AI Needs GIS
By John Brosowsky, SVP of Innovation, GeoComm
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping PSAP operations. From handling non-emergency calls to enabling real-time 9-1-1 transcription, translation, keyword detection, and call taker assistance, AI is becoming an integral part of modern emergency communications.
But AI is not inherently intelligent; it identifies patterns and relationships within the information it has been trained on and the data it can access. Its ability to answer questions, make predictions, or generate recommendations is constrained by that information. One important source of information for AI is GIS data.
State and local governments maintain extensive GIS data covering street addresses, transportation networks, NG9-1-1, public safety, emergency response, buildings, property records, critical infrastructure, utilities, public works, asset management, schools, parks, public facilities, environmental data, natural hazards, imagery, elevation data, and hundreds of other authoritative location-based datasets.
More than just “layers on a map” to look at, this GIS data is knowledge. Its knowledge about space and place. Knowledge that is often known only at the local level and is often private and secure. Knowledge that if known during an emergency response could help save lives and protect property. Unfortunately, this knowledge frequently goes unused because 9-1-1 call takers, dispatchers and emergency responders don’t have time to search through hundreds of map layers during an emergency.
But connecting this knowledge to PSAP and responder AI systems solves this problem. GIS data gives AI location intelligence, enabling it to know where things are and to make important spatial connections in real-time during 9-1-1 calls.
Intelligent map layer selection is one example of GIS powered AI. By understanding the context of an emergency call and connecting to GIS data in real-time, AI can automatically display the most relevant map layers for call takers and responders. For example, a hiking trail accident could trigger nearby trail access points, while a structure fire could automatically display property details such as building type, construction materials, and HAZMAT information.
Exact location determination is another powerful AI plus GIS capability. When caller location is inaccurate or the emergency is elsewhere, AI can use a caller’s verbal description along with GIS data to identify the correct location. For example, it could identify a precise indoor location along with building entrances and interior routes to an emergency or determine the appropriate 9-1-1 center to transfer a call to when a caller is reporting an emergency occurring across town or in another city, state, or even country.
In public safety, better data saves lives. AI is transformational but can be made even smarter with location intelligence. By connecting AI to the authoritative GIS data they have already built, public safety agencies and state and local governments can transform existing investments into life-saving location intelligence that helps 9-1-1 professionals and emergency responders make better decisions, faster.
Talk with a GeoComm expert to learn more.
