A research team led by Ram Dantu at the University of North Texas sees the growth of cell phones and smartphone usage as an opportunity to improve responses to 911calls. With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Dantu’s team has designed several innovative smartphone apps that virtually place 911 operators at the scene of an emergency allowing them to quickly and accurately collect information and assist victims.
“With the current smartphone technology now in everyone’s hand, we thought we could do a lot better than just audio calls,” said Dantu. “We can actually transmit text, images, or video. We can revamp or transform the existing emergency dispatch protocols with a next generation 911.”
The team’s software can accurately monitor a victim’s breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure, and allow 911 operators to remotely control smart phone cameras so they can view an emergency scene. The software even gives instructions and guidance before and during the administration of CPR.
The software also offers text-to-speech technology for clear communications and provides GPS information to first responders on where the incident took place. “Determining location was easier when people called from landlines. Operators could easily figure out where the person lived and the location where the call was made”, said Co-Principal Investigator Henning Schulzrinne of Columbia University and Chief Technical Officer at the FCC. “Some 70 percent of all emergency calls today are initiated by cell phones which make it hard to determine locations particularly in buildings with many apartments and offices.”
“So far, NSF’s investment in a testbed for internet-based 911 services has supported innovative research and development at Columbia University, the University of North Texas, and Texas A&M University” said Jeremy Epstein of NSF’s Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace Division.