New system

Lincoln's Emergency Communications Center has been in the process of acquiring and installing a new 911 telephone system for about a year now.  The process of developing specifications, soliciting bids, vendor selection, and detailed contract development all takes a good deal of time--not to mention the installation of software and hardware.

These systems are all software driven these days, so it's a lot different then just pulling the plug on an old phone and replacing it with a shiny one.  There is a whole lot of technology under the hood, driving things like E-911, Phase 2 E-911, and the interfaces from the phone system to mapping software and computer-aided dispatch software.

During the installation, the staff moved out to the backup center while the technicians tore into the guts.  I snapped this photo one day, during the surgery:

If that looks a little like the backside of your home entertainment system, you are not alone. The good news is that the heavy lifting is now done.  Training is taking place this week, and next week the new system goes live.   My fingers are crossed.