Next-generation 9-1-1

Canadian Government Executive Radio

Telecommunications networks are evolving in keeping with technological advancements. In this episode of CGE Radio, J. Richard Jones talks with Alex Miller about Next-generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) and the significant change of moving from calling 9-1-1 from a phone number to transmitting text, images, video and data to emergency services.

Alex Miller is a pioneer in transforming geography and mapping into a 21st-century digital tool used by millions around the world. His work has helped people see location as a unifying lens through which land and resources are understood. Having successfully guided a software company for so long, Mr. Miller is constantly in demand from tech startups, helping them address the needs of their future market to ensure their long-term business viability.

He has chaired the Geomatics Industry Association of Canada and the Natural Resources Canada Earth Sciences Sector Minister’s Advisory Committee and was a member of the Government of Canada’s Open Government Advisory Panel.

He launched The Community Map of Canada, a comprehensive, freely available map, constantly updated and from authoritative community sources. He has donated software and expertise so that maps of the longest trail in the world, Canada’s Great Trail, are easily accessed by everybody.

Passionate about using technology to promote environmental sustainability, Mr. Miller is Chairman of the Planet in Focus Foundation, which showcases outstanding films on environmental themes, and is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Hear more about the changes coming with this system from phone number to IP address, how emergency services will not only rely on voice but data emitting from locations, telecommunications companies changing switches, 5G, making a call on behalf of someone in need of emergency services, working with the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), and the cultural change of mapping.

In Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is leading the charge to implement this new service infrastructure in March 2021.