First NG 9-1-1 Interoperability Tests A Success
Mission Critical Communications Magazine
In early November, 16 next-generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) suppliers participated in an event to test the interoperability of components from different vendors. The inaugural NG 9-1-1 Industry Collaboration Event (ICE) hosted developmental testing to examine which standards needed adjustment to achieve the end goal of interoperability, said Roger Hixson, technical issues director for National Emergency Number Association (NENA).
NENA hosted the event and has taken a leadership role in creating a certification and accreditation program to accomplish standards-based NG 9-1-1. “The goal is that vendor A’s equipment works well with vendor B’s equipment; and at a larger scale, that a public safety answering point (PSAP) in southern Illinois can interact with a local station in Missouri because they are all operating with the same standards,” Hixson said. “We want the systems (local, regional, state and national) to all work seamlessly, as if they were designed using the exact same equipment.”
The three-day event, held at the Texas A&M campus, successfully tested 20 NG 9-1-1 components with about 55 tests. Twenty-six engineers from 16 companies participated. Prior to the event, a test plan was developed that included 81 peer-to-peer tests and a number of permutations and combinations of nine end-to-end call-handling scenarios. Sixty-seven percent of the peer-to-peer tests and 22 percent of the complex scenario tests were completed, according to a summary report from NENA. “We didn’t get all the tests done, but we didn’t expect to,” Hixson said.
The tests, based on draft and final standards developed by NENA’s technical committees, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and other standards development organizations, tested a subset of NG capabilities. Because NG 9-1-1 is an open standards/open interface, it is possible for users to buy portions from more than one vendor and have them all work as if they came from one, Hixson said. The standards thus define what the interfaces need to be.
“Most people think, ‘I dial 9-1-1, and it magically ends up where it’s supposed to.’ But I can tell you, it’s not magic,” Hixson said. Every component – from the gateways that take the calls to the security settings to the conversions to the databases and routing functions and more – must meet certain standards that will guarantee it can operate with products made by different companies.
“It was limited testing since it was the first event,” said Michael Smith, DSS chief technologist, who served on both the APCO/NENA NG 9-1-1 PSAP working group and the ICE event planning committee. “We stuck to testing fully defined things to provide useful feedback to working groups,” he said. “The participating vendors decided what they wanted to test.” Smith said tests of other components will be performed at later events.
“We’re not only aiming to demonstrate interoperability. We also want to expose any issues with the defined NG interfaces, providing valuable input to the ongoing standards development efforts. I can’t think of a better way to do that than linking up a bunch of real systems and throwing real-world emergency scenarios at them,” Smith said.
With the goal of supporting vendors as they develop interoperable NG 9-1-1 products, the event was a major success, the NENA summary report said. However, the report mentioned 21 instances of detail feedback items that are being looked into by the appropriate committees.
“We found a number of standards written that could be misinterpreted, so we need to go back and adjust the wording to make them clearer,” Hixson said. NENA is working on the standards adjustments, and Hixson anticipates they’ll be done around Dec. 28, followed by a two-month official review process.All participating vendors said the event was successful and that they planned to participate in the next one. Because the primary purpose was to support vendors in their product development efforts, all participating engineers signed a code of conduct that governed what they can share about the event.
It was an honor for our company to participate in such a unique and forward-thinking event to promote NG 9-1-1,” said Dave Rutan, CEO of PlantCML. “With technology moving at such a rapid rate, it is imperative that as an industry leader we collaborate with other 9-1-1 providers. Such collaboration helps set an example regarding what needs to be accomplished to ensure the industry moves in both an effective and efficient manner from the existing E9-1-1 to NG 9-1-1. This type of event is allowing us, along with many other vendors, to do just that.”
In addition to PlantCML and DSS, other participating vendors included Andrew, Avaya, BullBerry Systems, Emergency CallWorx, Emergent Communications, GeoComm, Interact, microDATA, NG911, RedSky Technologies, Revcord, Solacom, Spectracom and TelecomXchange.
Because of the tremendous amount of cooperation and positive feedback, Smith said he expects the number of participants to double for the next event, and planning has begun. Proposals from NG 9-1-1 stakeholders are welcome and must be submitted by Dec. 9. Hixson said there is potential for ICE2 in late winter or early spring, and the committees are working toward planning a whole system test in 2010.
For more information about ICE can be found here. More information about NG 9-1-1 and the ICE can also be found at www.nena.org.
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