So I have couple of questions for any current or former public safety dispatchers out there. When someone calls in to 911, and they don’t know where they are locate, how can you guys find them? I know about cell tower triangulation but what other tools do you have. If the persons cell phone has built in GPS, do you have the ability to remotely activate it and use it to help track the location?
General dispatch question
- Thread starter hotpocket
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If you call 911 on a cell, they have the ability to get your phone's location via GPS. They may need to coordinate with the your carrier, but they can and do on a regular basis. It's standard procedure on 911 hangups to ping the phone and send an officer to the area to investigate. The also do it during car chases--run the tag, get the owner ID, cross-reference to phone number, then ping the phone. If the phone location matches the chase, then they now have a tracker they can and will use to find you if you manage to break contact during the chase.
ecps92
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When you call 911, the PSAP can either be given an estimated position based on triangulation or a more precise location using your phone's GPS. It all depends on what your phone, carrier and PSAP are capable of. I do 911 testing on a regular basis and the uncertainty in my position is typically 5m or less using a Galaxy S8 on VoLTE. If you do hangup, there's no need for them to ping your phone. The location information has already been transferred.
Pinging a phone is used to locate a phone that hasn't made a call to 911.
Pinging a phone is used to locate a phone that hasn't made a call to 911.
ecps92
Member
and then endure the crap for being a smart-one ?
I would have done LMGTFY.
Its the price one pays.
Where there is only one tower, things get tricky. Sometimes the GPS data is transmitted, sometimes no. This is been known to happen here in north Idaho. It has gotten better but has a long ways to go. The way I have been told it works, is when there is no "data" connection but you can call or text, that is where things kinda go sideways.
They can estimate the range of the phone from the cell tower, IE 18 (Air Miles). Mountains, valleys, etc. is not taken into account, just a circle. Needless to say, that is a lot of land to cover.
There are ways to really get direction of the signal, but it becomes a manpower/equipment issue. Coordination with the carrier and equipment of the ground or at altitude.
Hope this helps
They can estimate the range of the phone from the cell tower, IE 18 (Air Miles). Mountains, valleys, etc. is not taken into account, just a circle. Needless to say, that is a lot of land to cover.
There are ways to really get direction of the signal, but it becomes a manpower/equipment issue. Coordination with the carrier and equipment of the ground or at altitude.
Hope this helps
slicerwizard
Member
Angry Flower is angry!
Theiy're's an essential oil for that.Angry Flower is angry!
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