EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: MAPPING & GIS

When an emergency event occurs - a well-designed and maintained Geographic Information System (GIS) and current mapping database allows Emergency Management Services (EMS) to be organized, practiced, and prepared. FEMA has provided a basic four phase framework that can help illustrate GIS and mapping applications in relation to Emergency Management Services (EMS): Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.

Mitigation:

Nothing beats avoiding emergencies before they start, and a solid GIS solution and mapping data can help mitigate emergency situations before they arise.  As a baseline, having a clear picture of current conditions is very useful.  This can include acquiring updated aerial imagery and LiDAR scanning to establish an accurate visual assessment of a response area including new development, infrastructure and changing environmental conditions. And, yes, if you're beginning to see a pattern on this website that everything begins with a solid aerial base map, that's because it's true.  Needless to say, other geospatial tools are also available to assess specific emerging hazards. This can include developing updated hydro-enforced terrain models for drainage and flood planning, aerial color-infrared imaging analyzing vegetation for wildfire mitigation or thermal mapping of utility networks to identify utlity leaks and eletrical issues. From a long-term perspective, GIS can also assist in the planning process for new construction, so that high-risk areas (vulnerable to flooding or wildfires, etc..) can be avoided.  From this, pro-active mitigation practices through zoning, easements, and 'buy outs' can address potentially dangerous and costly situations.  Overall, through maintaining current geospatial information, historical data, and the systematic monitoring of trouble sites, can actively assist to identify and address potential risks.

Preparedness:

However, even with all the mitigation practices in the world, emergencies will still arise. So being properly prepared is a critical aspect of any EMS program. Once again, a GIS solution serves as a great resource with its ability to track and position EMS assets efficiently as well as helping to develop strategies for emergency response. GIS is excellent at answering 'where' things are location and their status - this can include an active inventory of 'hard' resources such as hydrants, facilities, dispatch routes, and other grounded infrastructure or 'soft' resources such as supplies, transports, and emergency teams. Moreover, GIS solutions can actively track the movement of 'soft' resources in order to have a real-time positional inventory.  In addition, real-time information inputs can also include environmental variables such as weather conditions, providing insight as to the direction of a wildfire or progress of storm precipitation rates as an indicator of potential flooding. 

Preparedness (Event Simulation):

Accurate and real-time information is an invaluable resource for preparedness, but GIS is also good at 'faking' things (aka simulation) which can be handy at answering 'what if...?' - running emergency scenarios before they happen.  This can answer critical questions that may indicate whether an EMS program is actually prepared to support a variety of emergency events, assisting in the preparedness planning process.  This can include every source of geospatial data available from demographic, population, land-use, floodplains, evacuation routes and even historical response data. This presents an opportunity run models for the standard daily response cycles to the most epic disasters - no one gets hurt and, even better, lives may be saved in the long run. 

Response:

When the call comes in and the tires hit the ground, a well- supported GIS program offers a powerful response and command tool for real-time awareness of resource positions, availability, deployment routing, and a clear integrated baseline for communication and decision-making.  In route to an emergency, field units can access valuable site information including hydrate locations, detailed building plans along with any real-time information and conditions streamed directly from a GIS solution.  When minutes count, this opportunity for building situational awareness and team planning during transit time can provide critical advantages during an emergency response.  Once on site, real-time updates on resources and conditions can be communicated back to the command center by the emergency field team using the same detailed site and building maps through the GIS solution, allowing for clear picture for remote command to make informed support decisions. While this information is being synthesized, the GIS solution can provide an organized environment for acquiring real-time information and effective visualizatio of an evolving operational picture during the response process, creating an accessible and actionable environment.

Recovery:

Based on the same foundations, Recovery practices can benefit significantly from an established GIS solution.  Leveraging the solid backbone of geospatial information developed through the Mitigation and Preparedness phases, along with detailed and localized information acquired during the Response process, a Recovery phase can effectively take toll of an emergency event's impact on the service area and manage corrective steps using a GIS framework. This can involve field teams documenting damaged public infrastructure and strategically scheduling work crew deployments.  It can also involve utilizing aerial mapping systems to capture updated views for large-scale damage assessments or even field technicians using UAV systems to document localized areas.  Utilizing a solid GIS solution can improve awareness and communication during a post-event recovery cycle, which help improve decision-making and recovery times. Moreover, geospatial information collected during this phase, can be incorporated back into Mitigation and Preparedness implementations, creating an even more empowered EMS program.

Here to Help:

Emergency situations have a broad spectrum, from large-scale disasters to a car accident. However, regardless of scale, EMS programs can benefit from GIS and accurate mapping datasets. Access Geographic appreciates the responsibility for providing quality geospatial information and GIS services that help emergency service providers step up to meet the diverse challenges placed before them on a daily basis. Please don't hesitate to pass along questions or let us know how we can help your EMS program.