ESRI supported participating agencies with software, staffing, and resources
used during the exercise, which modeled assessment, rescue, relief, and recovery
efforts.
Redlands,
California- At
10:00 a.m. on November 13, 2008, millions of people throughout Southern
California participated in the Great Southern California ShakeOut Drill, the
largest earthquake preparedness exercise in U.S. history. The drill simulated a
magnitude 7.8 earthquake along the San Andreas Fault in Southern California.
ESRI supported participating agencies with software, staffing, and resources
used during the exercise, which modeled assessment, rescue, relief, and recovery
efforts. Geographic information system (GIS) technology was used to help build
an accurate, continuously updated emergency information repository; aided
decision support and resource management; and enhanced multijurisdictional
communication.
"We worked diligently to create a realistic exercise that helps us see where we
are with our response capability in the event of a major earthquake," says John
Ellison, agency technology officer and geographic information officer
(GIO)/California Environmental Resources Evaluation System (CERES) director,
California Resources Agency. "By upgrading to ArcGIS Server 9.3 and ArcGIS API
for Flex, we have an easy-to-use Web-based viewer suitable for this purpose. We
are very pleased with our GIS experience including during the
exercise."
The ShakeOut kick-started a weeklong collection of exercises called the Golden
Guardian 2008, held November 13–18 and involving 5,000 participants from public
agencies around the state. Based on scientists' predictions of what would occur
during and after a major earthquake, the simulated results included 1,800 dead,
50,000 injured, and $200 billion in damages. The goal of the drill was to test
and evaluate processes, equipment, technologies, and shared workflows. Results
helped determine best practices, opportunities for improvement, and potential
new capabilities.
"The GIS platform developed for the Golden Guardian 2008 exercise proved to be
an invaluable tool," says Paul Hardwick, GIS project manager, San Diego Homeland
Security Regional Technology Center. "We were able to post pertinent information
to provide situational awareness to the state emergency command center and
affected communities as well as areas adjacent to the disaster. The ability to
transfer information between systems and to implement server-based tasks for
analysis helped make the event a success."
Multiple Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), including California Resources
Agency, deployed ESRI's Situational
Awareness Bundle for the ShakeOut. The bundle provides a complete framework
for geospatial intelligence analysis, visualization, and management. Users
managed multiple events with the bundle's ready-to-operate hardware solution,
its powerful data fusion and analysis engine, and a set of fully customizable
viewers to display the affected areas. Staff also used terabytes of prerendered
data including street networks, raster imagery, topographic maps, shaded relief
imagery, and elevation data.
GIS helped collect and manage large volumes of diverse data including simulated
damaged buildings, roads, and power and water infrastructure; affected
populations; delivered supplies; and the deployment of fire, emergency medical
services, law enforcement, and homeland security staff. Live data, such as
weather updates, video, and Global Positioning System (GPS) information, was
streamed into the GIS database and disseminated to individuals using desktop
computers, mobile devices, and Web-enabled laptops. Mobile GIS helped field
crews collect remotely sensed data that was automatically sent back to the
comprehensive spatial database.
The ShakeOut was organized by the Earthquake Country Alliance (ECA), a
partnership of earthquake professionals, emergency responders, business leaders,
and community activists. The group has been planning the ShakeOut since 2006.
GIS Delivers during the Largest Earthquake Drill in U.S. History
November 17, 2008
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