The California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) has been named a 2025 AWS Champions Award winner for its visionary modernization of statewide emergency medical services infrastructure. By adopting the Amorphic Data Cloud on AWS, EMSA has unified fragmented legacy systems, reduced technical debt, and empowered data-driven emergency response.

This strategic digital transformation effort replaced aging and siloed systems with a modern, cloud-native foundation, positioning EMSA as a national leader in public sector innovation and emergency health data management.

Project Overview
EMSA’s modernization journey began with a bold vision: establish a scalable, secure, and centralized data platform that would enhance the efficiency, responsiveness, and transparency of California’s emergency medical services.

Key milestones in the initiative include:

• Migrating the California Emergency Medical Services Information System (CEMSIS) to AWS, eliminating vendor lock-in and enabling the creation of a true single source of truth for statewide EMS data. 
• Modernizing the central registry, providing near-real-time tracking and visibility of more than 170,000 EMS professionals. 
• Developing an advanced analytics layer for National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) data, unlocking real-time health surveillance and performance insights. 
• Replacing outdated Microsoft Access databases with a secure, public-facing web portal, increasing data transparency and eliminating significant security risks. 

Through these efforts, EMSA has constructed a flexible, cloud-first platform that supports not only regulatory oversight, but also agile response during public health crises and long-term policy planning.

Challenges Addressed: From Fragmentation to Real-Time Readiness
Before modernizing, EMSA faced several critical challenges:

• Data fragmentation and vendor lock-in: The legacy CEMSIS database was managed externally, restricting scalability, slowing development, and preventing comprehensive state-level analytics. 
• Security vulnerabilities: Time-sensitive workflows, including personnel certification and public data requests, relied on outdated Microsoft Access databases with limited audit trails and significant exposure to data risk. 
• Inability to scale: The infrastructure could not handle the growing volume of incoming NEMSIS data, limiting California’s ability to conduct meaningful clinical analysis or track emergent health threats. 
• Manual processes: Essential reporting and verification tasks took days or weeks to complete, slowing response times and limiting transparency for stakeholders. 

These limitations not only impacted EMSA’s operational capacity but also posed risks to California’s emergency response readiness at scale.

Outcomes and Business Impact: A Platform Built for the Future
The AWS-powered modernization has yielded exceptional results:

• Massive query performance gains: Health surveillance queries that previously took hours now execute in minutes, enabling real-time analytics during emergencies and public health events — a 90%+ improvement in data processing efficiency. 
• Data democratization and transparency: A new public AWS web portal empowers researchers, local agencies, and policymakers with secure, self-service access to statewide EMS data. 
• Workforce visibility in real time: The modern Central Registry now offers up-to-the-minute insights into EMS personnel status across the state. 
• Fiscal efficiency: The platform is projected to generate $35 million in cost savings over five years by eliminating third-party licensing fees and reducing internal data management overhead. 

This effort not only strengthened EMSA’s operational resilience but also delivered an outstanding return on investment — improving transparency, compliance, and strategic decision-making across California’s emergency medical services network.

A Model for Modern, Responsive Government
The California Emergency Medical Services Authority has redefined what’s possible for public safety and health systems in the cloud era. With the implementation of the Amorphic Data Cloud on AWS, EMSA has a resilient, data-centric platform that supports statewide coordination, faster emergency response, and evidence-based policy making.