Participation Response

In Confronting Catastrophe (2002) R.W. Greene mentions five major stages of disasters in which GIS is used: Planning, Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. In the first stage, Identifying and Planning, GIS is used to find out which areas in a particular location are more vulnerable that others when it comes to a disaster such as an earthquake, fire, or hurricane.

For the Mitigation phase, GIS can be used to help lessen the damage that might be caused by disasters that have not yet occurred. This is done by using modeling and incorporating local information into the GIS to see what particular changes would benefit a certain area.

GIS is used in the preparedness portion of a disaster to help plan for what may happen should disaster strike. These preparations could include anything from planning the best evacuation routes, to encouraging different agencies to share data that could be critical in an emergency. Another part of this stage is being sure data sets are complete and up to date. Training plays a role in the preparedness phase to ensure that the right people know what they need to do if a disasters strikes. By working with different agencies, people will know what products they will need to create or distribute after the event occurs.

During the response phase, GIS play a major role. They can be used to quickly provide maps to first responders, and responders that are not familiar with the area by creating products that rely on landmarks and buildings instead of road names and numbers. GIS is also used to pinpoint areas for first responders to allocate their resources. In the example of earthquakes, data can be used to see which areas would me more likely to suffer greater damage. Another example given was using demographic information to indicate which areas would benefit most from interpreters.

GIS in the recovery stage can be used for many things, especially when it comes to the allocation of resources and money. GIS can use information to create an impartial assessment of which areas require what type of resources. GIS has also been used to verify which areas received what amounts of money, ensuring that the monetary response was consistent with the damage response, not drawn along political or demographic boundaries.

In the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, GIS has been used to map the area of the spill and is also being used to determine where to allocate resources such as booming operations along the coast. It is being used to predict what areas of the coast are likely to be impacted next, and how long it will be until oil reaches the shore in particular areas. It is being used to see how the spill is affecting wildlife, and what wildlife will be affected in the future. Since the spill covers such a massive area, GIS could be used to find the best places to locate responders (from beach cleanup to wildlife responders.) The information form this spill can be used to predict what could happen if another spill occurred in the same, or a different area, and how best to respond should it ever happen. As the cleanup continues, GIS can be used to assure that the response was effectively and fairly provided across the region. Money can be mapped to be sure it was provided along lines relative to the disaster, not politically motivated lines.