FCC E9-1-1 Workshop: Determining Indoor Locations for Responses

On October 24, 2012, the FCC hosted a workshop as part of its efforts "to evaluate indoor location positioning technologies."  Driven by the dual realities that consumers are increasingly relying on mobile phones to make 9-1-1 calls, and most of these calls are being made from indoor locations where wireless carriers can't provide precise location information, the FCC has convened an advisory committee to consider potential solutions.  Additionally, in support of these efforts, four companies have submitted technologies for testing in an environment of 20 some structures configured for urban and rural settings. The companies are:

• Boeing (LEO satellites using the Iridium constellation)
• NextNav (GPS-like terrestrial beacons)
• Polaris (RF fingerprinting)
• Qualcomm (AGPS/AFLT/Cell ID)

Final test results from this effort are expected by March 2013.  To learn more, use the link below (includes 313:48 video recording of the entire proceeding):

Workshop on Upcoming Test Bed to Improve Indoor Location Accuracy for Wireless 911 Calls (FCC, October 24, 2012)

Comment: There's a lot riding on this one - it's going to be very interesting to see what the FCC concludes is the best way for cell phone providers to determine indoors locations for 9-1-1 responses.