(A.) Policy and legislation
(A.1) Policy objectives
Emergency communications
Emergency communications are defined primarily as a means of communication through interpersonal communications services between an end-user and the PSAP with the goal to request and receive emergency relief from emergency services.
Emergency communications should ensure effective access to emergency services for all, including end-users living with disabilities and roaming customers. Caller location is the most important contextual data that should be made available to Public Safety answering Point and should be accurate enough to enable the effective intervention of emergency services.
Public warning systems
Article 110 of the European Electronic Communication Code (EECC - Directive (EU) 2018/1972) requires that by 21 June 2022, Member States shall ensure that, when public warning systems regarding imminent or developing major emergencies and disasters are in place, public warnings are transmitted by providers of mobile number-based interpersonal communications services to the end-users concerned.
(A.2) EC perspective and progress report
The lack of commonly agreed standards in support of electronic communications networks for emergency communications in Europe is a barrier to implementing future proof solutions which meet the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (EAA - Directive (EU) 2019/882) and the requirements of Article 109 of the EECC.
Standards for real time text and total conversation access to emergency services are required to meet the special needs of end-users living with disabilities and to ensure equivalence of access under the relevant provisions of the EECC and the EAA for emergency communication to the European emergency number ‘112’.
The lack of a harmonised approach to establishing criteria for location accuracy and reliability hampers Member States’ efforts to develop adequate solutions that ensure that emergency services benefit from caller location that is useful to effectively intervene in case of an emergency.
(A.3) References
- Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 establishing the European Electronic Communications Code.
- COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2019/320 of 12 December 2018 supplementing of Directive 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the application of the essential requirements referred to in Article 3(3)(g) of that Directive in order to ensure caller location in emergency communications from mobile devices.
- Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic communications).
- Recommendation 2003/558/EC of the Commission of the European Communities of 25 July 2003 on the processing of caller location information in electronic communication networks for the purpose of location-enhanced emergency call Services.
- Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services
- SWD/2022/0430 final: COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) ../... supplementing Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council with measures to ensure effective access to emergency services through emergency communications to the single European emergency number '112'
(B.) Requested actions
Action 1: SDOs to update the existing standards to reflect the conceptual framework of the Directive (EU) 2018/1972, in particular where the concept of 'emergency services' is not consistently used to reflect the 'public safety answering points' or 'emergency communications' (for example ETSI TS 103 479).
Action 2: SDOs to address data protection and privacy requirements (privacy by design) in ongoing standardisation activities concerning emergency communications and processing and transmission of caller location information.
Action 3: SDOs to identify the applicable specifications and standardisation needs for the transmission of handset derived caller location to the most appropriate PSAPs by mobile network operators in both, user plane and control plane modes.
Action 4: SDOs to identify interoperability issues for packet switched emergency communications (e.g: VoLTE) at network and handset level, in particular when using roaming services.
Action 5: SDOs to set requirements, functional architecture, protocol and procedures specification for a Pan European mobile emergency application. Identify standardisation needs for the deployment of emergency applications enhanced with caller location information and accessibility features for the widest range of users, including end-users living with disabilities.
Action 6: ESOs to elaborate standards on accessibility of emergency communications as arising under the European Accessibility Act.
Action 7: to support the standardization of emergency SMS, in particular to '112', to enable the correct routing while roaming services are used.
Action 8: SDOs to define dictionaries for public warning messages for emergency communication services based on the input of various civil protection agencies.
Action 9: SDOs to identify standardisation needs for the establishment of a Union wide public warning system in line with recital 294 of Directive (EU) 2018/1972.
(C.) Activities and additional information
(C.1) Related standardisation activities
ETSI
TC EMTEL: has published TS 103 625 “Transporting Handset Location to PSAPs for Emergency Calls - Advanced Mobile Location” and its corresponding test purposes (TS 103 825).
TC EMTEL has completed the TR to prepare requirements for communications involving IoT devices in all types of emergency situations (e.g. communications of individuals with authorities/organisations, between authorities/organisations, from authorities/organisations to the individuals, amongst individuals). The next step is to include the requirements in the appropriate Technical Specifications.
TC EMTEL has also published TS 103 479 describing the architecture (currently named 'Next Generation Emergency Communication architecture'), the core elements and corresponding technical interfaces for network independent access to emergency services. This work is complemented by a group of technical specifications describing test cases and scenarios for related interoperability and conformance testing.
The work is now complete for requirements, the functional architecture, the protocol and the procedures for implementing the Pan-European Mobile Emergency Application.
There are presently hundreds of emergency calling applications in use across Europe, but their use is constrained to the boundaries of the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) with which they are integrated.
ITU-T
ITU-T Focus Group on "Disaster relief systems, network resilience and recovery" produced several technical specifications that were published (http://www.itu.int/pub/T-FG/e) and were refined in ITU-T SG2 and SG15:
Recommendation ITU-T L.392 "Disaster management for improving network resilience and recovery with movable and deployable ICT resource units' was approved by ITU-T SG15 in April 2016.
