Geographic Information System and Disaster

Response

1.1 Situational Awareness

Disaster and emergency management in situational awareness is an essential thing. GIS
techniques play a vital role to provide locational information of the event, that is, where does the
event happens and what happening exactly in real-time. Also, by linking people, processes
spatial information situational awareness established. GIS map interfaces important in handling
emergency conditions.

1.2 Maps and Emergency Operation Center

Leading global software company Esri refers GIS technology as “the intelligent nervous
system.” As a kind of modern mapping approach that takes into account ever-changing inputs in
a particular area, GIS technology can be used to respond to emergencies by compiling area-
specific and population-derived data. Examples of using GIS in emergency management and
response include the following:

 Hazard mapping for flood plains and fault lines, fire hazards and more.
 Identifying, following and analyzing the potential destruction of hurricanes and other
storms as they move through the ocean and onto land.
 Using remote sensing to gauge initial destruction to infrastructure in the case of an
earthquake or terrorist attack.
 Tracking the location and supply levels of support and rescue teams following an
emergency event.
 Creating computer-generated maps of infrastructure including pipes, sewers, power lines,
neighborhoods and other aspects of an area so the map can be referenced in preparedness,
emergency and recovery efforts.
 Designing databases for populations, businesses, structures, schools and more, which can
be consulted in the case of an emergency.
 Assigning where emergency headquarters (i.e. police, fire, ambulance) should be located
to be able to provide the quickest response time to the highest number of people.
 Identifying potentially vulnerable residents in case of a disaster, in terms of age, income
and other insights.
  Tracking terrorist attacks, sabotage and other threats to national security using geospatial
information technology.
 Using sensors on airplanes or satellites (remote sensing) to record events such as storms
and to integrate that information into a geographic information system.
 Assisting with ongoing updates on damage assessment and needs following an
emergency event or situation, both in the immediate aftermath (tracking emergency
supplies, such as food and water) and longer term (tracking rebuilding of schools, bridges
and neighborhoods).
 Finding current evacuation routes that have been updated as a result of the disaster at
hand.

how spatial analysis can be used in emergency response:

 Mobilizing rescue teams and sending out real-time alerts to a population at risk of being
impacted by a flood, hurricane or fire.
 Modeling for emergency situations, such as tsunamis, hurricanes, chemical incidents, oil
spills and forest fires, and training emergency management teams to prepare for such
incidents.
 Combining multiple sources of information such as aerial maps, census tract data, property
information, fire station and hospital locations, land use, major thoroughfares, critical
infrastructure and reports of downed electrical lines to analyze what’s happening during an
emergency in order to devise a cohesive response plan.
 Determining vulnerable populations following events such as an explosion or chemical
spill. Vulnerability can apply to physical means, social means and economic means.

1.3 GIS and Disaster Warning

GIS and emergency response revolve around planning, analysis and action. These areas can be
improved by spatial analysis, which seeks to analyze patterns of human behavior in a particular
location. When used correctly, spatial analysis can help emergency responders act and prevent
fatalities, injuries and damage in order to help communities return to normalcy as quickly and
safely as possible.

Mitigation
Since most disasters cannot be prevented, most especially those that occur naturally, this phase
of disaster management focuses on the development of activities that eliminate or reduce the
impacts. At this point, geospatial technology helps to predict areas vulnerable to disaster by
understanding and knowing areas where the disasters can happen in order to provide early
mitigation measures (Vijay et al. 2013). Yi et al. (2015) posited that geospatial data are used in
the mapping of environmental condition(s), which influence the development and
communication of pathogens, habitats for vectors and hosts, and human exposures. They further
indicated that geospatial tools provide information on potential disasters through measurement
from parameters which include rainfall, vegetation greenness, soil moisture, and surface water.
Similarly, early warning systems include the monitoring of pre-occurred events, projection of a
probability of occurrence of an event, and the notification of a warning or an alert if catastrophic
events occur (Villagran de Leon and Janos 2006). As a real-time tool for disaster reduction, it
gives prior information to the relevant authorities and the at-risk communities, highlighting the
predicted disaster in the area, level of community vulnerability and likely risk, warning
messages, as well as building and mobilizing the disaster response team (Kafle 2007).

Preparedness
In the case that the disaster cannot be prevented, this stage provides measures that allow for the
emergency planning for disaster occurrence. Geospatial tools help in creating emergency routes
that aid short-distance rescue. Albano and Sole (2018) posited that for the last decades,
geospatial tools have given access to timely data that have been useful to scientists and engineers
in producing an emergency plan for disaster. Krishnamoorthi (2016) indicated that geospatial
tools such as earth observation system (EOS) or remote sensing (RE) and GIS technology-based
tools help in acquiring different data over a short period of time to rapidly detect and monitor
disasters. Similarly, early warning systems can help to reduce casualties and damages by
providing the people who are prone to disaster with timely information ahead of the hazard. It
provides a quick analysis of the information and delivery to the at-risk communities.

Response
This phase of disaster management handles the provision of immediate assistance to the affected
community or people (Verma et al. 2019). Based on the dynamic nature of early warning system
and geospatial tools, they are capable of providing a decision support system (Balogun et al.
2018) that tracks victims and route for the transferring of movable items to safer grounds (Erden
and Coşkun 2010). These infrastructures also aid the mobilization of resources and emergency
response agency. Furthermore, geospatial and early warning systems are incorporated to provide
models that reveal the condition of the event (Erden and Coşkun 2010).

Recovery
This phase of disaster management encompasses the analysis of affected areas for recovery back
to its previous state before the disaster (Verma et al. 2019). Aside from the pre-disaster
vulnerability and susceptibility prediction, geospatial tools and early warning systems are
capable of providing post-disaster relief and rehabilitation planning through the provision of
maps and information that help in providing better resettlement and rehabilitation (Erden and
Coskun 2010). The presence of smart mobile phones with GPS enabled has made it easy for real-
time scenario communication, thereby giving the decision-makers better chance to allocate
resources for the restoration of the affected area (Adam et al. 2012).

Reference
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