This will bring a wider means of communicating to first responders the exact nature of an emergency, potentially helping them to save both critical time and lives.

Kadi Luht-Kallas, advisor at the ministry's Department of Rescue and Safety Policy, said: "An accessible 112 does not consist just of an IT project, but a significant and fundamental change. Until now, all communication with the emergency number was based on voice calls or SMS, but in the future, it will be possible to make a video call to the emergency response coordinator, where both the caller and the call receiver can see and hear each other."

The Government Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, the Emergency Response Center (Häirekeskus), and the ministry's Information Technology and Development Center (SMIT), held a tender process to find a contractor, with tech firm CGI Eesti being chosen.

Kitty Kubo of the Innovation Fund said there had been "Major interest in the project, with seven bids being submitted to the tender. Among the vision plans that reached the evaluation stage, there were several strong offers, but CGI offered the best value for money."

Liisa Abel, head of CGI Eesti's public sector justice and internal security division, said that the project highlights the importance of including all members of society, along with the crucial role that IT solutions play in supporting society as a whole.

The project will last for five months at a cost of €169,456 exclusive of VAT, the Government Office says.

The results from the first phase will serve as input for a second phase, pending a second tender process to be held in the last quarter of this year.

The Government Office is partnering with the State Shared Service Center (RTK) in conducting the tenders.

Phase one entails analyzing the situation and requirements, scouring the market for innovative accessibility solutions for piloting, and designing a video call and real-time text transmission solution.

The Innovation Fund's activities and projects are financed by the EU Cohesion Policy for the period 2021-2027.

112 is the pan-European emergency number.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!