Supplement ITU-T Suppl.35 "Framework of disaster management for network resilience and recovery” was approved by ITU-T SG15 in June 2017.
Recommendation ITU-T E.108 "Requirements for a Disaster Relief Mobile Message Service" was approved by ITU-T SG2 in January 2016.
Recommendation ITU-T E.119 (ex. E.rdr-scbm) "Requirements for Safety Confirmation and Broadcast Message Service for Disaster Relief” was approved by ITU-T SG2 in April 2017.
Draft new Recommendations ITU-T E.102 (ex. E.TD-DR) "Terms and definitions for disaster relief systems, network resilience and recovery " was approved by ITU-T SG2 in December 2019.
E.Suppl.1 to ITU-T E.100 series (ex E.sup.fdr) “Framework of disaster management for disaster relief systems” was agreed by ITU-T SG2 in February 2019.
TR.CLE, “Identify call location for emergency service” was agreed by ITU-T SG2 in June 2020 and provides an overview of technical solutions available for this purpose.
ITU-T SG2 also produced an amendment to its E.123 standard for quickly identifying next-of kin (or other emergency contact) in a mobile handsets' directory, for use in case of emergency, and has established a framework for international emergency call priority (ITU-T E.106 and E.107).
ITU-T SG2 has also developed the following:
Recommendation ITU-T E.161.1 on “Guidelines to select Emergency Number for public telecommunications networks”
TR.CLE, “Identify call location for emergency service” was agreed by ITU-T SG2 in June 2020.
More information on SG2 is available at https://itu.int/go/tsg2
Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Natural Disaster Management (FG-AI4NDM), established by ITU-T SG2, explores the use of AI for assisting with data collection and handling, improving modelling across spatiotemporal scales. Within FG-AI4NDM, the Working Group on “Effective Communications”, which focuses on the role of AI in facilitating effective communications before and during natural disasters, including at sociological/demographical aspects. More information about the ITU/WMO/UNEP FG-AI4NDM is available The activities of the FG-AI4NDM are being conducted in close collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). at: https://itu.int/go/fgai4ndm
ITU-T SG15 has also developed the following:
Recommendation ITU-T L.390 on “Disaster management for outside plant facilities” (approved in October 2012)
Recommendation ITU-T L.391 on “Monitoring systems for outside plant facilities” (approved in November 2009)
More information on SG15 is available at https://itu.int/go/tsg15
ITU-T SG17 has transposed the OASIS Common Alerting Protocol versions 1.1 and 1.2 into ITU-T X.1303 and X.1303bis.
ITU-T SG13 developed a number of Recommendations including ITU-T Y.2074, Y.2222, Y.2705, Y.1271, Y.2205 and Supplement 19 to the ITU-T Y.2200-series —covering different aspects of emergency communication operation. ITU-T draft Y.ccrm “Cloud computing - Framework of risk management” addresses framework of risk management in cloud computing, including risk assessment, risk treatment etc.
ITU-T FG NET2030 White Paper "Network 2030 - A Blueprint of Technology, Applications and Market Drivers Towards the Year 2030 and Beyond" elaborates on the critical infrastructure enable people to survive in emergency situations.
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/focusgroups/net2030/Documents/White_Paper.pdf
ITU-T SG11 approved ITU-T Q.3615 which describes the Open GeoSMS Standard, which was developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC); geo-localisation is a key part of rapid and effective emergency responses. SG11 also drafted a number of Supplements to the Q-series Recommendations (e.g. Supplements 47, 53, 57, 61, 62, 63, 68, 69, 70 and 72) to support emergency telecommunications. SG11 developed a new Recommendation ITU-T Q.3060 “Signalling architecture of fast deployment emergency telecommunication networks to be used in a natural disaster” which defines a general framework for fast deployment emergency telecommunication networks (fdETNs) to be used in a natural disaster. It describes different technologies that might be used as a part of such a network including: self-organizing communication technologies (ubiquitous sensor network; USN); unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); Internet of things (IoT); and flying ubiquitous sensor network (FUSN). This Recommendation also specifies functional elements of such emergency telecommunication networks and contains requirements for services and protocols. Currently, SG11 is developing signalling requirements for emergency telecommunication service in IMS roaming environment.
ITU-T SG12 developed Recommendation ITU-T P.1140 (ex P.emergency) “Speech Quality Requirements for Emergency Calls” in March 2017. SG12 is updating this Recommendation.
ITU- T SG16 developed Recommendation ITU-T H.785.1 (ex H.DS-PISR) "Digital signage: Service requirements and a reference model on information services in public places via an interoperable service platform”. This technology can be used for early warning to lessen damages, reporting up-to-the-minute situations and announcing traffic status/evacuation sites.
ITU-T SG20 developed the following:
- Recommendation ITU-T Y.4119 “Requirements and capability framework for IoT-based automotive emergency response system”,
- Recommendation ITU-T Y.4467 “Minimum set of data structure for automotive emergency response system”
- Recommendation ITU-T Y.4468 “Minimum set of data transfer protocol for automotive emergency response system”.
