CAR MBS: Panelists Ponder NextGen 911 Potential

At the Management Briefing Seminar put on by the Center for Automotive Research this week a panel of industry experts, including two auto maker representatives, considered the possibilities of enhanced 911 post-crash care.? A Volkswagen representative touted the opportunities inherent in tapping internal and external vehicle sensors to improve crash response efficacy while a General Motors executive emphasized leveraging data algorithms to anticipate crash victim conditions and needs.

The panel discussion entitled “Next Generation 9-1-1 Automotive OEMs” was moderated by Brian Tegtmeyer, Coordinator, National 911 Program for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.? Joining Brian on the panel were Joni Harvey, State 911 Administrator for the State of Michigan; Harriett Rennie-Brown, Executive Director of the National Association of State 911 Administrators; Frank Weith, Director, Connected and Mobility Services for Volkswagen and President, Ventic LLC; Jim Lanier, Global Public Safety Engagement Manager, General Motors; and Tim Van Goethem, Chief Product Officer, for Emergency Safety Solutions.

An unspoken goal of multiple 911 advocates and reformers active in the automotive industry today is accelerating the delivery of crash notifications and related data to first responders.? The purpose of swift and direct communications is to save lives.? In his opening remarks, Tegtmeyer noted, among other metrics, that 40% of fatalities resulting from crashes were alive at the moment of emergency response – a heart-rending statistic.

Speeding the delivery of those notifications and expanding the variety of data that is transmitted from crash scenes is dependent upon infrastructure.? The panel followed by a couple weeks the Federal Communication Commission’s adoption of rules setting deadlines for phone service providers to upgrade their technology so that wireless networks are able to deliver next-generation data-centric 911 calls.

The nation’s 911 industry remains woefully dependent upon networks that are still based on copper telephone lines.? Local 911 authorities – usually state-level agencies – will remain unable to deliver digital 911 services until networks are universally brought up to date.? With the FCC’s ruling, these local agencies are now able to put service providers on notice regarding network upgrades.

Again, the goal is to enable 911 calls to support the delivery of photos, videos, location data, and improved call routing.? Service providers will be required to upgrade to digital infrastructure and to meet the complete requirements of international next generation 911 standards.

FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said the new rules mean “the opportunity to provide real-time video of the emergency.? It will mean the ability to provide first responders with instantaneous pictures. It will make it possible to transmit a patient’s medical records directly to 911 dispatchers.”? She also called on Congress to approve funding for next-generation 911 through auctions of public wireless spectrum.

The shift to digital is expected to open the door to text-to-911 and automatic language translation features.? It is also intended to allow emergency call centers to more easily forward calls and caller information to other jurisdictions when necessary or in the case of outages.

The need for more data delivered more swiftly was a key focus of the panel discussion at MBS.? The 911 sector panelists noted the need for better data to determine which agencies should respond with which vehicles and personnel and from which locations – and whether they should proceed with “lights and sirens.”

Lanier from GM spoke at length regarding the Vehicle Emergency Data Standard (VEDS) promoted by APCO and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) as well as noting the work of the Next-Gen 911 Interoperability Task Force.? Finally, Lanier called attention to GM’s own work on developing an injury severity score, based on vehicle data.

Subsequent studies, based in part on data from GM and OnStar, demonstrated the predictive value of vehicle data regarding passenger injuries.? These studies take into account principal direction of force, change in velocity, multiple impacts, presence of any older occupant, presence of any female occupant, presence of right-sided passenger, belt use, and vehicle type. ?The importance of these algorithms relates to the high proportion of crashes that involve non-responsive passengers/drivers.

What is now being contemplated in a next-gen 911 world is full integration of data regarding the existing conditions or Medic Alert status of passengers, extraction protocols for EVs, information as to whether the car is a stolen, or even the notification of next of kin.? Enhanced crash response may also include solutions such as Automatic Window Opening System (AWOS) in the event of a vehicle entering a waterway or emergency lighting and wireless alerts for oncoming drivers – as advocated by Emergency Safety Solutions.

Frank Weith from Volkswagen suggested the possibility of responders accessing vehicle sensors to get a more complete understanding of the status of the vehicle and its occupants after a crash.? Of course, this wave of next-gen 911 innovation will only be helpful if the public service access points are appropriately equipped with sophisticated computer aided dispatch systems.

The panel successfully highlighted the efforts underway on the part of NHTSA, state-level 911 authorities, wireless carriers, and car makers to bring 911 emergency response and after-crash care into the digital age.? Thousands of lives are at stake and can be saved with system upgrades, superior data exchange, and enhanced integration.? NHTSA and the FCC are leading the way, raising awareness, and driving the conversation. By providing a venue for the discussion, the Center for Automotive Research is doing its part to contribute to the effort. A representative from the Connected Vehicle Services Alliance, another organization supporting the effort, was on-hand in the audience.