NENA is dedicated to ensuring that all of the goals of NG9-1-1, both technical and non-technical, are met. NENA views a range of testing programs as a critical component to accomplishing standards based NG9-1-1. NENA understands that it is the vendors of NG9-1-1 elements that will ultimately deliver the interoperability NG9-1-1 promises. Therefore, the first NG9-1-1 testing program sponsored by NENA is aimed at supporting the vendors in their testing with each other. These Industry Collaboration Events bring together vendors in an open, supportive, and collaborative, environment that fosters a spirit of technical cooperation. Taking part in or success in testing at an ICE event does not confer any formal NENA certification for a vendor’s products.
While NENA has played a central role in the creation of the program, it is our intent to include all stakeholder groups and we are open to partnering with other industry organizations in the creation and implementation of this program. This is evidenced by the makeup of the NG9-1-1 ICE Steering Committee which has seats representing the vendors, government users & buyers, other industry associations, government organizations, NENA Technical and Operations Committee Leadership, and NENA Senior Staff. The Data Gathering & Reporting Committee is responsible for reporting test results.
The ICE Steering Committee is charged with overseeing all planning and execution of these testing events. ICE 1 was held on November 3-5, 2009, at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. ICE 2 was held May 24-28, 2010, at an AT&T facility in Dallas, Texas. ICE 3 was held November 29 through December 3, 2010, at the Brazos Valley Council of Government (BVCOG) site in Bryan, Texas. ICE 4 was held November 14-18, 2011, at the AT&T Center for Learning in Irving, Texas. NENA held ICE 5 the week of October 15, 2012, in Wheaton, Illinois, at the Illinois Institute of Technology, School of Applied Technology, Real-Time Communications Lab.
Each ICE has a focus for the testing to be done. ICE 1 brought together vendors that are delivering NG9-1-1 elements that locate, route, and answer IP calls. ICE 2 focused on Transitional Elements that are defined to facilitate the migration from the current 9-1-1 system to NG9-1-1. ICE 3 focused on location information. Future events will have the following focuses but will not occur in this order.
Government organizations and their consultants are encouraged to support this program by adding questions related to participation in the events to any RFI or RFP they develop. Boilerplate for this has been developed and is in use by several jurisdictions.Recently, the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA) has endorsed this effort and encourages all vendors to participate.
More ICE information:
Delaine Arnold – NENA ICE Testing Coordination Manager - 813.960.1698
Roger Hixson – NENA Technical Issues Director - 614.442.9110
ICE Steering Committee:
The Steering committee is charged with planning and executing a series Industry Collaboration Events in support of the overall NENA NG9-1-1Project.This body deals primarily with setting the direction and expectations for the events.It is composed of representatives of all major stakeholder groups.It is empowered to create committees as it sees fit.
Bill Mertka, Chair - iCERT
Daryl Branson, Vice-Chair - Next Gen Partner users
Paul Mallett - Next Gen Partner users and NASNA
Terry McLarty - Next Gen Partner commercial member
Devery Thumann - Next Gen Partner commercial member
Michael Smith - Next Gen Partner commercial member
Glen Roach - iCERT
Roger Hixson - NENA Staff
Mike Vislocky - NENA Development Steering Council
Pete Eggimann - NENA Development Steering Council
Steve Wisely - APCO
John Chiaramonte - National 9-1-1 Program Office
Ron Bloom – NENA Board Liaison
Delaine Arnold - NENA ICE Testing Coordination Manager
The most important topics the Steering Committee deals with include the following:
What will be tested?
Using i3 as a "roadmap”, how should the overall architecture be segmented?
What aspects of NG 9-1-1 are most important to test?
Are the underlying standards in place to test?
Do the other characteristics of the segments being focused on lend themselves to an Interoperability event?
How will testing be done?
Will all the vendors come together in one place at one time or will this be a virtual event?
What will the test scripts look like?
What information/results will be collected?
What information will be released, to whom, and in what format?
What information should be released?
Who will have access to the results?
What form/format should the results take?
When will the events take place?
What is the schedule?
Who will participate?
How will the industry be engaged?
What agreements will participants need to sign?
How will participants be selected?
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