TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Future 911/Technology is Changing so Quickly That Emergency

Re: Future 911/Technology is Changing so Quickly That Emergency

B. Wright (bmwright@xmission.com)
Thu, 27 Jul 2006 20:28:42 UTC

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> wrote:

> Future 911

> Technology is changing so quickly that emergency communication
> systems are struggling to keep pace

> Picture a highway crash: a vehicle flips over in the center lane. Ten
> cars plow into the twisted wreck. Panicked witnesses dial 911. They
> shoot video of the scene with their cell phones. Drivers too
> distraught to speak text message the call center. A vehicle with a
> built-in security system automatically dials 911 after the air bags
> are deployed. It forwards the driver's health history, letting police
> know he has had two heart attacks before.

This is quite funny, many people still can't figure out how to operate
most of their mobile phone's features under normal circumstances. The
author's suggestion that if they are "too distraught to speak" that
people will "text messsage the call center" is a good one! Speaking
is about the most natural thing for people to do, what makes them
think someone in severe shock is going to faff about navigating menus
and wrestling the T9 predictive text in their phone so they can fire
off an SMS if they're unable to think enough to even speak?

> An overhauled 911 system would open a world of possibilities:
> responders could send a video demo of the Heimlich maneuver to a cell
> phone if a family member is choking, or firefighters could receive a
> burning building's floor plan before they reach the scene.

I can just see that one now too, someone trying to configure their
GPRS settings on their phone so they can receive this video while
their friend is over in the corner choking to death. Riiiight!

The current usability level of technology is just not where it needs
to be for most people to make these things that useful realistcally.

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