The Ultimate NG9-1-1 Glossary

Do public safety professionals speak their own language? With an abundance of acronyms, it can certainly seem that way. Whether you’re just starting out or well into your career, it’s useful to have on hand the most common terms for quick reference.

In a public safety role, every moment counts when someone’s life is on the line, so we’ve done the hard part for you. As experienced public safety and GIS professionals, we’ve compiled the most common NG9-1-1 abbreviations and definitions to help you decode public safety’s alphabet soup:

• ALI (Automatic Location Identification) – Call location data associate with the ANI that is displayed to the call taker when answering 9-1-1 calls
• ANI (Automatic Number Identification) – 10-digit telephone number associated with a device used to call 9-1-1
• AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) – A means for determining the geographic location of a vehicle and transmitting this information to a point where it can be used
• CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) – Computer system that aids PSAP telecommunicators by automating selected dispatching and record keeping activities
• ECRF (Emergency Call Routing Function) – Functional element in ESInet and LoST protocol server where 9-1-1 calls are routed toward the appropriate PSAP using spatial operations.
• ESB (Emergency Service Boundary) – Geographic area representing the dispatch responsibility emergency service agency
• ESInets (Emergency Services Internet Protocol Networks) – End state for the IP-based networks that support Public Safety operations by enabling the sharing of emergency data between PSAPs
• ESN (Emergency Service Number) – A 3-5-digit number assigned to each record of the MSAG which represents an ESZ and facilitates the dispatching of the proper emergency service agencies
• ESRP (Emergency Services Routing Proxy) – ESInet component which is a SIP proxy server that selects the next hop routing within the ESInet based on location and policy
• ESZ (Emergency Service Zone) – Geographic area representing a unique combination of emergency service agencies within a 9-1-1 governing authority’s jurisdiction
• GIS (Geographic Information System) – A system for capturing, storing, displaying, analyzing and managing data and associated attributes which are spatially referenced
• LIS (Location Information Server) – Repository of mappings between calling device reference values, like an IP address, and geographic location values
• LNG (Legacy Network Gateway) – Function element that provides an interface between a non-IP originating network and a NG9-1-1 system
• LoST (Location to Service Translation) Protocol – Protocol that takes location information and Service URN to return URI
• LPG (Legacy PSAP Gateway) – Signaling and media interconnection point between an ESInet and legacy PSAP
• LSRG (Legacy Selective Router Gateway) – Interface that allows calls to be routed or transferred between legacy and NG9-1-1 networks
• LVF (Location Validation Function) – Functional element in an ESInet that is a LoST protocol server where civic location information is validated against the authoritative GIS database information; requires road centerlines and address points
• MSAG (Master Street Address Guide) – Database of street names, house number ranges and associated communities defining ESZs and their associated ESNs to enable call routing
• NENA (National Emergency Number Association) – Standards-making body for NG9-1-1 producing both standards and information documents as best practice documents
• NG9-1–1 (Next Generation 9-1-1) – Represents an overhaul and redesign of the nation’s legacy 9-1-1 systems, allowing any telecommunications device that can connect to the internet to reach a public safety answering point (PSAP) for emergency services
• PRF (Policy Routing Function) – Functional component of ESRP that determines the next hop in the SIP signaling path using policy Provisioning Boundary Geographic area of GIS data in which a 9-1-1 authority is responsible to maintain
• PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) – Entity responsible for receiving 9-1-1 calls and processing those calls according to a specific operational policy
• QA/QC (Quality Assurance/Quality Control) – QA is the maintenance of data at a required level of quality through each step or process of preparation; QC is the system of maintaining standards during the development of data
• SI (Spatial Interface) – Software that allows for the QA/QC of GIS data
• URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) – Predictable formatting of text used to identify a resource on a network
• URN (Uniform Resource Name) – Location independent identifiers that are designed to be unique and persistent over extended periods of time
• VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) – Technology that permits the delivery of real-time multimedia sessions, like voice calls, over IP networks

Visit our website for whitepapers, blogs and more information on DATAMARK VEP, our end-to-end NG9-1-1 GIS data aggregation, preparation and maintenance solution. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, please reach out. Our expert team has extensive experience working in state and local GIS and public safety agencies across the U.S. and is eager to help you successfully transition to NG9-1-1. You can also visit the NENA website for a master glossary of 9-1-1 terminology.