DeLorme is currently assisting the Government of Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the development of a disaster relief mapping service to enable rapid response capabilities in the event of a natural disaster in the Asia Pacific Rim.

DeLorme was approached in January 2010 by the Australian Government’s Defense Imagery and Geospatial Organization (DIGO) to provide precise electronic maps that would serve as a base for overlaying critical information during disaster response operations in the region.

The development of the mapping service is in direct response to events such as the tsunami that struck Indonesia in December 2004, killing over 230,000 people in fourteen countries.

“Systems like the disaster relief mapping service will enable first responders, relief agencies and military planners to develop reaction plans in near real time after disasters occur,” explained Chris Roberts, DeLorme’s vice president for government relations.  “The application of DeLorme’s mapping data in this method will enable ASEAN member states to effectively direct resources and save the maximum number of lives.”

DeLorme’s engagement with DIGO and ASEAN comes on the heels of its assistance in another natural disaster, the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti.  “During that event DeLorme demonstrated the ability to rapidly deploy our data into the hands of first responders and emergency crews,” Roberts continued. “Our work with DIGO and ASEAN takes that ability to a whole new level.”