[eropple]

> Most responders don't even have the ability to map a long/lat. So at this point, the accuracy is moot.

This is genuinely surprising to me. The operators having trouble makes sense, because phones are something of a rolling disaster, but responders aren't using GPSes that can do this?

[bungie4]

I'm sorry, I should clarify. Their are many layers of 'responders', their maybe just one, your call was routed to the local police. It may have been routed to call center in that area, who in turn broker the call, etc.

Imagine a situation where your traveling down an interstate out in the boonies. Theirs a wreck. You call 911 from your cell. The responder will receive an approximation of your location, likely the closet cell tower. From that, and before being able to send a responder, they must determine WHO to call based on your location. Just because your closer to town B than town A doesn't mean town B gets the call. Town B may forward your call to town A. Then, you have to determine where to dispatch too. It's doubtful you know the closest mile marker. Only your direction of travel, and the last area that you can remember.

It's strictly a best effort.

[mindcrime]

It may have been routed to call center in that area, who in turn broker the call, etc.

Yep. I was a 911 dispatcher for a while and can confirm this. I worked for Brunswick County (NC) 911, which borders New Hanover County (NC), Columbus County (NC) and Horry County (SC). Cell phone calls were usually sent to the right place, but if you were way out in the boonies on highway 211 near the Brunswick / Columbus line, if was about 50/50 which 911 center would get the call. And we'd occasionally get a call that was dialed in New Hanover County, Horry County, and - rarely - even further away. So on those calls, we had to try and quickly determine exactly where the caller was, so we could relay the information to the other county for dispatch. Sometimes if we weren't exactly sure and the call seemed to be near the line, we'd dispatch units and request the neighboring county to dispatch theirs as well, and then let the responders figure it out when the arrived.

I took a call once that, as far as I could tell, turned out to be several counties over... something like Pender or Duplin County. We didn't even have their contact info logged anywhere, since it was thought (at the time) that there would never be any need for us to contact, say, Duplin County. I had to call New Hanover County, ask them if they had the number for Pender (who they border), then call them, etc. The term "clusterfuck" comes to mind, but luckily that only ever happened once that I can remember.

Note that this was in the mid 90's and I'm not sure if things are better, worse, or the same now.

[13of40]

> The responder will receive an approximation of your location, likely the closet cell tower

Are you saying the GPS they mandated in cell phones ten years ago, ostensibly just for this purpose, doesn't actually do its job most of the time?

[bungie4]

You can't depend on it because people turn them off. Hell, I leave mine off.

[13of40]

Sure, you can't depend on it, but I'd expect most people leave it on the default setting.

[eropple]

Gotcha - thank you for the detailed response.