Presentation(s)

1. Crisis Management and GIS at the Local Level [download]

   My GIS Manager, Michael Hughes, and I will speak about the challenges we faced during the recent outbreak of tornadoes and how we used GIS technology to assist in emergency response as well as the ensuing clean-up operations. We hope to provide some insight on how a small rural county, like Franklin County, can build a robust GIS along with a plan to apply the technology in a meaningful way. Local support, coordination and cooperation are essential to the success of local governments in any endeavor. The formation of a GIS consortium through a memorandum of understanding has been key to the success we have enjoyed thus far.

   Our local Consortium consists of 14 agencies that own and maintain various assets in Franklin County. Sharing data and sharing costs allowed us to build a very robust GIS that would have otherwise been impossible. Ironically, one of the driving forces behind the formation of our local consortium was how GIS could help us in the event of a disaster. Little did we know, at the time, that in just three short years Franklin County would be hit with the deadliest tornado in her history. Our GIS capability and its application proved invaluable in managing this crisis. We were not only able to help the citizens of Franklin County but also our neighboring counties Marion, Winston and Lawrence all of which had good data but no means to use it. We are now in the process of forming a regional GIS consortium with Lawrence and Marion Counties. We learned many lessons during this crisis. One very important lesson is that while local cooperation is essential, there is an even greater need for support, coordination and coopertation statewide. In the wake of the worst disaster in our state's history, many leaders now realize the importance of GIS and the need for cooperation. Hopefully we can use this momentum to build on the progress that has already been made and to make our state the best in the nation.

   Presenters

   David Palmer

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2. Tuscaloosa GIS and the April 27th Tornado [download]

   The city of Tuscaloosa suffered the states’ worst natural disaster on April 27th, 2011 when an EF4 tornado touched down and devastated more than 6 miles of heavily populated residential and commercial areas. GIS technology proved to be a vital tool in preparing for and responding to this catastophe. Not only did GIS aid assessment of storm damage, Search and Rescue teams used spatial technology to locate missing storm victims. Relief efforts and volunteer resources also were coordinated with GIS technology. I feel this presentation would best be served in the application session of the conference. The most useful component of GIS in relation to this storm was the assessment application provided by Keith Cooke of Esri, Inc. and Karyn Tareen of GeoCove, Inc. called ARM360. This solution categorized the degree of damage to each structure in the storms path and calculated approximate value. This provided a baseline for reimbursement goals and gave city leaders a scope of disaster when speaking on the storm. The state of the city’s GIS data at the time of the storm was not organized well enough for a seamless integration of the ARM360 system. My presentation will focus on lessons we learned and steps other municipalities can take to be better prepared for an emergency in their jurisdiction.
    

   Presenters

   Jeff Motz

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3. GIS Coordination Among State, Local, & Federal Entities During DR-1971-AL [download]

   On April 27, 2011 Alabama was struck by 62 now confirmed individual tornados, 11 of which were EF Category 4 and 5. The state GIS professionals pulled together in loose formation as local and regional emergency coordinators began to respond to each unique situation. In some cases entire towns were heavily impacted by the storms, many municipality and highly-populated places were destroyed.  For more than two weeks, numerous individuals coordinated through the Alabama EMA GIS branch to support statewide GIS activity and to facilitate data sharing and information exchange on a broad scale. With so many individual response points it was difficult to maintain consistent communication.  The team assembled simple measures to coordinate and develop best practices that sustained throughout the event. FEMA and Alabama EMA worked together with the volunteer GIS professionals to provide timely and highly effective GIS support. The ISD Geospatial Office assisted the response effort through providing enterprise services and facilitated additional State coordination efforts. Without the coordination of these volunteer GIS personnel, the GIS products created during the response and recovery phases of this disaster would have been neither as numerous nor as timely. It was this collaborative effort that enabled AEMA’s GIS staff to focus on the immediate mapping needs at the SEOC while utilizing available resources within the geospatial community.

   Presenters

   Melissa Mayo

   Mike Vanhook

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4. Putting It All Together, GIS Support for Alabama Power Transmission Storm Restoration [download]

   Much like Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the April 2011 tornado outbreak changed the manner in which we support restoration activities using GIS resources. In the past GIS support teams were focused upon providing navigation resources for crews and engineers. While those services were once again utilized during the April storms, additional opportunities arose to demonstrate advances in information interoperability, business intelligence and temporal modeling when our management team needed it most. This presentation will focus upon challenges and lessons learned during the storms and subsequent restoration process; as well as next steps to improve storm restoration management activities.
    

   Presenters

   Remi Myers

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5. Implementation of ArcGIS Geoprocessing Models To Understand and Delineate Areas Damaged By The Tornadoes Of Spring 2011 [download]

   The spring 2011 tornadoes of Alabama were recorded in more than half its counties. The ArcGIS geoprocessing models implemented by the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) were very effective in classifying areas of tornado damage. The model was used to classify forested versus non-forested parcels, parcels with varying Wildfire Susceptibility Indices, and segregating parcels into urban and rural classes. The ArcGIS geoprocessing models provided quick analyses of the damaged areas. The AFC effectively coordinated with the States’ GIS Taskforce to share knowledge of the tornado damage and eliminate redundancy in analysis processes. The AFC collected GPS Exchange Format (GPX) files on the tornado paths that were converted to feature classes for GIS analysis to meet agency objectives and distributed to the State’s GIS Task Force. The results of the analysis were used by Alabama’s Congressional Delegation to document a supplemental funding request for the USDA – Farm Services Agency Emergency Forest Restoration Program. Results are also being used by the AFC, Alabama Forestry Recovery Task Force, Alabama Cooperative Extension Service and others to manage recovery of the forest resources.
    

   Presenters

   Abi Dhakal

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