ATLANTA — Technology aimed at keeping fans from across the globe safe is being deployed ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
The new system gives 911 operators instant access to critical information the moment an emergency is reported.
As Atlanta prepares to host one of the biggest events in the world, no matter if you’re on an iPhone, an Android, or any other phone, Atlanta’s 911 center can use your device to not only track you but to get to you faster.
“This is really going to be a game changer,” E-911 Executive Director Desiree Arnold said.
With a surge of visitors expected for the World Cup, Atlanta’s E-911 center is launching new technology to speed up emergency response.
The system called Rapid SOS also breaks language barriers.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Chick-fil-A employee finds nearly $10K, reluctantly accepts reward
- What we know about 3 Georgia students killed, 1 injured in spring break crash
- Sheriff: 12-year-old shot ‘all because somebody felt disrespected’
“It’s detecting the language in Uzbeck, and it’s translating in English, and then we’ll type back in English, and it will detect we’re speaking in English,” Arnold told Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter as she showed her how the program works.
And it does more than translate. It pinpoints exact locations.
Right now, 911 operators get approximate locations. But the new system shows exact coordinates, helping first responders get to you faster.
“It tells us how high the person is and the confidence of where the person is, 95% confidence that this is exactly where this person is,” Arnold said.
Just like in a soccer match, every second counts in an emergency, and officials say this technology helps save them.
On top of translating, the program can also send messages or place calls in different languages.
The system is currently being used on a temporary basis for FIFA. They are evaluating whether to retain it after the championship, depending on the associated cost.