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Beltrami County says GIS overhaul and NextGen 9‑1‑1 work will change how emergency calls are routed
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Summary
County GIS director Kevin Trapp briefed the board on NextGen 9‑1‑1: about 88% of calls are wireless, GIS data must be standardized for routing (roughly 20,000 address points and 10,000 road segments), the county submitted data to the state on March 5, and a June 22, 2025 satellite text‑to‑911 case highlighted operational benefits.
County GIS director Kevin Trapp and communications staff updated the board on the county's NextGen 9‑1‑1 transition, emphasizing that geographic information system (GIS) data is now a core element of call routing, location validation and emergency service determination rather than only a visual display.
Trapp told the board that about 88% of Beltrami County's 9‑1‑1 calls last year came from wireless devices and that the legacy E‑9‑1‑1 system was not built to ingest device location or multimedia. He said the county completed a major data standardization effort and submitted address points, road segments and emergency service zone data to the state's enterprise portal on March 5.
Kate, the county's GIS and survey records technician, described the scale of the work: roughly 20,000 address points to review, more than 10,000 road segments broken into dispatchable pieces, and 44 emergency service zones that must match neighboring counties to ensure correct PSAP routing. Kate said staff corrected thousands of small errors (postal community mismatches, misaligned road 'snaps,' transposed numbers) during the validation process.
Janice, the 9‑1‑1 communications supervisor, recounted a practical example of the system's value: during a severe storm the county received a satellite text‑to‑911 from a remote area (June 22, 2025) reporting campers trapped by downed trees. Telecommunications routed the text using enhanced mapping and staff were able to direct deputies to the scene where they assisted the stranded people. Janice said without text‑to‑911 via satellite, communication and rescue would have been impossible in that location.
Presenters noted ongoing work: datasets must be maintained and validated quarterly; interoperability, IP backbone buildout and state demonstrations of reliability are required before full migration; and sustainable funding will be necessary to maintain the data and technology. Trapp said county staff will continue coordination with state entities (Department of Public Safety, SECB, MNGEO) and neighboring counties to address boundary and service‑zone alignment.
Commissioners asked about practical effects of municipal name changes and data updates; staff said these can likely be handled in batch processes. No board action was required; the presentation was informational and staff will continue quarterly data management and interagency coordination.
