The Benefits of Z-Axis Through FirstNet

The First Responder Network Authority was established to deploy a nationwide broadband network for public safety communications and meet first responders’ communications needs. One of the key capabilities that public safety requested during the planning phase of FirstNet was the ability to determine the Z-axis, or vertical axis, location of personnel. FirstNet’s Z-axis capability is the next evolution of FirstNet Enhanced Location Services, designed to assist with identifying where a first responder is located within a building. Z-axis location data provides the first responder with the vertical reference point in terms of height above terrain (HAT) to indicate the relative altitude or vertical location of the first responder and their team members. Z-axis uses the barometric sensor built into most smartphones to measure HAT. In emergency communications centers, Z-axis capability helps telecommunicators know when to dispatch additional units or determine what type of equipment to send to the scene. With X and Y location-based services, telecommunicators can track a responder’s movement, speed, direction and orientation. Now with XY and Z coordinates, they can also see the height location of a responder in a multistory building or other structure like a parking garage. The data is accessed using a vertical positioning service available to public safety app developers, which is the first such service to be offered to public safety and is exclusively available to FirstNet subscribers.