Darrin Reilly: 911 for the Mobile Era

During the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech on Apr. 16, 2007, that left 33 dead, some students hiding in classrooms tried to send text messages to 911 operators to relay information without attracting the gunman's attention. The messages never got there, because 911 call centers can't receive texts—or photos, videos, or anything other than phone calls. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski cited the case in a speech last fall about the need to digitize these very analog systems.

Upgrading 911 systems for the digital age requires the coordination of local authorities, telecom companies, and Darrin J. Reilly. He's chief operating officer of Cassidian Communications, which makes software that 911 attendants use to identify callers' locations and dispatch responders. Reilly says about 70 percent of 911 calls in the U.S. go through Cassidian systems; Los Angeles, Houston, and Chicago are some of his bigger customers.