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SpatialNews.com Press Release
GIS Mapping Keeps San Diego Firefighters Informed CDF
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Redlands, California-To keep the more than 6,000 firefighters battling San Diego's Cedar Fire informed, numerous public and private organizations joined together to map the blaze. Detailed maps containing information on roads, buildings, water sources, drop points, staging areas, and fire lines were generated, forming the basis for key decision making on the front lines. As the fire spread rapidly, consuming more than 140,000 acres in its first day, getting accurate data to firefighters was a massive task.
In creating these essential maps, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) and their contractor NorthTree Fire International received support from ESRI, San Diego Geographic Information Source (SanGIS), Space Imaging, Hewlett-Packard, county of San Diego, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). With updated maps needed twice daily and multiple information sources to integrate, the CDF geographic information system
(GIS) team was thankful for the time and resources coming in from numerous local organizations and from GIS professionals working around the clock, their own homes at risk from the devastating blaze.
"We didn't have to ask them, they came to us," said Jeff Harter, situation unit leader, CDF. "The outpouring of support, whether in the form of data, hardware, or technical expertise, was incredible. It is amazing how much difference it makes to have good quality maps that are easy to understand and tell a story."
The most critical maps were produced for daily briefings given to firefighters in the early morning. These maps detailed which section of the fire line each division was responsible for as well as other critical data such as supply drop points and water sources. In addition, GIS team members created numerous informational resources for the fire's incident command, allowing decision makers to plan effectively in their allocation of hand crews, bulldozers, engines, aircraft, and other assets. These maps were also used to brief President Bush during his November 4 visit.
"If we didn't have these maps, the firefighters wouldn't have known where to go, how to get there, or what their assignments were," said Harter. "Using GIS, we could pull all of the necessary information and help them make their plans of attack."
"ESRI, SanGIS, NorthTree ... all of the groups pulled together to create one GIS team for this fire. I don't think CDF could have done it alone; this was a team approach. Their expertise and knowledge, the combined effort, made our jobs so much easier," said Jason Graziano, GIS team, CDF.
"We all brought something different to the table," said Tim Craig, regional account manager, ESRI. "We were able to use our various strengths, knowledge of the software, and knowledge of the area's data sets to get firefighters the information they needed. This was a great example of bringing local resources to bear on a regional emergency."
About CDF
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection protects the people of California from fires; responds to emergencies; and protects and enhances forest, range, and watershed values to provide social, economic, and environmental benefits to rural and urban citizens. The men and women of CDF are dedicated to the fire protection and stewardship of more than 31 million acres of California's privately owned wildlands. In addition, the department provides varied emergency services in 35 of the state's 58 counties via contracts with local governments. The department's firefighters, fire engines, and aircraft respond to an average of 6,300 wildland fires each year. Those fires burn an average of nearly 144,000 acres annually.
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About ESRI
For more than 30 years, ESRI has been the leading developer of GIS software with more than 300,000 clients worldwide. ESRI software is used in all 200 of the largest cities in the United States and in more than 60 percent of counties and municipalities nationwide. Headquartered in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than 90 countries, and more than 1,500 business partners. ESRI's goal is to develop comprehensive tools that enable users to efficiently manage, use, and serve geographic information to make a difference in the world around them. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services. ESRI can be found on the Web at www.esri.com.
ESRI, the ESRI globe logo, GIS by ESRI, www.esri.com, and @esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.
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