The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) has received a 2017 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for the 9-1-1 Next Generation Technology implementation to the Rural HOTCOG Region project.
The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) Regional 9-1-1 Program has successfully deployed an MPLS Private IP network with the infrastructure that will support Next Generation 911 (NG9-1-1) applications such as enhanced ability to exchange data between Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), call routing of 9-1-1 calls through an IP network and receiving call information in multiple media formats.
Robust, geo-diverse 9-1-1 equipment was installed in a host-remote solution combining the functions of 7 standalone PSAPs into two host locations, as well as a wireless backup as an alternate path to routing 9-1-1 calls during an outage.
Text-to-9-1-1 was implemented for callers unable to make a regular voice call or as an option for a person with a deaf or speech disability. In addition, HOTCOG has transitioned to an Enterprise Geospatial Management System (EGDMS) allowing for the routing of 9-1-1 calls based on location and derived from our Region’s GIS data, a critical component of NG9-1-1 success.
NADO is a Washington, DC-based membership association of regional development organizations that promotes programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities, and economies through regional cooperation, program delivery, and comprehensive strategies.
The association’s Innovation Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and their partners for improving the economic and community competitiveness of our nation’s regions and local communities. 2017 marked NADO’s 50-year anniversary of supporting regional economic development across the country.
Award-winning projects were honored during NADO’s 2017 Annual Training Conference. The 2017 class of award recipients consists of 80 projects spanning 21 states. These projects are presented in an interactive “Story Map” developed by NADO and Esri and include project summaries, funding information, and partners. The Story Map is available online at: https://www.nado.org/innovation-awards/.
“The Innovation Awards program is an opportunity to recognize the important work of regional development organizations that are promoting economic development and improving quality of life for local residents,” said 2016-2017 NADO President Lynne Keller Forbes, Executive Director of the South Eastern Council of Governments, located in Sioux Falls, SD. “These projects demonstrate the diversity of work that regional development organizations undertake to benefit the communities and regions that they serve.”
For more information about this award-winning project, contact Russell Devorsky, Executive Director, at 254-292-1800, Russell.devorsky@hot.cog.tx.us.
