FCC NG9-1-1 Order: Progress, Challenges & What’s Next for Public Safety GIS
Where Are We Now in the NG9-1-1 Transition?
On March 25, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Public Notice announcing final approval by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the FCC’s July 2024 Report and Order advancing the transition to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1). While this is a definite step forward, many challenges remain for local 9-1-1 authorities responsible for building and maintaining the foundational GIS datasets required to take advantage of the order.
Understanding the FCC NG9-1-1 Order
The FCC NG9-1-1 order created the new rules in response to feedback from industry participants such the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA) who realized a major barrier to NG9-1-1 adoption: inconsistent and prolonged negotiations between state 9-1-1 offices and service providers around standards conformant transmission of NG9-1-1 call traffic and data. Among other elements, the order notably established:
- Rules for when Originating Service Providers (OSPs) must commence delivery of 9-1-1 traffic in IP-based Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) format to one or more in-state NG9-1-1 systems in response to valid requests from 9-1-1 authorities.
- Rules for when OSPs must begin utilizing Location Information Server (LIS) systems and related technologies for the verification and delivery of customer location information in response to valid requests from 9-1-1 authorities.
This order removed significant barriers for states working toward full NG9-1-1 implementation. However, important challenges that are outside the scope of the new rules still remain. The rules state when OSPs must begin utilizing NG9-1-1 technologies and transmitting NG9-1-1 traffic in response to valid requests from 9-1-1 authorities, which means 9-1-1 authorities must themselves have implemented local, regional, and/or state-level NG9-1-1 systems capable of receiving NG9-1-1 call and data traffic. One of the largest hurdles 9-1-1 authorities face is creating and maintaining GIS datasets that are foundational to NG9-1-1 and thus are prerequisites for making valid requests for NG9-1-1 traffic to OSPs.
Top 5 Challenges for Implementing GIS for NG9-1-1
- Increased mission criticality of GIS datasets, data management practices, programs and policies:
- GIS data will be used for location-based routing of live 9-1-1 calls. As a result, the GIS data must be highly accurate and up to date. New systems for quality assurance and GIS data performance monitoring must be implemented. GIS programs must become highly secure and highly available to support NG9-1-1’s mission critical, 24x7x365 always on life safety use case.
2. New GIS data models required for NG9-1-1 that are different from E9-1-1:
- NG9-1-1 street addresses are formatted and parsed into different fields than E9-1-1 format addresses. GIS datasets such as address points and road centerlines layers must therefore be migrated to new data models and schemas conformant with NG9-1-1.
3. Aggregation of GIS sets from multiple local entities participating in a regional or state-level NG9-1-1 system:
- GIS addressing data is traditionally maintained at a local level across city and county governments in the United States. NG9-1-1 systems are commonly implemented at regional or state-level in the US. As a result, new data sharing agreements and systems must be implemented to flow local GIS data updates into regional and state-level systems and must include additional mechanisms and policies for addressing gaps and overlaps between local GIS data sets.
4. New roles and responsibilities for GIS professionals across state and local government:
- While many local GIS professionals have dove headfirst into NG9-1-1 data creation and maintenance, others only have experience in supporting more traditional use cases for GIS data such as planning and zoning, and property assessment and appraisal. Definition and creation of new roles and responsibilities, data management practices and workflows, training, and policies are critical for implementing GIS for NG9-1-1.
5. Funding & Support:
- Implementing and managing foundational GIS datasets for NG9-1-1 is an ongoing continual process, not a one-time event. Funding and programs for initial NG9-1-1 GIS dataset creation, as well as ongoing GIS data processing for additions, deletions, changes, and continuous quality assurance must be secured, in order to support NG9-1-1 systems. With the absence of Federal funding, this is an opportunity for States and local municipalities to create stable funding mechanisms either through grants or specific carve-outs from their 9-1-1 fee collections.
What Public Safety Agencies Should Be Doing Now
In order to take advantage of the new FCC rules that help expedite NG9-1-1 implementation, there are several key steps 9-1-1 authorities must take:
1. Conduct an NG9-1-1 GIS Data Readiness Assessment:
- If you are just getting started, you first need to determine where your GIS data needs to be modified to support NG9-1-1, measure how well your GIS data will perform for live 9-1-1 call routing, and identify new staff roles and responsibilities, workflows, and policies
️ 2. Bring your GIS data program into conformance with NG9-1-1 requirements:
- Once readiness assessments are complete, it’s time to begin implementing required GIS data changes and updates, training programs, and operational workflows necessary for operating your new NG9-1-1 GIS data management program.
️ 3. Begin daily NG9-1-1 GIS data management operations:
- As your NG9-1-1 data will be used for location-based routing of live 9-1-1 calls, it must be high quality, highly accurate and up to date, including daily processing of GIS data changes, and must be continually provisioned to core NG9-1-1 location-based functional elements such as the Emergency Call Routing Function (ECRF) and location Validation Function (LVF).
4. Leverage Industry Partnerships & Funding Opportunities:
- 9-1-1 Authorities should explore federal grants, state and local programs, and cost-sharing models to accelerate their transition. Since NG9-1-1 GIS data management is an on-going continual process, and not a one-time event, 9-1-1 Authorities should evaluate and update procurement policies and processes to support Software as a Service (SaaS) subscriptions and multi-year professional services engagements. Often substantial savings can be achieved by procuring multi-year NG9-1-1 GIS data management software subscriptions and contracts.
How GeoComm Can Help
GeoComm provides a variety of software and services to help 9-1-1 Authorities implement NG9-1-1 GIS programs, whether they are just starting out or have an advanced operation well under way and need increased efficiencies and capabilities:
- GeoComm NG9-1-1 GIS data assessment and readiness programs can help 9-1-1 authorities that are just starting out get up to speed quickly.
- GeoComm SaaS based NG9-1-1 GIS Data Management systems help 9-1-1 authorities keep GIS data up to date over time, ensuring GIS data quality, performance capabilities, and NG9-1-1 program conformance.
For over 30 years, GeoComm has been a trusted GIS partner for public safety agencies and 9-1-1 authorities from coast to coast in the United States and beyond. Our expertise in 9-1-1 GIS mapping, location-based call routing, location validation, and NG9-1-1 GIS Data Management software and services makes us uniquely positioned to guide agencies through this transition and enable them to realize benefits of NG9-1-1 faster.
Need Help Preparing for NG9-1-1?
Contact GeoComm today to assess your agency’s GIS readiness for NG9-1-1 implementation.
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