Emergency Call Content Buffering for PSAP Insight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Emergency responders face delays and inaccuracies in responding to emergencies due to callers' inability to provide timely and accurate information, often caused by fear, incapacitation, or technical issues during emergency calls, and existing systems struggle to handle simultaneous reports from multiple sources.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where devices record audio and video content from the moment an emergency call is initiated and buffer this content locally or remotely until a connection is established with a Public Safety Access Point (PSAP), allowing for immediate transmission of vital information once the call is connected, while ensuring user privacy and control over data access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If callers provide information during emergency calls, then response accuracy improves, but callers may be incapacitated or unable to speak due to fear or the emergency event
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary recording of audio and video content before the emergency event occurs or before the caller becomes incapacitated. The device continuously records content and stores it in a buffer, so that when an emergency call is initiated, the pre-recorded content is already available for immediate transmission, eliminating the need for the caller to provide information during the emergency.
Solution Approach 2:
The device serves itself by automatically detecting emergency events (through various sensors) or automatically initiating recording when a call is placed, without requiring the caller to manually start recording or provide information. The system autonomously captures and transmits relevant content, freeing the caller from the burden of providing detailed information during the emergency.
2Speed
If PSAPs answer calls quickly within a couple of rings, then response time improves, but call volumes may flood the PSAP causing delays of several minutes
Solution Approach 1:
The system prepares emergency content (audio, video, sensor data) in advance and buffers it locally on the caller's device before the PSAP agent is available. When the call is finally connected, the pre-prepared content is immediately transmitted, eliminating the delay that would otherwise occur while the caller waits for an agent to become available.
Solution Approach 2:
The device's local buffer acts as an intermediary, storing emergency content between the time the emergency occurs and the time the PSAP agent is available. This intermediary buffer decouples the timing between emergency occurrence and PSAP response, allowing the system to handle call volume floods without losing critical early evidence.
3Loss of information
If devices continuously record content, then early insight availability improves, but device power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous recording, the system uses periodic or event-triggered recording. The device records content at specific intervals or only when certain conditions are met (e.g., when an emergency event is detected by sensors, or when a call is initiated). This periodic approach maintains early insight availability while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous recording.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary recording only for a limited duration before an emergency event or call initiation, rather than continuous recording. The device buffers content for a predetermined time period (e.g., 5-10 minutes) prior to detected events, which provides sufficient early insight while consuming far less power than continuous recording would require.
4Loss of information
If multiple callers report the same event simultaneously, then comprehensive information collection improves, but PSAP handling capacity is overwhelmed
Solution Approach 1:
Each caller's device acts as an independent intermediary, buffering and preparing their own emergency content locally without requiring real-time PSAP resources. The PSAP receives pre-packaged content from multiple callers independently, which simplifies the handling complexity at the PSAP end while maintaining comprehensive information collection from all sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the emergency reporting process into independent individual caller streams, each handling their own content buffering and transmission. This segmentation allows multiple callers to report simultaneously without overwhelming the PSAP, as each caller's content is independently managed and can be processed in parallel or queued efficiently.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication endpoint is configured to record content, which may be audio content, video content, and/or other content, and send the recorded content to an endpoint, such as a contact center. In one instance, the communication endpoint initiates content recording upon the detection of an outbound user-initiated request, such as an emergency request, and transmits the recorded content when the communication session has been established. As another example, the communication endpoint may record content in a circular manner such that a latest content corresponding to a predetermined amount of time may be transmitted when the communication session has been established.