The role of GIS in disaster response

Disasters come in many forms, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires, tornadoes and even the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A GIS is a very important part of the disaster recovery process and even disaster prevention. Communities expect a rapid response from all levels of government in the event of a disaster and this is made possible through a GIS. Although nature cannot be manipulated, a map can be quickly updated, pending the availability of data, to represent the areas and utilities affected by a disaster. As the affected location is determined, a GIS can quickly show transportation routes for emergency crews and supplies. It can help determine locations of base stations and staging areas. A GIS can aid in restoring utilities such as water, electricity and gas. Many forms of data can be layered and merged to create an easily understood method of communicating with first responders and volunteers. Raster and vector layers can be merged with digital elevation models to help determine accessibility to certain areas and also determine areas prone to some disasters such as floods and fires. Geographic information systems are also being used in regards to the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Oil making it the the shoreline can be quickly updated on maps along with any wildlife that is susceptible to the oil slick or already affected by it. Maps layered with wind pattern and tide data can help create models that predict the path of oil which can than aid in the placement of booms and determine the closing of certain passes.