Coast Guard wants better interface for rescue response

The Coast Guard plans to take advantage of global positioning and other metadata from 911 emergency calls to support how it responds to nautical disasters and conducts search-and-rescue operations.

The Coast Guard is soliciting companies to create software and hardware for an interface to help Coast Guard watchstanders, who keep an eye out for crises. The new interface must display a caller’s phone number, name, and location in GPS coordinates. The interface also must support the transmission of Next Generation 9-1-1 Emergency Services IP Network (NG-911 ESINet i3) announcements.

NG-9-1-1 ESINet i3 is an initiative focused on continually improving the infrastructure of emergency communications as more people use wireless mobile devices.

To meet changes in communications, the Coast Guard interface must have voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to allow the Coast Guard to speak directly to the distress caller.

In the solicitation, the Coast Guard requires specific data translations from Public Service Answering Points to connect directly to the Coast Guard data network.

The Coast Guard released its answers to industry’s questions Feb. 11. Responses to the solicitation are due by Feb. 19.