The Vehicular Emergency Data Set (VEDS) is an XML standard for the transmission of telematics data to emergency response agencies.

THE NEED

Currently, when Telematics Service Providers (TSPs), such as OnStar and ATX Technologies, receive location and/or automatic crash notification (ACN) data from a vehicle into their call centers, they must verbally relay the information to a single emergency response agency (i.e. 9-1-1, or police or EMS dispatch). The process today would typically involve a single phone call to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), without any associated data. Emergency response agencies beyond the PSAP are generally not notified of the incident. However, a wealth of data exists at the TSP that can be very valuable if in the hands of the right emergency response agencies. The challenge is to be able to transmit the data from the TSP to these agencies.

Current generation ACN is a very valuable service for emergency responders, often meaning the difference between life and death for vehicle occupants; advanced ACN (predictive crash data) is even more so. However, there is currently no system in daily use by TSPs for electronically forwarding that location and crash data from a TSP’s internal data system to the multiple agencies for which it would have value. TSPs need to have the capability to transmit the data. Emergency Response agencies need to have the capability to receive the data.

The nature of ACN is that a wide variety of parties, from 9-1-1 to EMS to the hospital, should be (and could be) involved in creating, sharing and using crash and related data. Thus, multiple public safety entities, including, but not limited to the PSAPs, have indicated that they would like to receive a data notification about incidents in their jurisdiction in real-time whenever possible. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop a standardized data set for ACN and other vehicular emergencies. This was first recommended during the National Mayday Readiness Initiative (NMRI) which stated that "efforts needed to be made to develop the capability to send crash data from TSPs to multiple public safety agencies" and that a uniform ACN data exchange format is needed.

COMCARE'S APPROACH

In 2004, the ACN Working Group released its draft version of the Vehicular Emergency Data Set (VEDS). In March 2005, after circulating comments of the draft, the group discussed and approved a number of updates to the VEDS schema. The resulting data set, now called VEDS 2.0, expands the data collected about a crash. VEDS elements, including the rate of deceleration and direction of impact, will be used in OnStar's impending release of advanced ACN (AACN)-equipped vehicles and can now help responders determine the severity of the crash.

Initially designed to transmit ACN crash data to an emergency agency, VEDS also serves as a data receptacle, collecting important bits of information as the response effort unfolds. The data set can contain data transmitted directly from the vehicle like vehicle speed, airbag deployment, direction of force and rollover as well as information from the telematics provider about the vehicle and its owner. Questions asked by a 9-1-1 operator about the age and gender of the occupants and data from responders and witnesses at the scene can also be added. When fed into URGENCY software, the likelihood of serious injury can be computed.

When in use, ACN, VEDS and URGENCY can positively impact the outcome of vehicle crashes. With electronic notification and injury detection, these technologies have the ability to reduce Emergency Medical Services (EMS) notification and response times while, at the same time, identifying specialized response needs such as air medical services and trauma center support before responders arrive on scene. More importantly these technologies can save lives and prevent permanent disabilities.

FROM VISION TO REALITY

VEDS 1.0 is currently being used by OnStar in a Department of Transportation sponsored test being conducted in Minnesota. It is also being tested in Orlando, FL where OnStar is sending crash data directly into its 9-1-1 Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. The VEDS working group is meeting shortly to discuss the harmonization of data elements with the Global Justice XML Data Model and will determine if VEDS should be incorporated into the EDXL process.

For more information, please contact standards@comcare.org.

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