Pinnacle location service now available to first responders in 100+ markets via FirstNet, built with AT&T and the Intrepid Networks’ Response for FirstNet App
NextNav, the leader in 3D geolocation services, today announced that its nationwide vertical location service has been selected by FirstNet, Built with AT&T, to provide highly accurate altitude capabilities for first responders using FirstNet. This long-awaited service is now available for FirstNet subscribers in over 100 major metro areas through Intrepid Response for FirstNet, a widely-used situational awareness platform for emergency operations. Having vertical location at their fingertips helps first responders respond to emergencies in multi-story buildings safely and efficiently.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with NextNav, the pioneers in ‘Z’ axis technology, to bring vertical capabilities to first responders for the first time,” said Scott Agnew, assistance vice president, product marketing, FirstNet Program at AT&T. “NextNav’s Pinnacle is the most reliable z-axis service available. This technology will be instrumental in helping to solve the situational awareness challenges first responders encounter every day.”
In an open-ended question posed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Public Safety Communications Research division in a recent study of more than 7,000 first responders, participants named “communication, location, and mapping” as the technology that would be most useful, specifically citing the need for enhanced location technology. According to an independent exercise conducted by San Francisco Public Safety, first responders leveraging vertical location were able to respond 8 times faster. NextNav’s location technology consistently delivered the highest quality vertical service of ±3m 94% of the time, consistently exceeding the + 3m 80% of the time metric set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). NextNav’s Pinnacle service is now live in 100+ major markets across the United States.
Incident commanders typically rely on radio communications, body-word cameras, Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS), and 2D maps to track team members and position resources in multi-story structures. However, these systems cannot measure vertical location, leaving incident commanders in the dark about where resources are deployed.
“At Intrepid, we’re always looking for innovative ways to help first responders work more safely and efficiently,” said Britt Kane, CEO of Intrepid Networks. “NextNav’s vertical location service allows first responders to locate team members with floor-level precision in the event of an emergency, helping to save valuable time and protect the safety of deployed personnel.”
FirstNet users can obtain the Response app from their FirstNet representative. Agencies that switch to FirstNet can receive their first six months of the service for free. Additionally, FirstNet application developers can take advantage of the new vertical location capability through the FirstNet API catalog, a curated catalog of public safety Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and Software Development Kits (SDKs).
“More precise, resilient geolocation capabilities will save lives,” said Ganesh Pattabiraman, CEO of NextNav. “We’re excited to bring this critical service to the public safety sector for the first time ever. It’s a capability that has long been on the requirements list for public safety agencies.”
To start using the NextNav Pinnacle SDK and obtain further technical information, visit NextNav’s listing in the FirstNet API catalog or visit the NextNav website.
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