Emergency Call Routing via Dynamic Region Designation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) are overwhelmed by a sudden surge in emergency calls from a single incident, leading to a failure in responding to other emergencies due to the inability to divert calls to alternate centers.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that includes a geographic mapper, polygon manager, and call routing unit to temporarily designate a region and reroute emergency calls to alternate PSAPs, reducing the call volume on a single PSAP.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If emergency calls are routed to a single predetermined PSAP based on caller location, then call routing is simple and reliable, but the PSAP becomes overwhelmed by sudden surges in call volume from single incidents
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts call routing based on real-time conditions. When a PSAP becomes overwhelmed (detected through call volume monitoring), the system automatically activates alternate routing to distribute calls to other PSAPs. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by maintaining routing reliability through automated monitoring while preserving PSAP productivity through load balancing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes routing parameters based on PSAP capacity conditions. Normally, calls are routed to the predetermined PSAP based on location. When the PSAP's call handling capacity is exceeded, the system changes the routing parameter to divert calls to alternate PSAPs. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable routing under normal conditions while preventing overload that would reduce productivity.
2Ease of operation
If all emergency calls from a region are routed to the same PSAP, then routing logic is simple, but the PSAP cannot handle sudden surges from multiple observers reporting the same incident
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring alternate PSAP routing paths and establishing monitoring mechanisms before emergencies occur. When a surge is detected, the pre-established alternate routes are immediately activated. This preliminary preparation maintains routing simplicity while ensuring reliability during surges, as the complex alternate routing logic is already in place and requires no complex decision-making during the emergency.
3Productivity
If the system monitors and diverts calls from temporarily designated regions, then PSAP overload is reduced, but the system complexity increases with geographic mappers and polygon managers
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces intermediary components (geographic mapper, polygon manager, call volume monitor) that mediate between the caller and the PSAP. These intermediaries handle the complexity of geographic designation and call volume monitoring, allowing the core routing function to remain relatively simple while achieving the goal of preventing PSAP overload. The intermediaries absorb the system complexity required to maintain productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for effecting special treatment of emergency calls originating from a temporarily designated region; emergency calls originating from the region ordinarily being routed to a first emergency answering position. The system includes: (a) a geographic mapper; (b) a polygon manager coupled with the geographic mapper; at least one of the geographic mapper and the polygon manager unit being coupled with an emergency network handling the emergency calls; the polygon manager and the geographic mapper cooperating to effect designation of the region; and (c) a call routing unit coupled with the emergency network and coupled with at least one of the geographic mapper and the polygon manager. The call routing unit provides alternate call routing of the emergency calls originating in the region substantially while the region is designated to at least one other emergency answering position than the first emergency answering position.