RE: DHCP options for civil locations

> I don't qualify except by hear-say, but from what I gather, one of the
> major stumbling blocks in getting Phase II widely implemented is indeed
> the expense of the geographic information systems for PSAPs.

The time consuming stumbling block to getting Phase II implemented was the
location gathering technology, not the PSAP.  Of course, now the carriers
are close to or ready and the PSAPs are gettting up to speed.

>
> I don't understand this remark. For long/lat information, you still have
> to have a database that maps device or jack to a geographic location.
> Why would this be any easier for long/lat than civil?

I was referring to the ALI & MSAG databases that are not 'locally'
controlled and require a bunch of redtape and $$ to make a change that takes
24 hours to happen.  Obviously, the wire map database will be
controlled/stored by the end-user instead of the LEC/backend provider.

>
> I don't think so. The MSAG database maps street addresses to ESNs
> (emergency service numbers), i.e., the combination of fire, police and
> rescue services handling a particular location. You would then need a
> database mapping geo coordinates to ESN, which is roughly the same,
> except that you're storing polygon coordinates instead of street names.
>
> The ALI is only needed to map phone numbers to street addresses. Thus,
> the need for the database would disappear if the call request contained
>
> Since emergency crews are dispatched by street address, not long/lat
> ("Ambulance 3, please drive to 38.008874 N, 84:29:31.178W" isn't going
> to work too well), with geo information, you'll need an additional
> database. As you said, we'll have this in any event, but I don't see how
> either civil or geo will remove anything but the ALI database.
>
Ah! But today the MSAG database contains ranges of street addresses and
street names that are mapped to ESNs. The whole structure of this database
causes a good portion of the errors associated with the ALI update process
(ALI updates are checked against the MSAG prior to inserting them into the
actual ALI database).  The territorial database would simply be a polygon of
geo-loc coordinates.  If your LO falls in XYZ polygon, route the call to XYZ
PSAP.  Today, if a developer extends a street, or adds new streets to a
subdivision, the PSAP must update the MSAG database.  The keeper of the MSAG
database charges $$ for maintainance services.  The territorial database
would only change with political changes, something that doesn't happen very
often.  It should lower the cost of maintaining this public information
database (like free!).
>
> One of my motivations was that for most admins of large campuses, civil
> information is much easier to enter than trying to reverse-engineer
> long/lat from a blueprint or campus map.
>

I would venture to guess, that multiple GIS software vendors would be more
than glad to 'assist' any large campus with aerial photos that will show
geo-loc coordinates, in any resolution desired, for every building (or
portion thereof) on campus.  Hmm, it may even be the same people that supply
the PSAP with their mapping software. BTW, I do not work for, or have any
interest in such a company, I am just a casual observer of what has happened
with GIS technology.

>
> Indeed. In particular, it will also help with other non-emergency tasks,
> e.g., to help sysadmins track their assets.

I was thinking about new location oriented commercial opportunities. (Would
Domino's pay 25 cents per pizza back to the University to receive the dorm
room location info that called in the pizza order?).

-Marc Linsner-