Fire? Flood?

Rescue workers use TU's new CGIS mapping tool

Matt Felton (left) demonstrates the new emergency mapping tool to Dennis Schrader, director of Maryland's Office of Homeland Security. The tool can be used with any Web-accessible device, like PDAs, aiding emergency personnel at the scene of an incident.

Although many would never know it, Towson University has 35 heroes tucked away in the 7800 York Road building. These individuals don't face four-alarm fires or rescue flood victims, but their behind-the-scenes work saves lives.

They staff TU's Center for Geographic Information Sciences (CGIS), and last summer they created the Emergency Management Mapping Application (EMMA). It's a Web-based mapping tool that aids emergency response efforts by displaying pertinent information about an incident with just a few clicks of the mouse.

CGIS, which is part of President Caret's newly established Center for Economic and Community Outreach, is a self-supporting organization that has supplied Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region with resources and services for geographic information systems (GIS) over the past 10 years.

Mapping comes to life

Matt Felton, associate director for technical services at CGIS and project manager for EMMA, says EMMA gives emergency personnel another dimension from which to understand an incident.

"EMMA pulls data useful for emergency response efforts from multiple agencies, such as the Maryland State Highway Administration, the Maryland Department of Planning, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and weaves it together on one interactive map," he explains.

Emergency personnel then have multiple resources at their fingertips, like a list of the nearest fire and police departments, schools and hospitals; a report of areas at risk; and a summary of an affected region's key geographic features. EMMA also includes real-time capabilities ranging from the availability of hospital beds at a particular hospital, to current weather conditions, to the location of

This map generated from EMMA depicts areas in Maryland affected by a spill of hazardous materials.

specific police patrol cars. Users can build their own map from these resources, control what it looks like, and interact with it.

"Rather than knowing simply where a HazMat truck spilled, with EMMA, you are able to find out which direction and how fast the wind is blowing, what schools are within a 'danger zone,' and what roads need to be barricaded," Felton says. "I could go on with hundreds of examples."

A welcome response to Homeland Security efforts

Felton says the emergency management community's call for mapping technologies like EMMA rose after the Sept. 11 attacks. Emergency personnel expressed a need for tools to better plan for, respond to and recover from incidents.

"When the towers fell, there was an uncomfortably long period of time when responders were trying to link up a lot of good, but very disparate data," he recalls. "The need for interoperability was made painfully clear.

Jim Clements (left), acting vice president for economic and community outreach at TU, with Dennis Schrader, director of Maryland's Office of Homeland Security. CGIS serves as a cornerstone of the Center for Economic and Community Outreach, established by President Caret to forge stronger links between TU and the local community.

"It's been clear from the response we've gotten at demos that people like maps and the ability to view an incident from this perspective."

EMMA's warm reception caught the attention of the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), which supported CGIS' development of the tool. The project also received endorsement from Governor Ehrlich's Office of Homeland Security and a number of other statewide groups.

CGIS Director Jay Morgan says there's no secret to why EMMA received so much support - he says it will "undoubtedly help save lives."

"The tools included with EMMA provide emergency managers and first responders with the ability to use geography to effectively respond to emergencies," he says.

CGIS presented EMMA's capabilities to Dennis Schrader, director of Maryland's Office of Homeland Security, on campus in early March. Schrader says EMMA's interoperability is a key component to the tool's success because it ensures rescuers can easily communicate, improving their ability to respond to emergency incidents and save lives.

"The bottom line is that being ready for natural or man-made disasters means getting the right people to talk to each other," he says. "The Governor's Office of Homeland Security has adopted an all-hazards approach which means that the same planning, strategy, responders and in many cases equipment can be deployed in a man-made or natural disaster, and EMMA allows us to implement this philosophy.

"We are excited about the strong partnership being formed between the various state agencies and Towson University to achieve this goal."

Jim Clements, acting vice president for economic and community outreach at TU, says he's proud of CGIS' integral role in Homeland Security efforts for Maryland.

"It's critically important for the state to incorporate Homeland Security initiatives especially because we're right outside of D.C.," he says. "Homeland Security is a critical issue right now and CGIS is a leader. "They have stepped up to the plate."

Hurricane Isabel puts EMMA to the test

When Hurricane Isabel pounded Maryland in September 2003 with 75 mph winds and severe storm surge flooding, CGIS helped coordinate the state's rescue efforts by staffing Maryland's Emergency Operations Center at MEMA with over 400 hours of around-the-clock assistance. Felton says "it was a rush to be at the heart of the response activity."

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) used EMMA to identify which side of a Frederick County reservoir to deliver sand bags to prevent flooding.

"[MDOT] will be the first to tell you that without EMMA, it would have taken a lot of driving around to find the right spot," Felton says. "With EMMA, it took them about 15 minutes and a phone call.

"I admit I'm a GIS fanatic, and it was extremely exciting to use technology for something so directly relevant to the safety of my Maryland neighbors."

CGIS' partnership with MEMA during the storm resulted in a TU paper titled, "Lessons Learned During Hurricane Isabel," which helped MEMA identify what worked well during the crisis and how the agency can better apply GIS technology. In the near future CGIS expects to work with MEMA to develop a statewide rollout plan for EMMA that will allow the emergency management community to access the application from multiple levels of government.

EMMA's upcoming second version will focus on increased security and interoperability, additional tools and a more robust database.

Felton says the majority of CGIS' staff had a part in EMMA's development, with past GIS projects and ties with state agencies fundamental to the tool's production. In addition to coordinating the implementation and rollout of EMMA, Felton demonstrates how EMMA's technology is used to the emergency management community. Morgan works with other local agency heads and officials from the Governor's Office of Homeland Security. Joe Bizzell, senior Web programmer, was instrumental in the project's development, and Michael Bentivegna, technical administrator, coordinated the team that provides the servers and security for the application.

Felton says the CGIS staff is proud to have had a part in creating a tool that is so beneficial to the community. "All of us love GIS and have known its potential for years," he says. "It's extremely exciting to use our skills and technology in such a life-saving way!"