How to Integrate with RapidSOS Portal
Overview
RapidSOS Portal is a secure browser-based web application that provides ECCs with supplemental emergency data from the Emergency Response Data Platform during live 911 calls. Since it is browser-based, RapidSOS Portal cannot by default communicate with other native applications or systems used by the Telecommunicator. As such, Telecommunicators currently must manually enter the caller’s phone number in RapidSOS Portal to retrieve accurate location data.
To remove the step of manually querying the caller’s phone number, ECC technical staff and RapidSOS ECC software partners can now configure their software systems to initiate an automatic Emergency Response Data Platform query in RapidSOS Portal for each 911 call received.
The Integrated RapidSOS Portal solution is required to be vetted and approved by RapidSOS prior to release. It should also be noted that changes to a partner's landing page signup process are required in order for these integrations to function properly in a production environment. Please see the Integration Approval Process section at the bottom of this page for more information on how to submit for approval and request changes to your Landing page.
This documentation describes how to automatically initiate a query and display the corresponding data in RapidSOS Portal.
The Emergency Response Data Platform
The Emergency Response Data Platform is an NG911 Standards compliant service, that includes LIS and ADR that meets i3 and IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) standards.
The Emergency Response Data Platform receives data from the Internet of Things (smartphones, connected cars, wearables, and connected homes) and securely makes the relevant data (accurate location and additional data) available to 911 through existing ECC software systems or through RapidSOS Portal.
Example data sources include Apple, Google, Uber, and Waze.
Getting Access to RapidSOS Portal Sandbox
Follow this link to get access to the Sandbox version of RapidSOS Portal. This Sandbox account can be used for your development and testing purposes. The Sandbox provides a mirror image of the production environment, with test data only.
Select the Integration Method(s)
Decide on either or both integration methods with RapidSOS. Select the integration methods to best fit your needs.
Note: These two integration methods are not mutually exclusive, and both can be used.
Integrated RapidSOS Portal - If you intend on using Integrated RapidSOS Portal, review the Authentication Token API (iRP) "How to" documentation that allows users to request a sign-in token, as well as the open API specification found here. This token can be used to provide sustained login for RapidSOS portal.
Important: Web scraping should not be used. RapidSOS Portal is a product (or dynamic website) geared to a seamless user experience and interface, it can change at any time. Web scraping of any sort leaves your program susceptible to a break in the event of a RapidSOS Portal update.
API Integration - If you are planning to use an API Integration to provide location and additional data from the RapidSOS Portal to your customers (which allows for the information to be accessible in the agency's existing workflow), review the APIs that you intend on using, the development process, and the Auth. & Credentials documentation.
Additionally, if you are interested in additional data, all data sources (except Apple Emergency Profile) are available in RAD-E (RapidSOS Additional Data Enhanced) API. If you are interested in Apple profile data, you will need to implement the Integrated RapidSOS Portal (iRP) v.2.0 API solution.
The Integrated RapidSOS Portal v.2.0 iRP v.2.0 API Additional Data can be used to significantly reduce the UX/UI design effort. However, the data is only available temporarily. If you are interested in long-term record storage of the additional emergency data for the 911 event, we recommend also ingesting the data via the RAD-E (RapidSOS Additional Data Enhanced) API.
Leveraging the Login Token API
- RapidSOS provides an API that allows the user to request a sign-in token. This token be used to provide sustained login for RapidSOS Portal.
- The API accepts a RapidSOS Portal username and password and will return a token which can be appended to the end of standard RapidSOS Portal URL.
- This token will persist for 1 hour and it will need to be requested again past that point. Users would be managed via the RapidSOS Portal admin panel.
The URL would be formatted as:
https://sandbox.rapidsosportal.com/query-interface?caller_id=1555555555…{TOKEN}
Where {TOKEN} refers to the token from the response of the token API.
Example
With the configuration correctly written, the following steps would instantly take place for a 911 call coming from 1 (575) 555-4141:
- Software (e.g., CPE/CAD) on the Telecommunicator’s system exports 15755554141 in a format that can be passed to a standalone web browser.
- A new web browser tab opens.
The following URL loads in the web browser tab:
https://rapidsosportal.com/query-interface?caller_id=15755554141
When the URL loads in the web browser, the Telecommunicator can see accurate location data for that phone number.
Additional information can be found on the How to Use the Authentication Token & Integrated RapidSOS Portal (iRP) documentation.
Testing Your Integration
For more information on testing in the sandbox environment please see RapidSOS Partner Tool.
Integration Approval Process
IMPORTANT: Credential management is handled within the administrative module of RapidSOS Portal. This requires that all customers manage their own credentials through this portal. For more information on Credential management please see the Credentials and Keys section.
Upon completion of your integration, follow the steps below for approval before b/auth-credentialseta.
If you have any questions, please contact: PartnerEnablement@rapidsos.com
- Fill out the Partner Integration Approval Form (New as of 01/01/2020)
- Screen recording (video) of your integration and/or screenshots are required, and can be submitted when filling out the Partner Integration Approval Form. (Video preferred so the RapidSOS team can see the integration in action.)
- Once approved, the solution will be added to the integration signup form.
- Ask your beta ECC to complete the Integrations Signup process so credentialing can begin.
- If the planned beta site does not have an existing integration and has not yet signed up for RapidSOS Portal, it is highly encourage that they do so as early as possible. Signing up for RapidSOS Portal will begin the geofence approval process. All credentials are managed via RapidSOS Portal Administration Module (as of Q1 2020), therefore all agencies will be required to have a RapidSOS Portal account for administrative purposes.
The geofence approval process performed by our upstream data partners, generally takes 2 to 4 weeks to be completed. However, this timeframe can occasionally be extended beyond that due to holidays or other extenuating circumstances.
Note: When adding new functionality to an existing approved integration, please resubmit the Partner Integration Approval Form, and send in updated Training Center video content.
Agency Signup
Once an Integrated RapidSOS Portal solution is approved and the partners landing page has been updated. Agencies can start submitting requests for credentials.
Integrated RapidSOS Portal signups require two main components:
- Identification of the integration partner and obtaining the correct RapidSOS Portal credentials
Note: This will ensure proper back-end setup, and is accomplished by signing up for credentials through the proper Integrated RapidSOS Portal landing page. - Separate user accounts for each user.
Note: These user accounts will need to be set up by the agency's admin after the RapidSOS Portal agency account has been set up and credentials have been issued.
Additional Integration Reference Information
For additional reference information on the general integration step process, refer to our FAQ Knowledge Base information for further details.