Emergency responders across Australia now have access to geolocation of Triple Zero calls after deploying Advanced Mobile Location (AML) technology.
Communications Secretary Paul Fletcher said Wednesday that Australia’s Triple Zero Emergency Call Service had started using AML to identify those in need.
AML is an emergency call-based location service that automatically sends operators an SMS with the caller’s best available coordinates when an emergency call is made.
It’s native to smartphones running Android 4.1 or higher and iOS 14.3 or higher, although Apple users need to enable the feature for it to work.
The department has been looking for ways to send emergency caller location data for several years, including following a review of the Triple Zero operator in May 2016.
AML was chosen as the preferred solution to provide rescue workers with access to location data following a market test process in August 2016.
The technology, which is particularly useful when a caller is incapacitated, is believed to be about 4000 times more accurate than previous methods.
So far, triple-zero operator Telstra has used its push MoLI solution to triangulate the location of calls using cell towers, even in regions with poor coverage.
“[AML] is able to provide the location of a caller within 5 meters outdoors and 25 meters indoors, ”states the Triple Zero website.
“Based on the use of AML in other countries, most calls (about 85 percent) offer location accuracy within 50 meters.”
Telstra worked with Apple and Google to test AML as well as Optus and TPG Telecom and emergency services like NSW Police and NSW Fire and Rescue.
Communication Secretary Paul Fletcher thanked all organizations that were involved in providing AML.
“AML uses the same location technology that smartphone users use every day when looking for directions, ordering groceries through a delivery service, or using a ride-sharing service,” he said.
“I encourage iPhone users to update their device to the iOS 14.3 operating system in order to enable the AML feature when they enter Triple Zero.”
Michael Ackland, executive director of Telstra’s consumer and small business group, said the adoption of the technology is a “significant development” that requires “extensive coordination”.
Triple Zero receives up to 27,000 calls a day, around 78 percent of which are made on cell phones.
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