SG20 is also developing Recommendations on “Framework of smart evacuation during emergencies in smart cities and communities”, “Requirements and reference architecture of smart service for public health emergency” and “Framework for smart public health emergency management in smart and sustainable cities”.
ITU-R
The ITU's Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) is also carrying out studies on emergency communications. Resolution ITU-R 55 (Radiocommunication Assembly, 2019) instructs all ITU-R Study Groups to carry out studies on the use of radiocommunications in disaster prediction, detection, mitigation and relief. ITU-R WP5A is currently preparing an updated version of this Resolution to be submitted for consideration to the Radiocommunication Assembly 2023 (RA-23).
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/information/Pages/emergency.aspx
Report ITU-R M.2291 on “The use of International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) for broadband Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) applications”, prepared by ITU-R Working Party 5A, addresses the current and possible future use of International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) including the use of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) in support of broadband public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) communications. It also provides examples for deploying IMT for PPDR radiocommunications, case studies and scenarios of IMT systems to support broadband PPDR applications such as data and video. This ITU-R Report was revised in December 2021.
Report ITU-R BT.2299-3 on “Broadcasting for public warning, disaster mitigation and relief” provides a compilation of supporting evidence that terrestrial broadcasting plays a critically important role in disseminating information to the public in times of emergencies.
ITU-D
ITU-D SG2 Question 5/2 has developed a report on Utilization of telecommunications/ICTs for disaster preparedness, mitigation and response: https://www.itu.int/pub/D-STG-SG02.05.1-2017
W3C
WebRTC, the web's real-time communication service is currently being developed and specified jointly between the IETF and W3C. The IETF is working on the protocol level. The group heading this effort is called RTCweb.
W3C specifies the necessary API to connect the service to the web — application framework created by, among others, by HTML5. The group working on this part is called WebRTC. A good overview of the technology developed can be found in the STREWS project's security report on WebRTC.
IETF
The Emergency Context Resolution with Internet Technologies (ECRIT) Working Group has developed a general architecture for enabling IP applications to discover and connect to emergency services.
The Geographic Location/Privacy (GEOPRIV) Working Group developed protocols that allow IP networks to inform end devices about their geolocation, a critical pre-requisite for emergency calling.
The application-specific working groups in the IETF (for example, the Session Initiation Protocol Core (SIPCORE) Working Group) have developed extensions to support emergency calling as required.
The Secure Telephone Identity Revisited (STIR) WG is developing Internet-based mechanisms that allow verification of the calling party's authorisation to use a particular telephone number for an incoming call. The main focus is on the SIP as one of the main VoIP technologies used by parties that want to misrepresent their origin, in this context the telephone number of origin. See, for example, RFC7375 "Secure telephone identity threat model".
https://trac.ietf.org/trac/iab/wiki/Multi-Stake-Holder-Platform#Emergency
ISO
ISO/TC 204: intelligent transport systems (ITS). This covers standardisation of information, communication and control systems in the field of urban and rural surface transportation, including intermodal and multimodal aspects thereof, traveller information, traffic management, public transport, commercial transport, emergency services and commercial services in the intelligent transport systems (ITS) field.
Projects include:
ISO/AWI 19083-2: ITS — Public transport — Emergency evacuation and disaster response and recovery — Part 2: Data flow
ISO/PRF TR 19083-1: ITS — Public transport — Emergency evacuation and disaster response and recovery Part 1: Framework
ISO/NP 20530: ITS — Information for emergency service support via personal ITS station — General requirements and technical definition
ISO/PWI 21344: ITS– Public transport — Emergency services E-Call device for emergency on connected vehicles using ITS station
ISO 22951:2009 (Ed. 1): Data dictionary and message sets for pre-emption and prioritisation signal systems for emergency and public transport vehicles (PRESTO)
ISO 24978:2009 (Ed. 1): ITS Safety and emergency messages using any available wireless media — Data registry procedures
ISO/DTR 18317: ITS — Pre-emption of ITS communication networks for disaster relief and emergency communications
http://www.iso.org/iso.iso_technical_committee%3Fcommid%3D54706
oneM2M
Some examples of features of oneM2M to enable communication in emergency situations are access controls, message prioritization, network congestion alleviation, group communication, subscription/ Notification and location tracking.
For more details see the oneM2M Technical Report in “TR-0046-Study_on_Public_Warning_Service_Enabler” and the oneM2M Technical Specification “TS-0037-IoT_Public_Warning_Service_Enablement”.
All oneM2M specifications and reports are publicly available at: Specifications (onem2m.org)
OASIS
The OASIS Emergency Management TC created the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), used by crisis responders, weather prediction agencies and emergency management stakeholders for broadcasting data about crisis conditions and locations, over various media including SMS, police radio and weather radio. CAP also is approved as ITU-T Rec X-1303. A suite of related Emergency Data Exchange Language (EDXL) resource and crisis management XML standards have also been developed, supporting exchange of health facility availability information (HAVE), data sharing of information on situations, incidents, events and responses (SitREP) and sharing of emergency patient and tracking information (TEP)