The Location Data Gap Holding Back Public Safety Technology
Public safety technology is advancing quickly.
Agencies are exploring AI-assisted tools, drone-as-first-responder programs, NG9-1-1 capabilities, mobile responder applications, real-time crime centers, school safety platforms, and modern incident command solutions. Each innovation has the potential to improve awareness, speed, coordination, and decision-making.
But there is one issue that can limit the value of all of them.
The data underneath.
Many public safety technologies depend on accurate, trusted, and accessible location information. AI needs reliable location context to pinpoint verbally described locations during 9-1-1 calls. Drones need maps that connect aerial visibility to what is happening on the ground and inside buildings. NG9-1-1 depends on GIS data for call routing and location validation. Mobile responder tools need operational maps that help teams understand where to go, how to get there, and what to expect.
When the underlying location data is incomplete, inaccurate, outdated, disconnected, or difficult to share, even advanced systems can fall short.
That is the location data gap.
It shows up when a building map exists but is stored as a static PDF. It shows up when dispatch has one view of the location, responders have another, and facility teams on-site have yet another view. It shows up when indoor information is available somewhere but not integrated into the response workflow. It shows up when map data was collected once but not maintained as buildings, roads, campuses, and response zones changed over time.
The challenge is not only technical. It is operational.
During an emergency, responders do not need map data that simply exists. They need data they can trust, access, and use. They need to understand the address, building, floor, entry point, route, and any critical details that may affect the response. They need that information to move across systems and agencies without creating more confusion.
This is why foundational map data matters.
Public safety innovation cannot be evaluated only by the capabilities of the newest tool. It must also be evaluated by the quality of the data powering that tool. Without trusted location intelligence, agencies risk building modern workflows on incomplete foundations.
The most forward-looking agencies are recognizing this. They are not only asking what new technology they should adopt. They are asking whether their location data is ready to support the technologies they already have and those they plan to use next.
That question will become increasingly important.
As public safety becomes more connected, the agencies best positioned for the future will be those that treat location data as mission-critical infrastructure rather than background information. Because the future of response will not be shaped by technology alone. It will be shaped by the trusted data that makes that technology operationally useful.
Technical Signals
Roxy Van Gundy, director of the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center in Kansas, has been sworn in as president of NENA: The 9-1-1 Association. Van Gundy, who has worked in emergency communications for more than 20 years, said her term will focus on strengthening connections between NENA, local chapters, and 9-1-1 centers, particularly those in smaller communities where staff may have fewer professional support networks. She plans to visit centers, gather feedback from members, and encourage greater participation in NENA committees, working groups, training programs, and professional communities.
Esri has added new tools to ArcGIS Workflow Manager that connect back-office processes directly with ArcGIS Field Maps. A Create Field Maps Task step can automatically assign work to field crews, while webhook connections track completion and resume the next office task without manual follow-up. The system is designed to reduce missed handoffs, paperwork, and repeated data entry across inspections, maintenance, storm response, and asset-management workflows.
Abonmarche Consultants is using GIS to help communities in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan identify lead service lines in water systems. Historical records, maps, CAD files, and local knowledge are combined into a central GIS inventory, while ArcGIS Hub sites explain the work and track progress. Residents can also inspect their own service lines and submit photos via an ArcGIS Survey123 form in less than 5 minutes. The approach has been used across more than 16 communities to improve data quality and support faster, more equitable replacement funding.
Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus co-chairs Kat Cammack and Norma Torres have urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the Enhancing First Response Act (S.725) to a vote. The Senate passed the bill unanimously in September 2025. It would strengthen the 9-1-1 system's resilience and reclassify call takers and dispatchers as protective-service workers rather than administrative staff, thereby supporting recruitment, retention, and workforce recognition.
GIS Policy & Standards Watch
Preparing geospatial data for artificial intelligence (AI) use depends on data quality and governance more than on the model. Incomplete or poorly described geospatial data exposed to AI magnifies existing errors, and spatial context such as coordinate reference systems, temporal validity, and feature classification has to be recorded for outputs to hold up. The ISO 19100 series and ISO 19115 metadata standards capture the provenance, lineage, and semantic meaning that reliable results require, which sets structured, well-governed data as the condition for trustworthy AI.
The City of Oshawa, Ontario, and Oshawa Fire Services (OFS) launched a Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) network, supported by $6.7 million in provincial funding. The launch follows the 2024 consolidation of dispatch operations with Ajax and Pickering Fire Services, which extended OFS dispatch and alerting across Durham Region. According to the city, planned NG9-1-1 capabilities include real-time text, enhanced location accuracy, and revised call routing, with dispatchers set to receive more precise caller location data. Durham police have separately announced their own transition to the Next Generation system.
Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, replaced its analog 9-1-1 system with an Internet Protocol (IP)-based Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) network. The upgrade supports the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services (DES), which covers roughly 60,000 acres and handles law enforcement, fire, emergency medical response, and hazardous-materials incidents across the training center. According to installation officials, the system adds text messaging to 9-1-1, enables faster location of mobile callers, and automatically reroutes calls to alternate centers during outages or high demand.
Insight of the Week
More than 240 million 9-1-1 calls are placed in the United States each year, yet no state has completed a full end-to-end Next Generation 9-1-1 deployment. Agencies must keep aging analog systems running while new IP-based networks are introduced, often without statewide coordination, consistent security standards, or reliable funding. The expanding mix of mobile phones, connected cars, smartwatches, satellite providers, and technology vendors adds another problem: many participants do not fully understand one another’s systems or operating constraints. A smooth transition will depend on shared planning, updated national cost estimates, and stronger coordination across public safety agencies, carriers, vendors, and policymakers.
Resources & Events
Office of Emergency Services Next Generation 9-1-1 (LAO)
California Legislature's Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor released a report examining why the state's NG9-1-1 transition, originally planned for completion in 2015, now targets 2030. The report traces how a four-region network design caused routing problems and dropped calls during voice cutovers, prompting the state's Office of Emergency Services to abandon that approach in favor of a single statewide network model in late 2025. The brief recommends that lawmakers pause further rollout until the Office of Emergency Services OES answers basic questions about cost, redundancy, and how the new design will avoid the same failures. Read →
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