to provide fast, reliable emergency response for law enforcement, fire, and EMS.

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