Intrado recently launched its location-based routing feature for wireless 911 callers, Locate Before Route. This new industry-first technology improves both speed and accuracy in location identification when a 911 call is made from a mobile device by using GPS and hybrid information from the device to route the call to the appropriate 911 call center, commonly known as a PSAP (public safety answering point). Previously, wireless calls made to 911 were limited to cell tower location to pinpoint the caller’s approximate location at the time of the call.
Accuracy is never sacrificed for speed. For wireless 911 calls made within border areas where county or city boundaries overlap, emergency response is no longer delayed by decision-making and transfers within the call flow, ultimately reaching people quicker and saving critical time.
Intrado first released this technology with AT&T. The nationwide roll out started in Washington, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Wyoming, and Guam. Additional regions will be rolled out over the coming months. Click here to read the press release.
Intrado is the industry leader with more than 40 years of experience. We have proven technology, and many "industry firsts" to continue driving innovation and improving 911 call delivery. Locate Before Route is another example of innovation that improves upon the 911 call delivery time and routing accuracy when a call is originated in jurisdictional borders.
“Location-based routing is a significant accomplishment for public safety. I’m proud of our collaboration with AT&T and look forward to continued innovation with them as we combine our technologies for the benefit of public safety – doing the right thing for the right reasons.”
Today, wireless calls are based on the location of a cell tower and statically routed to a pre-assigned PSAP. Based on this routing arrangement, it is estimated that approximately 10% of all wireless calls, and up to 50% of wireless calls in border areas, need to be transferred to a more appropriate PSAP based on the jurisdiction.
With the launch of Locate Before Route this year, Intrado can now utilize Device-based Hybrid (DBH) data that provides more accurate mobile handset location. Along with dynamic routing, these advancements reduce the need for wireless calls to be transferred, resulting in fewer delays and faster emergency responses.
“We share a busy border with King County and are thrilled with the significant decrease in 9-1-1 transfers. We know that 9-1-1 transfers delay emergency response and the winner here is our community. We very much appreciate the public-private partnership between our agency, AT&T and Intrado that allowed us to be the first in the nation to implement this new routing technology.”
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