911 location updating for an enterprise using VOIP telephones

A voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) system comprising:

• means for generating first information about a first location of a first VOIP telephone, where the first information includes three dimensional geographic coordinates of the first VOIP telephone;
• means for transmitting said first information and information identifying the associated VOIP telephone to a database accessible by the VOIP system;
• means for storing a plurality of records in the database where each record includes a location of a corresponding area of a building where each area is limited to being only on one floor of the building and defined by corresponding three dimensional geographic coordinates, each record containing a text description of the area of the building including the floor of the building containing the area, the first information not containing location information related to the floor of the building;
• means for assigning the first VOIP telephone at the first location to a first record based on the floor of the building on which the first VOIP telephone resides being on the same floor as the area of the first record and the proximity of the first location to the area of the first record;
• means for comparing current location of the first VOIP telephone with locations stored in records in the database;
• means for determining a second record with its corresponding area location closes to the current location of the first VOIP telephone on the same floor as contained in the first record;
• means for linking the identifying information of the VOIP telephone with the second record, so that the text description of the location associated with the first VOIP telephone can be identified and retrieved for use during a 911 call request by the first VOIP telephone from the second record.