Cellular phone mapping system helps dispatchers find 9-1-1 callers

Help will soon be one step closer for local cell phone customers calling in an emergency, reports The Mail Tribune.

"Cell phone calls typically take twice as long to dispatch as calls from standard wire-line phones, which automatically come to a dispatch center connected to a street address.

Under the new system, dispatchers will see a dot on a computer-generated map and corresponding coordinates within less than a second of the initial call, Millie Tirapelle, director of Southern Oregon Regional Communications said. The nearest cell tower relays the precise location to a database that sends it to the telephone company and then on to a dispatch center, she added. Cell phones must have a feature that works with the technology. "

emily | 5:08 PM | Technology |
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