Granted, this should have gone out last week but this message wont go stale.
Always the third Wednesday in November. This year it was November 19. What!? Haven't heard of it? Well, let me tell you... better yet, let them say it:
"GIS Day provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems (GIS) technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in our society. More than 80 countries will participate in holding local events such as corporate open houses, hands-on workshops, community expos, school assemblies, and more."
This quote comes from the GIS Day website. It says so much, but also so little therefore let me elaborate.
I'm lucky. My city is lucky. We have a very robust GIS capability, staffed with personnel who are actively engaged in many, if not most, divisions and departments across the city. I'm lucky because they think emergency management is interesting and something worth dedicating dear resources to.
To me, GIS is invaluable for plume and spill modelling, flood prediction, evacuation planning and infrastructure mapping (among many applications). It is my dream to have all elements of society, industry, resources, infrastructure, weather, etc. within our GIS datasets for developing response parameters and, more importantly, developing better response plans, highlighting vulnerabilities and analyzing interdependencies.
Our GIS staff is one of the first operational functions to be called out during an EOC activation and one of the first tools I think of when developing planning projects. They will become more invaluable as infrastructure issues gain more of the spotlight.
Here are some examples of GIS at work in response and protection:
On Emergency Management: www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/emermgmt.pdf
On Critical Infrastructure Protection: www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/ncrst/research/cip/CIPAgenda.pdf
On Building Municipal Resilience: www.usehazus.com/vahug/docs/hampton_roads_va.pdf
And these, from one of Hamilton's GIS experts (found on Geoplace.com):
- Checklist 911: A Critical GIS Checklist Readies Public-Safety Officials
- Deployable GIS: At the Ready for First Responders
So thank your local GIS staffers (or go and introduce yourself) and have a Happy GIS Day!
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