Next Generation 9-1-1 Service: A Major ITS Initiative

Text, data, images, and video are increasingly common in personal communications and are critical to future transportation safety and mobility advances. However, the 9-1-1 system of the 1970s was created to transmit voice media only and was not designed to handle the challenges of multimedia communication in a wireless, mobile society. The goal of the Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) initiative is to define the Next Generation 9-1-1, to design a system to support it, and to develop a transition plan and framework for implementation. The NG9-1-1 initiative will leverage the progress from the Secretary of Transportation’s Wireless E9-1-1 Initiative, which has enhanced location capability for 9-1-1 calls placed from wireless phones. The Next Generation 9-1-1 initiative will establish the foundation for public emergency services in this wireless environment and enable an enhanced 9- 1-1 system compatible with any communications device.