Google has activated its Emergency Location Service (ELS) in India, marking the first operational deployment of the technology in the country. The rollout begins with Uttar Pradesh, where the state police have successfully integrated ELS into their emergency response system, strengthening real-time location accuracy for emergency calls and messages.
What is Emergency Location Service (ELS)?
In emergency situations, callers may struggle to communicate their exact location due to panic, injury, or network issues. To address this challenge, Google developed Emergency Location Service (ELS) for Android devices. When a user contacts emergency services via call or SMS, ELS automatically shares enhanced and precise location data with responders, improving response times and accuracy.
How ELS Works on Android
ELS uses advanced location intelligence built into Android to determine the caller’s position more accurately than traditional network-based methods.
Key Technical Details
- Data Fusion: Uses Android’s Fused Location Provider, combining GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular network data
- Accuracy: Provides location data within an approximate 50-meter radius
- Additional Information: Can transmit device language settings, helping responders communicate effectively
- Compatibility: Works on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and above
Uttar Pradesh Becomes First State to Adopt ELS
Uttar Pradesh is the first Indian state to fully deploy ELS, integrating it into the state’s 112 emergency service system. The rollout is the result of a collaboration between Uttar Pradesh Police and Pert Telecom Solutions Pvt Ltd (PertSol).
Pilot Program Insights
- Tested over several months before public deployment
- Supported over 20 million emergency calls and SMS messages
- Successfully captured caller locations even when calls dropped shortly after connecting
- Enabled faster dispatch of police, fire, and medical services using PertSol’s routing intelligence and the UP112 command infrastructure
Google has emphasized that privacy safeguards are built directly into the ELS framework:
- Event-based activation: ELS activates only during emergency calls or SMS
- No background tracking: It does not run continuously
- Direct data transfer: Location data is sent directly from the phone to emergency services
- No Google data collection: Google does not store or access the precise location data
- No additional apps required: ELS is built into Android and is free to use
ELS is already operational in over 60 countries worldwide. With the successful deployment in Uttar Pradesh, the service is expected to expand to other Indian states as emergency response systems adopt the necessary infrastructure.
