OnStar getting upgrade for pinpoint accuracy in emergencies
In the event of a crash, vehicle sensors gather up information and connects an OnStar adviser to a vehicle. OnStar can then contact emergency services and provide information regarding the severity of the crash, with information about airbags deployed and type of impact. In the past, OnStar advisers would have to give emergency services a detailed description of the location of the accident.
Subscribers to the telematics system will benefit from new technology that will enable OnStar to electronically transmit precise longitude and longitude coordinates directly to the 911 center. Where available, the Automatic Location Identification (ALI) data display will show the authorities exactly where you're located, with almost zero opportunity for error.
While OnStar didn't always sound like such a great deal, real-time directions and accident assist makes it a near must have for anyone owning a GM vehicle. Now GM just needs to sell the service to other automakers so the General can make a tidy profit off of its investment. Hit the jump to see the GM OnStar press release.
PRESS RELEASE:
DETROIT - An enhancement to its flagship emergency services will enable OnStar to electronically transmit precise longitude and latitude vehicle location data directly to 911 centers to increase the speed and accuracy of emergency response to its subscribers. Currently this information is relayed verbally by OnStar advisors to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).
OnStar, the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and communications services, uses advanced vehicle-based Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology to generate a vehicle's precise location during an emergency call.
This GPS location identifies the street names, cross streets and precise x-y coordinates of an emergency call so that help is immediately dispatched to the exact location. With this newest OnStar enhancement, 911 centers can automatically receive specific vehicle location information (longitude and latitude) in the 911 Automatic Location Identification (ALI) data display which may interface with a sophisticated mapping system used in many jurisdictions to expedite locating emergency victims.
"In an emergency, accurate location is the most important piece of information to ensure that help arrives promptly at the scene," said Cathy McCormick, Emergency and Security Service Line manager, OnStar.
In addition to providing location information, OnStar advisors continue to play an important role in providing critical crash and other emergency-related information directly to dispatchers to help them determine the most appropriate response.
"The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials has worked with telematics providers since their inception to use the latest technology to assist public safety in saving lives," said Chris Fischer, president, APCO International. "This technology interfaces with the systems many of our centers have in place already to expedite response."
With OnStar's Priority Access program, many PSAPs already receive OnStar emergency calls through an existing 911 trunk line. By routing verified emergency calls to 911 trunk lines, dispatchers will not only receive OnStar calls more quickly, they will also receive important call-related data, including OnStar's PSAP-only callback number.
OnStar's dedication to innovation for Emergency Services has continued to evolve since it first introduced Air Bag Notification in 1996. For example, today's Automatic Crash Response uses built-in vehicle sensors to connect an Advisor into a vehicle after a crash, regardless of air bag deployment. The sensors also provide real-time data about the type and severity of the crash to OnStar, and the Advisor can relay the data including the number, direction and severity of impacts as well as air bag deployment status to emergency responders so they can be better prepared to help when they arrive at the scene.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
TigerMil 8:25AM (5/14/2009)
I call BS. I will never buy a GM car with digital onstar after they screwed everyone with analog onstar. GM needs to die. Their history is so flawed.
I am so conflicted...the only vehicles they make I like are the big Suburban/GMC clones, the new Camaro, and the Corvette. All of which are probably dying breeds.
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Coolio 8:32AM (5/14/2009)
Then you can sit in the ditch without Onstar to locate you.
Now THAT's a BS situation, fool.
dave1w41 9:43AM (5/14/2009)
That's right... d&$n GM for making the changeover to Digital cellular technology.
Derek 11:46AM (5/14/2009)
The analog to digital switch was Government mandated. I guess everything is GM's fault anyways though, darn them for trying new technologies.
Ludovico de Amicis 8:55AM (5/14/2009)
Longitude and Longitude eh? Not very precise if you ask me!!
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Nightcrawler 12:43PM (5/14/2009)
Why do you say that? Presumably, it gives latitude and longitude to enough decimal points to pinpoint exactly where the car is.
