* The public's ability to request emergency assistance is limited today by technology that is now more than thirty years old. As our ability to communicate continues to evolve, so must the way we use that ability to request emergency services. That is both a public expectation, and a public safety issue. At the same time, this movement forward gives us new tools to improve and facilitate those services. The state of Minnesota's Department of Public Safety Network Modernization Project is an appropriate first step towards ensuring that Minnesota is prepared to address both goals.
* This report provides a general assessment of initiatives, strategies, and applications currently underway in the broader 9-1-1 community and trends throughout the country. It should be remembered, however, that such activity continues to grow and evolve in its own right. Therefore, this report is something of a current snapshot of the activity involved. The Department of Public Safety is encouraged to continue to monitor these deployments, initiatives, and applications—many of which may provide a good foundation for the design and deployment decisions the State may ultimately make.