What are some successful examples of GIS integration with emergency response systems?

1 Disaster Risk Reduction

One of the main applications of GIS in emergency response is disaster risk reduction, or DRR, which involves identifying, assessing, and reducing the potential impacts of natural and human-induced hazards. GIS can help DRR by providing accurate and timely information on hazard exposure, vulnerability, and capacity, as well as by facilitating scenario planning, risk mapping, early warning, and mitigation strategies. For example, GIS was used to create a multi-hazard risk assessment framework for the city of Quito, Ecuador, which helped prioritize interventions and allocate resources for disaster preparedness and response. GIS was also used to develop a flood risk management system for the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, which integrated hydrological, hydraulic, and socio-economic data to simulate flood scenarios and evaluate the effectiveness of different measures.

2 Emergency Operations

Another important application of GIS in emergency response is emergency operations, or EOC, which involves coordinating and managing the actions and resources of different agencies and stakeholders during a crisis. GIS can help EOC by enabling real-time data collection, visualization, and sharing, as well as by supporting situational awareness, incident command, resource allocation, and response evaluation. For example, GIS was used to establish a common operational picture for the response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which allowed the integration of data from multiple sources, such as aerial imagery, damage assessment, humanitarian needs, and logistics. GIS was also used to enhance the response to the 2017 wildfires in California, which involved creating interactive maps and dashboards that displayed the fire perimeter, evacuation zones, shelters, road closures, and critical infrastructure.

3 Community Engagement

A third application of GIS in emergency response is community engagement, or CE, which involves involving and empowering the local people and organizations in the planning and implementation of disaster risk reduction and emergency operations. GIS can help CE by providing accessible and user-friendly platforms and tools that enable data collection, mapping, analysis, and communication by the community members themselves. For example, GIS was used to facilitate community-based mapping and planning for disaster resilience in Indonesia, which involved training and equipping local volunteers to collect and update spatial data on hazards, vulnerabilities, and capacities using smartphones and web-based applications. GIS was also used to support community-led recovery and reconstruction after the 2015 Nepal earthquake, which involved creating participatory maps and surveys that captured the needs, preferences, and feedback of the affected population.