In June 2021, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Emergency Communication Networks (ECN) launched the Minnesota Next Generation 911 (NG911) GIS Hub website, designed for ECN's GIS and public safety answering point (PSAP) partners. Geographic information systems (GIS) is the practice of creating, managing, and analyzing geospatial data to better inform decision makers and improve outcomes around public safety, transportation planning, access to health services, preservation of resources, and more. Minnesota is a nationwide early adopter in launching such a site for its NG911 GIS program.

NG911 in Minnesota

When a person calls into 911, Minnesota’s current system uses data tables to match that caller to a physical address. If they’re calling from a cell phone (85-90% of 911 calls), that call is matched to a cell phone tower. Once the call is matched to an address, it is routed to a PSAP, which is a call center that dispatches the correct police, ambulance, or fire emergency responder.

Using geospatial data, NG911 seeks to reduce the time it takes to route calls to the correct PSAP by matching every call to a point on a map. These points on the map are collected by each county, and are made up of a variety of statewide data sets such as:

• Address points
• Road centerlines
• PSAP boundaries

When counties provide these data sets, they are reviewed and validated by ECN. ECN ensures the data is prepared correctly and Minnesotans’ 911 calls can be responded to as quickly as possible; whether from a country road in Thief River Falls or a home in Blue Earth. NG911 will be able to route a 911 call to the State Patrol PSAP if the caller is calling from a freeway, or to a local PSAP if the call is coming from the frontage road next to that freeway.

The GIS Hub creates a single place for PSAP, county, state staff, and the public to find information about the NG911 program, including how the GIS data is developed. Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) staff, working with the DPS and MNIT’s Office of Geospatial Information (MnGeo), collaborated with ECN to bring this website to life.

What is the GIS Hub?

The Hub is a faster, easier way for ECN to collaborate with partners and to share information about the NG911 project. For example, the site enables local leaders to monitor how their county is progressing through each phase of the NG911 project. “One person might want to visit the Hub to read the validation rules, and another might want to look at the map of NG911 readiness across the state,” said Megan Sisko, GIS Technician for MnGeo. “We designed the core Hub structure to provide any type of NG911 stakeholder access to what they’re looking for.”

To develop the Hub site, MnGeo took an inventory of the information resources that ECN, MnGeo, and national NG911 coordinators have published and shared with the community. “The biggest challenge to this project was ensuring that we could share information as effectively as possible,” added Norman Anderson, NG911 Technical Lead, MnGeo. “We worked closely with ECN to define the audience of this site and created a close partnership that will be valuable to the future success of NG911 in Minnesota.”

The Hub site features several dashboards with interactive maps and charts that show the buildout of GIS mapping for every Minnesota county. GIS staff members working on NG911 can use these maps and resources to communicate with their county leaders about the importance of NG911 data and gain support for the staff required to create the data.

A map displaying NG911 GIS validation status for Minnesota's counties.

MnGeo also worked closely with ECN and MNIT staff supporting DPS to ensure that documents on the Hub site were accessible. Hollie Kim, GIS Technician for MnGeo, added these accessible documents and tested dashboards and applications for accessibility while she and Sisko designed and built the core structure of the Hub site.

What’s next for NG911

The next phase of the project will include a web-based statewide GIS data portal, which will contain the entire collection of ready-to-use data. This will allow GIS and PSAP partners to upload data and validate their data in real time, rather than having to wait several days for updated information.

Check out the new website and learn how prepared your county is for Next Generation 911!