Introduction
In recent years, there has been a surge in interest in a location-based technology among organizations and agencies that would previously have considered these tools to be beyond their means. The emergence of low-cost and Web-based mapping applications and the ubiquitous availability of worldwide satellite-enabled navigation have instilled a spatial mindset within a broad cross-section of the population. Software offerings such as DeLorme’s XMap and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers like the rugged Earthmate PN-40 are bringing this technology firmly down to earth.
The utilization of geographic intelligence has been particularly evident in the field of emergency management and response, where GPS technology has long played a critical role and where Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are now coming to the fore. Response agencies at the national, regional, and local levels are learning that the efficient management of data plays a critical role in all aspects of emergency management from mitigation to recovery.
Unlike many other situations where the benefits of GIS are measured in terms of increased efficiency, higher productivity, and, ultimately, dollars and cents, the benefit of this technology for emergency managers is that it saves lives. No matter what the situation—whether it is a major natural disaster, such as a hurricane or flood, or a local search and rescue operation, GIS can play a key role.
GIS Defined
While many GIS specialists might offer a more complex definition of their chosen field, the basic tenet of GIS is fairly straightforward. A GIS is a system for managing data in its locational context. Typically a GIS is a computer-based system for gathering, storing, organizing, and distributing location-based information.
Why GIS?
A well-organized GIS provides an invaluable tool for collecting data form a variety of sources, organizing it into a usable format, and efficiently redeploying the data to those who need it most. In the field of emergency management, a GIS can reduce response time, eliminate redundancy, streamline the allocation of personnel and resources, and provide crucial information for planning future operations. Additionally, the common file formats in which GIS data is usually stored offer an easy means to share maps and data with other responding agencies.
Integrating GIS and GPS
It is frequently assumed that GIS and GPS are inherently connected; however, the interoperability of these two technologies is often a difficult process requiring the conversion of files to allow the exchange of data from one platform to the other. Few GPS receivers offer the option of viewing GIS layers or aerial imagery, a feature that serves to extend the reach of the GIS infrastructure to remote locations. It was with this in mind that DeLorme developed the Earthmate PN-40, a GPS receiver that offers a unique set of capabilities.
Foremost is its ability to display map data from a wide variety of sources, including aerial imagery, USGS maps, NOAA charts, GIS layers, and more. Additionally, this waterproof device can be used to collect data in the form of waypoints and tracks, both of which can be easily integrated into an XMap GIS.
GIS for Emergency Management
Often the development of a GIS is approached as three-phase effort: data collection, data processing, and data sharing. For emergency managers, much of the data collection and processing can be performed as part of the preparation work. A broad range of relevant data can be imported or created to reflect what might typically be required in an emergency within the jurisdiction of the responding agency.
However, when an emergency strikes, the GIS infrastructure needs to be flexible enough to work in the field and to incorporate all of the additional data that will be collected as part of the emergency operation. In such a dynamic and challenging setting, the system must be easy to manage and the data must be accessible to those with limited knowledge of GIS. An overly complex GIS requiring a specialist to run it may become an unwelcome bottleneck when the need for data and maps becomes critical.
Typically, GIS software is designed for office use; however, DeLorme’s XMap, which has been developed on the platform of the company’s award-winning navigational software and includes route planning and GPS interoperability as standard features, has helped redefine GIS. XMap is equally at home in the office, in the vehicle, in the field, or wherever emergency operations are managed.
GIS and GPS for Search and Rescue Operations
When a hiker fails to show up at a designated rendezvous spot or a child goes missing after wandering away from a campsite, the local emergency response agency quickly steps up to the plate, often assisted by other organizations and willing volunteers. From the outset, a high degree of organization is essential.
Many will be unfamiliar with the area so there is the risk of escalating the crisis with those who are searching becoming lost themselves. Others, eager to assist, may take it upon themselves to initiate a search without any collaboration with those in command and without access to potentially critical directions.
A GIS will allow the emergency manager to identify and record any currently available information: Where was the subject last seen? Which direction was he heading? What is the terrain, land cover, and natural vegetation in the proposed search area? Where are the best access points? With all of this information at hand, a strategy can be developed and a plan initiated.
A useful component of the GIS for both assigning response teams and keeping track of areas covered is a grid superimposed on the search area. By way of preparation, a custom floating grid can be created in XMap and dragged to target area. For those responders who do not have access to a GPS device, a map displaying this grid along with all of the other pertinent information can be printed. Users of DeLorme’s PN-40 GPS receiver can have the same map sent directly to the device so as they proceed on their designated search path, they can see where they are in relation to the grid.
Upon returning to the command center, the track recorded by each GPS device is imported into XMap and overlaid on the grid to determine which areas have not yet been covered in the search. The GIS tools in XMap allow each track to be buffered, creating a wider swath on the map so a more realistic perspective of the actual area that was searched can be ascertained. XMap’s spatial querying and symbolization capabilities are then used to create an updated map that is then redeployed to each PN-40.
Classification, or color-coding, of the tracks is used to map the area searched by each team. For example, the track files that were recorded and downloaded from the GPS receiver used by the canine unit could be represented by a unique color, allowing the emergency manager to see where this particular team should be assigned next.
The collection of point-specific data is also important in the search and rescue effort. Tagging a location where evidence has been found is a simple process using the PN-40. A button on the device is used to create a labeled waypoint to which detailed comments can be added. As with tracks, this point data is easily integrated into a GIS layer, allowing all of the information to be centrally managed and, if necessary, updated and redeployed.
When a photographic record is also appropriate, XMap includes a tool for automatically assigning a series of downloaded digital photographs to the precise point on the map at which they were taken. This geo-referenced photo can be displayed as a thumbnail image on the map or as a hyperlink that opens the full size photograph.
For emergency managers, the application of GIS does not end with the completion of the search operation. All of the data that has been collected during the rescue effort can be reviewed and analyzed to help plan and prepare for future events. It can also be used to create simulations for the purpose of training other responding agencies.
Conclusion
A GIS is a tool that manages information to enable better decision-making, and nowhere is the decision-making process more import than in emergency management and response. Among the critical considerations when deciding the apply spatial technology for emergency management and response are the flexibility and suitability of the system for field applications; the accessibility of the technology for non-GIS users; the interoperability with other applications and data sources; and the ability to efficiently share data with handheld GPS receivers.
XMap GIS software and accompanying Earthmate PN-40 GPS receiver from DeLorme meet all of these requirements and collectively provide a perfect mapping and GPS platform for all emergency operations.
