Ep. 7 Part 2: The Technical Gauntlet of 911: An Inside Look at the PSAP with Ty Wooten

Ep. 7 Part 2: The Technical Gauntlet of 911: An Inside Look at the PSAP with Ty Wooten

"The fact that Uber and Domino's can literally know where you're standing to pick you up on the corner, and the fact that we don't still have that level of accuracy in location natively in 911, is probably the most frustrating part ..." What actually happens after you dial 911 and press the green button? In part two of our deep dive with emergency communications expert Ty Wooten, ENP, we pull back the curtain on the hidden, high-stakes choreography inside the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). Far from a clean, single-screen interface, a 911 dispatcher operates inside a high-intensity "technical gauntlet." Ty walks us through the rapid-fire sequence of call classification, the mental heavy lifting of "switchtasking" across 15+ standalone applications and the modern paradox of 911 technology — where food delivery apps can pinpoint your location better than a legacy emergency network. We also look ahead at the ongoing challenge of the internet of things and wearable data, and how AI might just be the game-changer dispatchers need to clear the noise and focus on what matters most. Let's geek out. Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishi/] Follow Motorola Solutions on social LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutions [https://www.linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutions/] X: x.com/MotoSolutions [https://x.com/MotoSolutions] Instagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutions [https://www.instagram.com/motorolasolutions/] Facebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutions [https://www.facebook.com/MotorolaSolutions] YouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutions [https://www.youtube.com/MotorolaSolutions] Never miss an episode by subscribing [https://motsol.ink/maheshthegeek]. Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

Ep. 7 Part 1: The Frontline Specialist and the Science of Response with Ty Wooten

"When someone calls 911, they don't care that you work for an agency that only dispatches for police or fire. They expect that someone there knows exactly what they're supposed to know and how to handle that situation... Most people will only call 911 two or three times in their lifetime. It's one of the most difficult days of their lives, and you have to have the answers."  In this first part of a four-part series, Ty Wooten, Director of Government Affairs at the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, joins Mahesh to discuss the complex, high-pressure world of 911 emergency communications. Moving away from the common misconception that 911 is just "answering the phone," Ty explains how a 911 professional must be a "master of all trades" — a subject matter expert in medical, fire and police — and how the use of structured protocols allows telecommunicators to focus on emotional cues while the system handles the logic. The conversation explores why standardized training and protocol adoption are critical for addressing the urgent industry challenges in staffing, funding, classification and professional recognition.  Let's geek out. Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishi/] Follow Motorola Solutions on social LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutions [https://www.linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutions/] X: x.com/MotoSolutions [https://x.com/MotoSolutions] Instagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutions [https://www.instagram.com/motorolasolutions/] Facebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutions [https://www.facebook.com/MotorolaSolutions] YouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutions [https://www.youtube.com/MotorolaSolutions] Never miss an episode by subscribing [https://motsol.ink/maheshthegeek]. Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

Ep. 6 Part 4: Trust, Transparency and the Human–AI Partnership with Dr. Harriet Rowthorn

In the final installment of our series, cognitive psychologist Dr. Harriet Rowthorn joins Mahesh to tackle one of the most complex hurdles in artificial intelligence: building and calibrating human trust. We explore why common transparency tools, like confidence scores, often fail to improve human judgment and how trust is built through repeated, personalized interaction over time. Dr. Rowthorn delves into the "black box" of AI, the ethical necessity for transparency and why designing systems that reward quality and scrutiny over mere speed is critical — especially in high-stakes environments like public safety.  Let's geek out. Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishi/] Follow Motorola Solutions on social LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutions [https://www.linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutions/] X: x.com/MotoSolutions [https://x.com/MotoSolutions] Instagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutions [https://www.instagram.com/motorolasolutions/] Facebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutions [https://www.facebook.com/MotorolaSolutions] YouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutions [https://www.youtube.com/MotorolaSolutions] Never miss an episode by subscribing [https://motsol.ink/maheshthegeek]. Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

Ep. 6 Part 3: Mind Replacing vs. Mind Extending — AI, Learning and Human Capability with Dr. Harriet Rowthorn

In the third part of our series, cognitive psychologist Dr. Harriet Rowthorn joins Mahesh to explore the profound impact of AI on human learning and cognitive development. We dive into the critical distinction between using AI as a "mind replacement" — outsourcing critical thinking and planning — and using it as a "mind extender" that enhances our ability to personalize learning and ask better questions. Dr. Rowthorn shares her personal experience with AI as a mentor-like guide and explains why designing "friction" into AI software might be the key to building better mental models and ensuring humans remain the central drivers of the thinking process.  Let's geek out. Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishi/] Follow Motorola Solutions on social LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutions [https://www.linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutions/] X: x.com/MotoSolutions [https://x.com/MotoSolutions] Instagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutions [https://www.instagram.com/motorolasolutions/] Facebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutions [https://www.facebook.com/MotorolaSolutions] YouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutions [https://www.youtube.com/MotorolaSolutions] Never miss an episode by subscribing [https://motsol.ink/maheshthegeek]. Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

Ep. 6 Part 2: Designing Human–AI Interaction by Understanding Human Memory with Dr. Harriet Rowthorn

In the second part of our series, cognitive psychologist Dr. Harriet Rowthorn returns to move from the foundations of memory into a more specific set of questions: what happens when AI enters the loop of human recall? We explore why AI can be so dangerous when memory is already fragile — examining how plausible errors, confidence and "processing fluency" can make inaccurate information feel trustworthy — and why this is such a sticky problem. We also look at the other side of the equation: whether AI might be designed not to replace human recall, but to support it more carefully — less as an answer machine and more as a tool that helps people surface, test and articulate what they actually remember.  Let's geek out. Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishi/] Follow Motorola Solutions on social LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutions [https://www.linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutions/] X: x.com/MotoSolutions [https://x.com/MotoSolutions] Instagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutions [https://www.instagram.com/motorolasolutions/] Facebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutions [https://www.facebook.com/MotorolaSolutions] YouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutions [https://www.youtube.com/MotorolaSolutions] Never miss an episode by subscribing [https://motsol.ink/maheshthegeek]. Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!