Interop Address: Bridging the Gap in NG911 Response

Interop Address: Bridging the Gap in NG9-1-1 Response

Published: February 26, 2025

When your life's on the line, every second counts. But what if the very system designed to save lives is stressed  – bogged down by outdated infrastructure, conflicting data standards, and jurisdictional confusion?

That’s the reality for an alarming amount of 911 authorities across the country. As an example, Los Angeles County’s 911 system—with more than 75 public safety answering points (PSAPs), each likely using different software and data formats—struggles to coordinate effectively during major emergencies.

LA County isn’t alone. Each of these PSAPs uses software—called computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems—to collect the details of each 911 call. Details like where the caller is located, the nature of the emergency, when the call was received, and ultimately, when and what help is dispatched.

As emergencies often disregard jurisdictional boundaries, help is frequently requested from a neighboring first responder agency when an incident grows beyond what the primary can handle.

With so many different CAD solution providers on the market, as well as many different data structures that make up the databases storing these records, dispatching that help can be problematic. In this patchwork of outdated software, fragmented databases, and jurisdictional red tape, you could imagine the worst...

A wildfire spreads. A family calls for help. Instead of dispatching emergency responders instantly, the system struggles – misrouting calls, inaccurate location data that creates delays wastes resources.

Whether they dispatch all services—fire, police, and EMS—or just one of those services, and must transfer to another center for the others, determines if they are primary (if they get the call first) or secondary (if they get the call transferred to them).

Take the Palisades and Eaton fires, where the nature of the need for help changed. When disaster struck, 911 calls surged. But emergencies don’t follow city limits, and neither should emergency communications.

One caller needs an ambulance, while another needs a full-scale evacuation for their family and pets. The current system just wasn’t built for this reality – allowing modern incidents to quickly grow and overburden a single PSAP’s resources.

The good news? A radical transformation is coming – and fast. It’s called Next-Generation 911, or NG9-1-1, and it’s set to revolutionize emergency response by enabling real-time data sharing and seamless coordination across agencies.

Whether or not you are prepared for the next disaster hinges on the solutions you choose—some will mitigate delays and misrouted calls, while others will leave first responders struggling with the same outdated challenges.

The Next-Gen 9-1-1 Overhaul That Could Save More Lives

For the last decade, 911 authorities have diligently advanced toward the implementation of NG9-1-1, a cutting-edge, data-centric emergency communications framework. This transformative digital infrastructure is set to revolutionize 911 operations, bringing it into the digital age with contemporary technological advancements.

For example, NG9-1-1 allows for:

• Instant Call Rerouting: The NG9-1-1 system will enable calls to be redirected instantaneously to the most suitable PSAP, irrespective of jurisdictional boundaries. This ensures that emergency services are deployed more efficiently and effectively, reducing response times and potentially saving lives.
• Enhanced Location Accuracy: With the integration of near real-time location data, emergency responders will have the capability to pinpoint the exact location of incidents with unprecedented precision. This advancement will significantly improve the ability to reach those in need swiftly and accurately.
• Seamless Data Sharing: NG9-1-1 will facilitate seamless sharing of live incident data among agencies, fostering a collaborative environment where information is unified and accessible. This creates a single source of truth during emergencies, enhancing coordination and decision-making processes.

Overall, the full implementation of Next-Generation 9-1-1 promises to elevate emergency response systems to meet the demands of the digital age, offering improved accuracy, efficiency, and collaboration across public safety agencies.

That’s all well and good, but it’s not without challenges…

Over the past decade, the focus has been on helping geospatial information systems (GIS) data contributors and 911 authorities understand the format and structure needed for GIS data — as required by next-generation core services (NGCS) — for both transitional and end-state configurations.

Yes, there are standards, educational content, data-quality validation and aggregation solutions available to support this effort. What has not been widely examined is that, for this end-state NGCS system to function, the customer record of every wired and VoIP-originating service provider must also match the same structure and standards that GIS data follows.

Getting to an end-state network that supports these capabilities is an arduous, on-going task, primarily due to the intricate data requirements for the standards-based system to function...but it needs to happen given the FCC’s guidance, which mandates that all wired and VoIP service providers overhaul their customer location records to match NG9-1-1 standards.

The New NG9-1-1 Rules: Who Must Comply --- And When

In November 2024, the FCC issued a game-changing directive: Every wired and VoIP service provider must overhaul its customer location records to align with NG9-1-1 standards.

Larger OSPs have six months to comply, while others have a year. Once minimal requirements have been met, a 911 authority can request that telecom providers with customers within their network be serviced by a location information server (LIS) instead of the current legacy tabular location database.

This is to ensure that when a customer dials 911, the location data provided by the service provider is in the correct format for the NG9-1-1 system to process.

Due to the amount of time it’s taken GIS contributors to get their data in shape, it’s recommended that telecom providers make this conversion now to maintain data at rest that is accurate and standardized - or face compliance deadlines as soon as six months after a valid request from a 911 authority is made. What’s more, 911 dispatch systems  will need to make this same transition to a unified, geospatially accurate system—breaking free from the legacy databases that have plagued emergency response.

This transition goes beyond modernization – it’s about precision.

By integrating geospatially accurate, standards-based data, PSAPs can eliminate the inconsistencies and blind spots that have long plagued emergency response.

With every location verified and validated before a 911 call is placed, telecommunicators no longer need to worry about incompatible databases.

But here’s what no one is telling you…

In order to support a LIS, every wired and VoIP originating service provider’s (OSP) customer records will also need to match the same structure and standards the GIS data has had to conform to.

