News
U South Florida To Deploy Enhanced Mobile 911 Service
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 01/08/10
The University of South Florida has expanded a relationship with Rave Wireless by signing on to deploy the company's new 911 service. Smart911 is a call center technology that allows users to fill out a profile with information prior to an emergency, which is then provided to the emergency dispatcher when a 911 call is made.
The service associates mobile and voice over IP phone numbers with the caller profile data. When a Smart911-equipped center receives an emergency call, the dispatcher gets access to user-provided content, including photos; medical information; emergency contacts; and details about residence, workplace and automobiles, among other details.
In the event that the caller is on a mobile phone and the call is dropped before he or she can provide a location, the service continues providing the dispatcher and first responders in the field with mapped location information. This aspect of the service must be pre-authorized by users.
Registration for the service is free. Smart911 is an add-on to the company's notification service, Rave Guardian.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business for a number of publications. Contact her at dian@dischaffhauser.com.