Key Focuses
There’s more work to be done to ensure NG911 interoperability across all NG911 systems.
Clarify the NG9-1-1 i3 Standard
PROBLEM: Right now, vendors can interpret the i3 standard enough so that solutions aren’t truly interoperable. This means that there is no guarantee that one NG911 i3-compliant system will talk to another system from a different vendor. So while NG911 adoption continues to spread, these NG911 systems don’t necessarily work together like they should.
SOLUTION: The Task Force will agree on key profiles that eliminate the vagueness of the i3 standard, working with all stakeholders including NENA and other relevant standards bodies. These updated standards will be widely available to all vendors.
Make Conformance Testing Available
PROBLEM: As the i3 standard is refined, and vendors adjust to the clarifications, the industry needs to know that these solutions will, in fact, work together. Right now, there is no testing available to ensure:
- A NG911 system strictly adheres to the i3 standard (conformance testing)
- Two NG911 solutions can transfer digital/next-gen information via the spec as intended, without additional customization (interoperability)
- The entire NG911 ecosystem works as intended, from the initial 911 call to the first responder on scene (end-to-end testing)
SOLUTION: The Task Force plans to develop scripts and tools that will test for those profiles and provide them for free to the widespread vendor community via open source. The Task Force also plans to create third-party test labs for testing compliance and will review the results with a reputable body.
Founding Members
The Task Force is driven by its stakeholders. Our founding members are actively involved in day-to-day operations and decisions. Those organizations are:
- Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT)
- NENA: The 9-1-1 Association
- National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA)
- NG9-1-1 Interoperability Oversight Commission (NIOC)
- Texas A&M University Program Administrator – Non-Voting member
- The National 911 Program (United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration)
Representatives from these agencies and others make up our Committees.
History & Background
As early as 2016, most public safety organizations recognized the need for NG911 conformance and interoperability testing. Independent efforts never materialized.
In 2020, the Department of Homeland Security started a project to investigate the possibility of comprehensive NG911 testing. Different stakeholder groups were brought together to provide input. A summit was held that same year at which the framework proposal drafted by NENA, NASNA, and iCERT served as the basis for discussion. This group of stakeholders continued to meet and discuss how to make conformance testing a reality.
In 2022, the The NG911 Interoperability Task Force was officially formed to establish a cost-effective and equitable conformance test program with a multi-stakeholder governance structure