Emergency Call Prioritization Using Visual Media Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Emergency response centers face inefficiencies in handling a surge of calls related to the same emergency event, as multiple callers tie up phone lines, making it challenging to prioritize and manage calls effectively.
Innovation Solution
The system utilizes the camera or video capability of communication devices to collect images or videos from callers, sorting them into event groups and prioritizing calls based on the collected media, allowing agents to focus on the most critical situations first.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple callers report the same emergency event, then the volume of calls increases, but the phone lines become flooded and tied up
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments callers into different groups based on the emergency events they report. By categorizing calls into distinct event groups, the system can manage and prioritize each group separately, preventing the flood of calls from overwhelming the entire system while maintaining efficient handling of each specific emergency type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by collecting images and videos from callers before the calls are fully processed. This preliminary media collection allows the system to pre-categorize and prioritize calls based on visual information, enabling faster and more efficient handling when agents become available, thus reducing the impact of call volume on productivity.
2Ease of operation
If calls are handled in the order they are received, then the system is simple to operate, but critical events may be delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis by automatically collecting and analyzing images and videos from callers before final call routing. This preliminary action enables the system to identify critical events in advance and prioritize them, ensuring that time-sensitive emergencies receive faster attention without complicating the overall operation of the call handling system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the collected media information from callers is used to dynamically adjust call prioritization. This feedback loop allows the system to respond to the actual severity and urgency of events as revealed by the media, enabling timely intervention for critical situations while maintaining ease of operation through automated decision-making.
3Loss of information
If images and videos are collected from all queued calls, then more information is available for prioritization, but the collection process adds complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary media collection from callers while they are queued, before the calls are routed to agents. This preliminary action ensures that relevant visual information is captured and stored in advance, making it available for prioritization without requiring complex real-time processing during the actual call handling, thus balancing information availability with system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and collects only the necessary media information (images and videos) from the call queue, separating this information collection function from the main call handling process. By extracting media collection as a distinct preliminary operation, the system obtains essential event information while keeping the overall call management architecture relatively simple and modular.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are apparatus and methods for utilizing the camera or video capability of particular communication devices, such as cell phones, to enhance handling of calls, such as emergency calls. In one implementation, when a call is made to an emergency response center (ERC) using an image/video capable communication device is queued until an agent is available for handling the call, one or more images or video may be collected from such caller by utilizing the image/video capability of the caller's communication device. The images collected from a plurality of different callers may then be sorted into different event groups. For instance, all the images/video that relate to a same emergency event, such as a traffic accident, are grouped together into a same event group. The different groups can then be prioritized for handling by an available agent. Additionally, the individual callers for each group may also be prioritized based on the collected images/video, e.g., the caller that is closest to the emergency event may be called first.