TruePosition and Ovum Complete Research that Confirms the Problems Surrounding the Use of GPS to Locate 9-1-1 Cell Phone Callers in Indoor and Urban Environments
Berwyn, PA, June 8, 2010 – TruePosition, Inc., a leading provider of wireless location technologies and solutions and a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, today announced the findings of a significant research study undertaken with global telecoms analyst and consulting firm, Ovum. The research has been published in an Ovum research paper titled, “PSAP Challenges in Using GPS Location in Wireless E9-1-1.”
Ovum’s research concludes that Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) who answer 9-1-1 wireless calls do not believe GPS works adequately in indoor and urban environments where the GPS signal, which requires a clear line of sight to the sky, is often obstructed by the steel and concrete of the buildings the cell phone caller is in or near. “This is a significant public safety issue. Most people spend the majority of their time indoors, and the majority of the U.S. population lives and works in metro areas,” said Sara Kaufman, Mobile Strategies Analyst, North America at Ovum. “The PSAPs involved in our study believe accuracy, reliability and response time are critical to successfully processing 9-1-1 calls, yet only a small minority (10 percent overall) believe that GPS meets their accuracy, reliability and response time needs and expectations in indoor and urban environments.”
Ovum conducted in-depth interviews with representatives from high-volume PSAPs within the largest metropolitan areas across the United States. Across the survey sample, PSAP emergency call volumes range from 4,000 to 200,000 calls per month and an average of 64 percent of those calls involve serious or life-threatening emergency situations.
The number of 9-1-1 calls coming from cell phones is increasing. The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website states that of the millions of 9- 1-1 calls received by public safety personnel, about 50 percent are from wireless phones, but that percentage is growing.
The PSAP participants in the Ovum research unanimously agreed that location information is essential for emergency response, and that accuracy, reliability, and response time are vital to enable life-saving response measures in emergency situations. Unlike fixed-line telephones, which are associated with a fixed street address, a person dialing 9-1-1 from a cell phone could be anywhere on the network. In emergency situations people are often panicked or disoriented, and cannot provide their exact location. Location systems allow PSAPs to quickly and accurately locate wireless 9-1-1 callers and improve emergency response times, increasing the number of calls PSAPs can process, and ultimately saving more lives. A person lost in the woods who dials 9-1-1 with their cell phone can be precisely located. Without location technology assistance, locating the caller could require multiple people, vehicles, and even helicopters.
Alarmingly, PSAPs in Ovum’s study almost unanimously agreed that location information generated using GPS in dense urban areas is unreliable, and 9-1-1 call-takers often have to make multiple attempts to locate the caller. Problems acquiring location information in metro areas are especially pressing to public safety, since they affect such a large proportion of the population. The United States Census Bureau estimates that approximately 80 percent of the U.S. population of more than 307 million people resides in metropolitan areas. Similarly, none of the PSAPs in Ovum’s study thought GPS location information from wireless calls made from indoors was accurate or worked in all indoor environments.
Since 2001, the FCC has mandated that US network operators provide caller location for wireless 9-1-1. This enhancement referred to as Phase II Mandate, extended existing operator requirements to selectively route wireless 9-1-1 calls to the nearest PSAP and also provide the phone number associated with the phone. Two technologies, GPS and U-TDOA, are currently employed by wireless operators in the United States for 9-1-1 wireless location. Half of the mobile carriers employ GPS while the other half use U-TDOA.
TruePosition’s U-TDOA Location Platform uses receivers within cell towers, which pick up the signal from a cell phone. The difference in time it takes the signal to reach multiple towers is used to calculate the phone’s location. TruePosition UTDOA uses highly sensitive receivers within the wireless network. Therefore the signal can be detected through the buildings. One of the key benefits of U-TDOA is its ability to work indoors and in dense urban environments with tall buildings, where GPS performance is limited.
GPS uses a chip inside the cell phone to receive signals from orbiting satellites. In perfect conditions, GPS performs well. But in order for GPS to work effectively, the mobile phone requires a clear, unobstructed line of sight to the satellites. GPS signals from indoors are often too weak to pass through the steel and concrete of the building. In cities, the same line of sight obstruction occurs because the close proximity of buildings to each other creates an urban canyon effect.
“Ovum’s findings are rather startling,” stated Michael Amarosa, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for TruePosition. “At TruePosition, we have first-hand experience with GPS and Assisted GPS, so we know the limitations. While GPS works well for commercial location-based services, like turn-by-turn navigation or finding the nearest ATM, it is not really suitable for mission-critical situations, like locating someone who dials 9-1-1. When someone is in a potentially life-threatening situation, and they dial 9-1-1 from their cell phone, they need to know that they will be quickly and accurately located, whether they are indoors or in a city with tall buildings.”
For a copy of the Ovum white paper titled “PSAP Challenges in Using GPS Location in Wireless E9-1-1”, please click here.
About TruePosition
TruePosition (www.trueposition.com) is the global leader in location determination and intelligence solutions that help protect citizens, combat crime, and save lives. TruePosition location solutions meet the mission-critical requirements of enterprises and government agencies. These solutions include future-proof technologies, innovative applications, and comprehensive networking and systems services. TruePosition has more patents, technical expertise, and operational experience in wireless location than any other company in the world. Every day more than 100 million people depend on location services supported by TruePosition technology. TruePosition is owned by Liberty Media Corporation.
About Ovum
Ovum, a global independent research and consulting firm for the telecommunications industry, provides clients with independent and objective analysis that enables them to make better business and technology decisions. Our research draws upon over 400,000 interviews a year with business and technology, telecoms and sourcing decision-makers, giving Ovum and our clients unparalleled insight not only into business requirements but also the technology that organizations must support. Ovum is part of the Datamonitor group.
For more information on TruePosition, please contact:
Brian Varano
TruePosition
Director of Marketing
bvarano@trueposition.com
+ 1 610 680 2251