Issue link: https://resources.esri.ca/i/1256360
The recent impacts of climate change were very evident in the province of British Columbia (BC) during the back-to-back wildfire and flood events of 2017 and 2018. These extreme weather events displaced thousands of residents, destroying more than 1.2 million hectares of land and resulted in the longest state of emergency declaration in the province's history. BC officials knew that quick decision-making and focused resource allocation would be crucial to their success in managing the situation. To address these challenges, Emergency Management British Columbia (EMBC) and GeoBC adopted Esri Canada's ArcGIS Online platform to collect and manage the data needed for their response. They developed an ArcGIS Online-based portal, built around a GIS governance framework, to provide situational awareness across their provincial emergency operation centres. Internal and external stakeholders accessed the same information in real-time to achieve situational awareness at the local, regional and provincial levels. Several communities (Local Governments and First Nations) across the province were also granted access to the COP for their use and to complement their individual tools for situational awareness. This approach gave stakeholders the flexibility to use their own data and tools while experiencing the benefits of sharing data and information with government partners during a crisis. Implementing the COP has established BC's standards, guidelines and best practices to support situational awareness for future emergencies. The BC COP empowers authorities to scale their approach to managing emergency events quickly and allows stakeholders to assemble immediately to respond and communicate more effectively. Use Case: Real-Time Situational Awareness Real-Time Situational Awareness Propels Wildfire and Flood Response 11 "The BC Emergency Management Common Operating Picture (COP) Portal, developed and supported by GeoBC, provides a one-stop-shop for emergency management information. Using this collaborative tool based on Esri products enables timely situational awareness for all parties regardless of physical location. Agile and responsive EMBC and GeoBC can respond to changing needs for information and meet the needs of the emergency management community." Mike Knauff Regional Manager EMBC