FCC’s NG9-1-1 Reliability and Interoperability Initiative: Why It Matters and What It Means for GIS and Location Data
- Written by Dan Craigie, Director of Government Affairs, GeoComm
The Federal Communications Commission’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) reliability and interoperability represent an important step toward ensuring that emergency communications systems can meet the needs of communities across the United States.
As NG9-1-1 deployments continue to expand, the industry’s focus must extend beyond simply connecting networks. True interoperability requires consistent, reliable, and trusted location data and maps that allow emergency calls, texts, and other communications to be routed accurately across jurisdictional boundaries.
GeoComm supports the FCC’s work to improve NG9-1-1 reliability and interoperability and believes these rules will help create a stronger foundation for nationwide emergency communications.
Reliability and Interoperability Are Inseparable
NG9-1-1 systems depend on a complex ecosystem of Emergency Services IP Networks (ESInets), Emergency Call Routing Functions (ECRFs), Location Validation Functions (LVFs), Emergency Services Routing Proxies (ESRPs), and other Next Generation Core Services (NGCS).
While these technologies provide the operational framework for call routing and location processing, their effectiveness depends on the quality and consistency of the location data that supports them.
When GIS data is incomplete, inconsistent, or misaligned across jurisdictions, the result can be routing discrepancies, validation failures, and operational challenges that affect emergency response. As NG9-1-1 systems become increasingly interconnected, interoperability must encompass not only network connectivity but also the location information that drives routing decisions.
The Critical Role of GIS Interoperability
The FCC has appropriately recognized that GIS serves as a foundational data resource for NG9-1-1 systems rather than a real-time call processing function. This distinction reflects the reality of how modern NG9-1-1 environments operate.
Although GIS does not directly process live emergency calls, it provides the authoritative location information that powers:
Emergency Call Routing Functions (ECRFs)
Location Validation Functions (LVFs)
Emergency Service Boundaries (ESBs)
Cross-jurisdictional call transfers
Interstate and regional interoperability
As neighboring jurisdictions connect their NG9-1-1 systems, the consistency of GIS data becomes increasingly important. Differences in address structures, boundary definitions, road centerlines, or provisioning practices can create interoperability challenges even when the underlying NG9-1-1 infrastructure is functioning correctly.
Achieving nationwide NG9-1-1 interoperability requires a common commitment to high-quality, standardized, and continuously maintained GIS data.
What This Means for 9-1-1 Authorities
For 9-1-1 Authorities, the FCC’s focus on reliability and interoperability reinforces the importance of maintaining authoritative GIS datasets and implementing governance processes that support long-term data quality.
Key priorities include:
Maintaining accurate emergency service boundaries
Establishing consistent address and road centerline management practices
Validating GIS data against NG9-1-1 standards
Coordinating data maintenance across jurisdictional boundaries
Ensuring data readiness for NGCS providers and ESInet operators
Organizations that invest in GIS governance today will be better positioned to support future interoperability requirements and evolving NG9-1-1 capabilities.
Technical Signals
NENA created the NENA Action Council, a separate organization focused on expanding the 9-1-1 community’s influence in public policy. The council will advocate directly with Congress, federal agencies, and other policymakers, build coalitions around public safety priorities, and support candidates aligned with 9-1-1 and first-responder issues. It will also organize advocacy events, support grassroots campaigns, and recognize policy champions. Membership is separate from NENA and costs $10 per year.
Esri expanded ArcGIS Indoors across its Online, Enterprise, Pro, and Mobile products with new tools for creating, managing, and using indoor maps. Floor Plan Editor can now import vector PDF floor plans, while ArcGIS Pro 3.7 improves feature and text extraction from vector and raster files and adds faster processing for 360-degree indoor imagery. Other updates include geometry-aided positioning that uses walls and other physical barriers to improve indoor location accuracy and App Clips that let visitors open maps and directions on iOS without installing the full app.
The Orlando Police Department in Florida activated its automated Drone as First Responder network, deploying 11 Skydio drones across nine rooftop sites for citywide coverage. The department reports the aircraft reach a scene within seconds of a 9-1-1 call, ahead of patrol units. Orlando joins St. Cloud, Tampa, and Miami among Florida agencies fielding the technology.
Esri has added beta support for the Model Context Protocol to ArcGIS Location Platform, enabling AI agents to discover and invoke geocoding, routing, elevation, and static map services via natural-language requests. Agents can combine multiple services within a single prompt, such as identifying the nearest facility, calculating a route, and producing a map of the result. The release also introduces ArcGIS Static Maps, which will become generally available in July 2026 and will allow developers to generate customizable map images for websites and applications. Standard service-consumption charges apply, with no additional fee for accessing the services through MCP.
GIS Policy & Standards Watch
New Hampshire has approved $2.6 million for a statewide critical incident mapping program covering public schools. The project will use on-site walkthroughs to create field-validated, GIS-enabled maps combining floor plans, critical building features, aerial imagery, and a standardized grid. The data is intended to work across existing 9-1-1, GIS, school security, and responder platforms and to be available to dispatchers, law enforcement, fire, EMS, and school administrators without additional access or integration fees.
Washington has revised its Public Safety Telecommunicator Certification Program Handbook to make GIS location awareness part of the statewide training. The handbook requires personnel to recognize the dependence of NG9-1-1 location accuracy on GIS, interpret ANI and ALI information, identify discrepancies and misroutes, complete error reports, and escalate location anomalies. It also covers the location limitations associated with different device types and classes of service, connecting map accuracy with call-taking and quality-control procedures.
Montana’s Geospatial Information Act grant review subcommittee has recommended partial funding for Musselshell County’s E-911/GIS Modernization and Addressing Project under the NG9-1-1 geospatial data-development category. The county’s broader plan covers standardized address points, road centerlines, administrative boundaries, database-schema preparation, field verification, validation, and error resolution. Updated datasets and metadata will be submitted to the Montana State Library, placing local address maintenance within the state’s wider interoperability and NG9-1-1 readiness framework.
NENA has issued a Stable Form Notice for the revised Request for Proposal Considerations Information Document, NENA-INF-021.2-202Y. The document covers the procurement of PSAP functional elements, Next Generation Core Services, GIS data and services, and management-information capabilities. The update gives 9-1-1 authorities a more consistent structure for defining standards conformance, data development responsibilities, discrepancy reporting, interoperability, and ongoing maintenance before those requirements are handed off to vendors.
Insight of the Week
Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs are moving from tactical deployments to 9-1-1-driven response, with thousands of public safety agencies now operating drone programs. Early adopters have found that the biggest mistakes usually occur before launch, when agencies lack clear policies, community engagement, staffing plans, or dispatch procedures. A well-integrated drone response can confirm threats, support de-escalation, and allow officers to return to service before reaching the scene. The next phase of DFR adoption will depend as much on trust, governance, and operational integration as on the aircraft itself.
Resources & Events
2026-2028 Strategic Plan (NENA)
NENA’s new strategic plan sets 15 goals across three pillars: operational excellence, standards and education, and public affairs. Priorities include diversifying revenue, increasing member engagement, expanding education and certification, supporting healthier PSAP workplaces, and building the foundation for nationwide NG9-1-1 deployment. The plan also calls for stronger federal advocacy, greater public awareness of the 9-1-1 profession, and a national repository of reliable industry data. Read →
Share or Forward
If you liked this edition of The Response Brief, please forward it to someone in your network who would also find value from this newsletter.
