Ecopia Partners with NextNav to Equip Emergency Response Teams with 3D Visualizations

Ecopia AI (Ecopia) and NextNav announced a partnership that will enable first responders to visualize situations in 3D and locate where in a building an emergency call is coming from.

Together, Ecopia and NextNav are providing public safety answering points (PSAPs) with the ability to visualize z-axis coordinates of emergency calls on 3D building data, helping first responders locate which floor of a multistory building a call is coming from and reach people in need more quickly. The partnership combines NextNav’s mission-critical z-axis positioning solution derived from ground stations and barometric calibration with Ecopia’s comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date 3D building data generated from artificial intelligence (AI)-based mapping systems to empower response teams with greater situational awareness in emergency scenarios.

In 2022, the United States’ Federal Communications Commission required that all commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) providers deliver the z-axis coordinates of emergency calls to each PSAP. While CMRS providers traditionally deliver emergency call x- and y-axis coordinates to help PSAPs locate the address of 911 callers, response crews often struggle to locate callers in multistory buildings.

As part of an effort to empower emergency responders to reach people in need more efficiently, the FCC requirement ensures that CMRS providers deliver z-axis call coordinates to PSAPs. However, without a 3D mapping and visualization solution, PSAPs and emergency response teams do not have the necessary context to make use of the z-axis coordinates. NextNav’s Pinnacle vertical location z-axis service is available in more than 4,400 US cities and towns, covering more than 90% of buildings greater than 3 stories.

“We are proud to partner with Ecopia and deliver cutting-edge 3D visualization solutions to emergency responders,” said Rob Clark, Senior Director of Public Safety at NextNav. “Ecopia’s 3D building data accuracy and coverage are unmatched, and together with NextNav’s z-axis positioning, will provide first responders with critical technology that will help them save more lives.”

“Our partnership with NextNav exemplifies our commitment to using AI for good,” continued Abigail Coholic, Senior Director of Partnerships at Ecopia. “This Next Generation 911 solution will enable emergency crews to save lives, and Ecopia is excited to partner with NextNav to make z-axis data actionable for PSAPs.”