GIS Data Quality Challenges in the Transition to Next Generation 9-1-1: A Critical Review of Standards, Implementation Gaps, and Remediation Strategies for Rural Jurisdictions
Dennis Valentine Debi *
Callaway County GIS Department, Fulton, Missouri, United States.
Leonard Anyan-Darko
Nash County Government, Nashville, North Carolina, United States.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The transition from Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) replaces tabular database lookups with geospatial queries that depend on accurate GIS-based address point and road centerline data. This shift promises improvements in emergency response, but its success depends on the quality of local GIS datasets. Rural jurisdictions face steep challenges: limited staffing, aging address data, incomplete MSAG synchronization, and insufficient maintenance resources. This review synthesizes the academic and practitioner literature on GIS data quality in the NG9-1-1 context, examining four themes: (1) technical requirements of the NENA GIS Data Model Standard; (2) documented patterns of data quality deficiencies; (3) structural barriers in rural counties; and (4) remediation strategies. Five mathematical metrics are presented for quantifying data quality: Root Mean Square Error for positional accuracy, completeness ratio, attribute deficiency rate, MSAG match rate, and misrouting probability. A four-phase framework for systematic data quality assessment is proposed, combining automated validation, MSAG–GIS cross-validation, risk-prioritized remediation, and ongoing quality monitoring. The review finds that the rural data quality gap is fundamentally a staffing and resource problem rather than a technical one, and that state-level coordination programs offer the most promising path forward. Recommendations for policy, practice, and future research.
Keywords: Next Generation 9-1-1, GIS data quality, address point data, road centerline, NENA standards, rural jurisdictions, MSAG, public safety GIS.