Well, I've been away from a computer for the last few days. My boss and I went to a training seminar. We use this mapping system (WTH ThinkMap with GIS). It's an Indiana based company that is booming out into several other states.
I learned that we are only using about 4% of the capable applications for this map. My brain was about to explode with all the possibilities of this map.
The GIS part of the map is for 911 Cell phone calls. I'll give those of you that are not in the Public Service field a brief lesson in cell phones. In the past if you called 911 on your cell, the operator would only get the location of the tower that your cell phone signal was bouncing off of. I don't know how much you know about sound waves, signals and such but there were times that the call would bounce around and the operator would get the location of a tower in two or three counties over. If the caller didn't know where they were at, no help could be sent to them.
With this GIS (if your cell phone provider allows it and if your phone has it and its turned on) a signal is sent from your phone when you call 911 and it will pin point your location to this mapping system (its an aerial view and will show the dispatcher where you are)
The current status now is that Verizon Wireless is the leading company implementing this technology. So yesterday I am driving home talking to my brother on my "Verizon Wireless" cell phone. I was telling him about this training and going on and on about how I will never change me cell phone service and how great Verizon is.
There is this one certain spot when I drive home that on occasion my cell signal will drop. In mid sentence praising how wonderful Verizon is...bleep... "Hello? Are you there?"
LOL, I called him back and we both laughed at how perfect the timing was for that to happen
Moral of the story.... call your cell phone provider and make sure your service and particular phone provides this GIS. Most of the newer phones are required to have it, but you need to make sure it's turned on. You can find it under 'setting' or 'tool' usually in 'location'.
Hope everyone out there stays safe and you never need to call 911
March 03, 2007
Training and Cell Phones
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2 comments:
Do you have the wireless phase 1 and phase 2? At our center, if it's phase 1, we get a callback number and the cell phone tower location, and if it's phase 2, we get the callback number and approximate location. It's never as accurate so that we know exactly where someone is. If something sounds life threatening, we'll go out to where the phase 2 map shows, but sometimes the radius they could be in is as much as a mile!
I know my cell phone comes in as phase 2, because I looked it up after I had my accident in August :P
Our county is in the process of changing phone systems, and every agency in the valley is having to make the switch. It's making life very interesting around town!
Glad to hear that they're finally doing that.
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