During this transition, OSPs will have to support two entirely different 911 network configurations (with two different location structures) at once—an operational nightmare that could create unexpected challenges.

This is where 1Locate, our tool designed for OSPs, can shine. The solution not only converts from legacy address structures to the civic location data exchange format (CLDXF), it will store both the legacy and i3 address and either inform a 911 location database (LDB) or act as a LIS. Looking beyond just emergency communications, the importance of making this end-state transition lays ultimately in interoperability.

Having 911 calls conveyed with the valid standards-based location data structure will produce an interop address™.

An interop address is a standardized configuration for creating, storing, and conveying civic locations for 911 call routing, location validation, and emergency response. The framework spans from local to international, thus enabling effective communication during mutual aid and joint operations in addition to day-to-day life-saving missions.

This means:

• Originating service providers (OSPs) supporting a LIS that only contain records checked and approved to work with NG911 systems. These records use a standards-based format that makes sure the address information is clear and correct, so your call is routed quickly. This means data at rest is i3 data standards-based.
• Every wireline and VoIP OSP supporting a LIS stores both civic location and location-by-reference for each subscriber.
• Conveyance of either the location by value (civic) or reference (URI) is embedded as a header in the IP packet of a SIP 911 call as a PIDF-LO object.
• Until every 911 network where there are subscribers has made the transition to the FCC phase 2 status, an OSP will have to support a legacy address structure and an end-state address structure that informs each different type of 911 network deployment.

Further, designed to unify call routing and response coordination across jurisdictions, an interop address ensures first responders receive the right information – instantly, without delay or miscommunication.

Beyond supporting an NG9-1-1 network system, an interop address expands the opportunity for PSAP systems to conform to this data structure, so that near-real-time incident information can be aggregated into a single system of record to manage larger-scale incidents. Conformance to an interop address allows for 911 operations to expand beyond current operational geographies and system constraints. It also enables live incident data to become actionable intelligence for response and/or recovery efforts, breaking down the biggest barriers that exist today due to disparate CAD systems.

Lastly, the interop address supports updated federal reporting of fire incidents to the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS). NERIS is a national effort to develop and launch a new interoperable fire information and innovative analytics platform. This will eventually replace the legacy National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), which helps fire departments track and manage apparatus, personnel and casualty information; document the full range of department activity; and justify budgets with summary and statistical data. NFIRS helps the U.S. Fire Administration to do the following:

• Analyze the severity and reach of the nation's fire problem.
• Use NFIRS information to develop national public education campaigns.
• Make recommendations for national codes and standards.
• Determine consumer product failures.
• Identify the focus for research efforts.
• Support federal legislation.

NERIS directly connects to CAD systems for near real-time fire incident reporting. The NERIS data model includes incident location reporting and relies on the same interop address structure detailed above for NG9-1-1.

What 1Locate's Interop Address Means for Emergency Response

1Locate is our solution for enabling OSPs to convert and store their 911 location records in a standards format and validate against the same GIS data that is being corrected and aggregated to support NG911 network systems.  This approach, supporting the FCC's guidance and ensuring system interoperability.

This isn't just a technological upgrade—it’s a paradigm shift in emergency response.

In addition to 1Locate, 1Engage is 1Spatial’s companion solution specifically designed for GIS data contributors to validate their data, including address points and road centerlines, for NG9-1-1 compliance.

Validation of both the OSPs 911 databases and the GIS data from 911 authorities ensures that the GIS data used by PSAPs for call routing and location validation is accurate and standardized, reducing errors in emergency responses.

This isn’t just about compliance—it’s about saving lives more efficiently. With a single, unified data framework, emergency responders will no longer be bound by outdated systems or jurisdictional silos. They’ll be able to:

• Expand emergency response beyond current geographic constraints.
• Aggregate real-time data into a single system of record for large-scale incidents.
• Turn live incident data into actionable intelligence for faster decision-making.

Here’s where 1Locate and interop addressing truly stand out...

As telecom providers scramble to meet the FCC’s mandate, 1Locate bridges the gap by ensuring that the OSP customer records align with the national standards so that there is no delay in a 911 call being delivered to a PSAP and that public safety agencies are ready to receive and act on that standardized data.

By implementing 1Locate, OSP’s can cover their blind spots in data conversion and  accuracy, allowing for a seamless transition to NG9-1-1 and meeting the requests from 911 authorities within the six month or twelve month requirement.

“Interop address” isn’t just a buzzword—it provides a standardized, geospatially precise foundation for call routing, ensuring first responders receive real-time, location-validated data as the moment a 911 call is placed.

This means no more misrouted calls due to inconsistent addressing.

Faster, more precise dispatching – without jurisdictional roadblocks.

And a future-proof system that meets evolving NG9-1-1 and FCC interoperability mandates.

By bridging the divide between telecoms, 911 authorities, and GIS data contributors, our 1Locate and 1Engage tools turn data into decisive action by ensuring every emergency call is pinpointed, routed, and responded to with unmatched accuracy.

With contracts already proving 1Engage’s value in states like Montana, Georgia, and Los Angeles County, our 1Locate solution is poised to redefine NG9-1-1 readiness for OSPs, turning the FCC’s vision into a reality where every second counts—and every location is spot on.

The only question is: In an industry where seconds matter most, will agencies, telecom providers, and policymakers turn to 1Locate fast enough?

To learn more, join us at the International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. We’ll be giving a keynote session on March 20 that will redefine how we think about emergency response and connecting critical communications.

We hope to see you there!