Chapter 1      Overview of ALI Formatting Tool

Understanding E911 and Cisco Emergency Responder Terminology

Table 1 1

E911 and Cisco Emergency Responder Terminology (continued)

Term

Definition

ESZ

Emergency service zone. The area covered by a given PSAP. This area usually 

includes several police and fire departments. For example, a city and its suburbs 

might be serviced by one PSAP.

Each ESZ is assigned a unique emergency service number (ESN) to identify it.

MSAG

Master street address guide. A database listing of all valid street address ranges 

within a community, the contents of which is typically managed by a local 

government organization. The MSAG database service can be managed by a local 

government organization, an incumbent local exchange carrier, or by a database 

service provider (often the same as the ALI database service provider).

NENA

National Emergency Number Association. The organization that recommends 

data and file formats for ALI definitions and other emergency call requirements 

in the United States. Cisco Emergency Responder uses the NENA formats for 

ALI data export files. Your service provider might have additional restrictions on 

data format, so ensure that your ALI entries abide by your service provider's 

rules.

PSAP

Public safety answering point. This is the organization that receives emergency 

calls, for example, the 911 operator. The PSAP is staffed by people trained in 

handling emergency calls. The PSAP talks to the emergency caller and notifies 

the appropriate public service organizations (such as police, fire, or ambulance) 

of the emergency and its location.

ALI Formatting Tool User Guide for SBC Pacific Bell

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