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SpatialNews.com Press Release
DeLorme XMap® 4.0 Professional Mapping Software Helps Government and Emergency Crews In Forest Fire Prevention and Management
Yarmouth, Maine, May 12, 2003¾Geographic Information System (GIS) data is being used by forestry departments across the country to help save lives as well as property. Increasingly, homes are being built in heavily forested areas on rugged terrain. Forestry and fire departments are challenged with knowing where these new structures are located and planning ways to protect them should a wildfire occur. Careful planning requires accurate GIS data with a means of sharing that data with fire crews as well as other state and federal agencies.
XMap as a Forest Fire Prevention and Management Tool
Terry Urness, Assistant Chief of Chelan County Fire District 5 in Washington state, was tasked with creating a plan to assess the structures in his fire district. He used DeLorme’s XMap Professional Software and Data Suite to create maps and formulate plans in both the Manson and Chelan fire districts.
Based on Assistant Chief Urness’s planning with XMap, the decision as to which houses get the most assistance in a wildfire has changed from a spur-of-the-moment decision to a strategic area plan. After entering the lat/lon coordinates of existing structures into XMap, Urness created custom color-coded symbols to represent the safety factor level of each building allowing fire crews to quickly assess which structures need immediate attention in the event of a wildfire. This plan also provided Urness with the opportunity to contact people in the highest risk zones and educate them about what steps they should take to reduce the risk of losing their home to a wildfire.
According to Urness, XMap software has helped with a variety of firefighting tasks.
“One of the things I did with this program was take it out with a GPS attached to a laptop, and map in new roads in our wild land areas. This was a very valuable tool for us when a forest fire entered our fire district last year,” said Urness. “I also took my laptop down to the local forest service and set it up with their plotter to make great maps for the incoming fire departments.”
The DeLorme XMap Professional Software and Data Suite includes many features that Assistant Chief Urness has found to be useful for his fire district, including the variety of data ¾from satellite imagery, topographic, and road network data¾to annotation, draw, and print capabilities. Urness said “one of the greatest benefits of the XMap software is its ease of use for people with no formal training in GIS applications.”
Creating a forest fire management plan is just the first step in fighting wildfires. XMap becomes an even more powerful tool when the plan must go into effect¾when wildfires strike. Last season our country experienced some of the largest wildfires ever recorded. During this time the Evergreen, Colorado Volunteer Fire Department used the XMap Professional Software and Data Suite to plot fire perimeters and calculate acres burned in the Hayman, Black Mountain, Blue Mountain, and Schoonover fires.
The Fire Chief of the Evergreen Volunteer Fire Department began an initiative last year to upgrade the capabilities of his department to manage wildfires. Charie Neppell lead the initiative and selected DeLorme’s XMap software because he could use it to help predict a wildfire’s path and then plan a strategy by utilizing the 3-D feature and satellite imagery data. During a fire his crews on the ground are able to see where the safe areas are and focus on buildings in the high-level danger areas.
DeLorme’s XMap Professional Software and Data Suite provides affordable Geographic Information Management tools for Fire, Public Safety, and Search & Rescue applications.
Availability and Pricing
The DeLorme XMap 4.0 Software and Data Suite is available for $199.95. Additional datasets start at $49.95. Add-on software that allows for expanded data exporting capabilities is also available. XMap 4.0 can be purchased direct from DeLorme at http://www.delorme.com/professional/xmap/ or by calling DeLorme Professional Sales at
1-800-293-2389 (M-F, 9a-5p, ET).
About DeLorme
DeLorme is America’s leading map publisher, serving consumers, businesses, and professionals. Leading DeLorme CD-ROM programs include XMapÒ Handheld Pro,
Topo USAÒ 4.0, Street Atlas USAÒ 2003, and XMap 4.0. The new EarthmateÒ USB GPS receiver provides real-time location information and connects to laptop PC computers, as well as Pocket PC and Palm OS handhelds. The company also publishes the Atlas & Gazetteer™ series of paper topographic map books, available for all 50 states.
www.delorme.com/professional
Related Weblinks:
www.DeLorme.com
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