Mike Z71 12:54PM (5/14/2009)
Read it again, Nightcrawler. He said LONGitude and LONGitude.
Jim in Tampa 9:00AM (5/14/2009)
Screw Onstar and it's monthly charge! More systems like SYNC are needed that integrate with a bluetooth cell phone and can take advantage of the existing communication services that a driver probably has.
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Willem B 9:05AM (5/14/2009)
oh right...
because every single person in the world owns a blue tooth equiped cellphone...
Slizzo 10:31AM (5/14/2009)
Right, except for the fact that the "cell" antenna in recent OnStar equipped vehicles is on order of 10x more powerful, therefore the car will have reception where your phone won't.
Derek 11:46AM (5/14/2009)
Your cell phone will be a whole heap of good if you are knocked unconscious in a crash.
Nightcrawler 12:52PM (5/14/2009)
Even if you are knocked unconscious, after SYNC connects to 911 and gives it's pre-recorded accident message, then it would be the same as any 911 call. They'd have to follow up and find you to see if there was a problem or not. But I don't know if the 911 cell phone location capabilities are as good as On-Star's though. If not, it could take them longer to find you.
Willem B, just how many people in the U.S. do you expect to not have a BlueTooth equipped phone? There are pretty much ubiquitous now. I think the bigger worry is they wouldn't know how or bother to link it to the SYNC system. Though I guess few would pay the extra money for Sync and not use it.
Jake 9:03AM (5/14/2009)
My Aunt had a Chevy Trailblazer with the OnStar subscription.
She got nailed by another car head on, suffered severe injuries and spent quite a bit of time in the hospital.
Not only did the airbags fail to deploy on the Trailblazer, but the OnStar did not work as adverstized - no help was summonsed, no one called to ask what happened; none of that BS you see and hear on their commercials.
I told her to get a lawyer and sue.
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Jake 9:05AM (5/14/2009)
It was actually a GMC Envoy or whatever the GMC rebadge is.
pickles 9:17AM (5/14/2009)
OnStar is close to being super cool. I've had it since 2001 in my 3 Saab 9-5s. The bummer for them (and me) is that they're not keeping up.
The brilliance of OnStar is its simplicity -one big button to either get you out of a ditch, call the police, get directions to Target, find a 411 type phone number all with a nice human on the other end.
The problem is that those humans on the other line don't have INTERNET. My stupid $100 Blackberry has turn by turn directions, two kinds of web browsers, google, when poor old OnStar is still trying to go without being modern..
Last, the writer of the article suggests they 'just need to sell the service to other automakers' First they need to make it universally usable. My 2008 Saab has a significantly reduced menu of options (no turn-by-turn, no vehicle diagnostics, no remote lockout help) that a base Cobalt doesn't suffer from. They say it's because the Saab's got different brakes. Whatever. If GM can't overcome different brakes in its own vehicles, I deeply doubt the reselling of OnStar will have much success in its current iteration.
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GML 9:20AM (5/14/2009)
I'm sorry, all I can focus on is that cheap hard shiny black plastic in the picture.
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BigWill 9:41AM (5/14/2009)
Is there any way to send Dick Cheney over to this cow's house to adminster some well-deserved waterboarding?
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Henry 9:43AM (5/14/2009)
I also hated OnStar... until I owned a car with it. I've been playing with all the features like a Star Trek geek. Thought turn by turn was dumb, but it comes free for a year so I like to play around with it and started to get hooked.
My car does have Bluetooth and the chip is in the OnStar box (so I've been told, I know its not in the radio).
Not totally sure I will re-subscribe, but leaning towards it. I wish OnStar had more "fun" features (like voice control for iPod), but the radio has an Aux jack for my iPod and that's good enough.
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Brian Tucker 9:43AM (5/14/2009)
When GM becomes Government Motors, all OnStar owners should rip the systems from their cars. Well, unless you like governmental control - can't it disable the vehicle remotely?
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Nightcrawler 12:55PM (5/14/2009)
Paranoid much?