Temecula, CA - Beginning January 12, 2006, callers making 9-1-1 calls on cellular or wireless phones from selected carriers in Los Angles will be connecting to an advanced call-processing system capable of instantly displaying the location of the call, and more, on a digital map.

As part of a major equipment upgrade, the Los Angeles Police Department Communications Division has implemented ORION MapStar from PlantCML in the two major pubic safety answering points (PSAPs) serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area and the San Fernando Valley. The implementation of MapStar allows the LAPD PSAPs to receive and process wireless 9-1-1 calls. In the past, wireless 9-1-1 calls were automatically directed to the California Highway Patrol. In non-traffic related incidents, the callers would be transferred from the CHP call-centers to the appropriate PSAP for assistance.

“Ten years ago the majority of calls made on wireless phones to 9-1-1 were to report traffic incidents, while most other types of emergencies were reported on traditional wireline phones,” says Timothy J. Fuller, president and CEO of PlantCML. “Today, People are using wireless phones as their primary telephone, and they assume they will have the same 9-1-1 service as with their wireline telephone. That is only possible when a wireless carrier can provide the location data (known as Phase II), and the call-center equipment can display that data on a viable 9-1-1 system. The Los Angeles Police Department Communications dispatch centers now have that capability.”

The ORION MapStar digital mapping solution from PlantCML is designed to display the location of both wireline and wireless calls. It can also provide routing information, event filtering (for multiple calls reporting one event), supplemental site information including building footprints and related information such as HAZMAT on site. Wireless calls made to 9-1-1 are presented with call-location buffer rings to define the level of accuracy. Call-takers can also use MapStar’s powerful search engine to find addresses using aliases, structure names, or intersections and streets by using phonetic spellings.

“The digital mapping element to our 9-1-1 system expands our ability to process both wireless and wireline calls with optimum efficiency,” says Tim Riley, Chief Information Officer for LAPD Communications. “We are now one of a select number of agencies in the state that can process 9-1-1 wireless calls. It is exciting for us and it will ultimately provide an enhanced level of emergency services to the public.”

The digital base maps are automatically updated daily to ensure accuracy. The “enterprise” updates are accomplished with ORION DataSync, an automatic software delivery system from PlantCML. First tier maintenance for the 9-1-1 and mapping network is provided by PlantCML.

The two communications centers—which have the unique capability to operate as one redundant PSAP--are expected to be answering as many as 50,000 wireless calls per month once all the area’s wireless carriers are phased into the system. The centers currently process approximately 36,000 wireline calls per month. In order to accommodate the rising volume of calls, both centers have recently installed new hardware PCs and servers from Dell as well as updated 9-1-1 software from PlantCML.

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PlantCML
Contact: Mage Hernandez
Marketing Communications Manager
(951) 719-2100


 

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