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Each member of this core group needs spe- cific data to make intelligent decisions about their respective area of responsibility. In the event of a chemical spill, for example, police may need information on transportation routes to block off affected areas. City engineers may need to locate underground infrastructure to shut off valves or pipes to ensure the safety of the water network. "What's great about this application is that it allows us to access the data we need to make strategic decisions based on our roles. It also gives us a clearer view of the incidents happening in our community – providing rich context so we can make better informed decisions to improve pub- lic safety," says Cross. A COLLABORATION PLATFORM In addition to pulling information from the city's GIS, the EM COP application can integrate data feeds from other agencies, including the national Multi-Agency Situa- tional Awareness System (MASAS). This allows for increased collaboration with other emergency management organiza- tions and a more coordinated response during large-scale emergencies. As well, it can be incorporated into mobile command units to support rapid decision-making in the field. The application has significantly improved the EOC's ability to create situa- tional awareness and enable decisions based on accurate, consistent and up-to- date information. It has also increased the return on the city's GIS investment by expanding the system's use to support emergency operations. "Working with the EOC on this project gave us a better understanding of how they use geographic data to manage emergen- cies. This helps us enhance the application by integrating more data and tools that will help them carry out their mission more effectively," notes Healey. Kingston plans to add other operational information to the application including fire inspection plans, crime incidents and emer- gency dispatch data. The system's interop- erability opens up opportunities to inte- grate other solutions including incident management software to capture and track decisions made by EOC staff. While the EM COP application is a pro- totype for now, it can be activated at any- time to support a real emergency. Through Web mapping technology, the City of Kingston now has a powerful emer- gency management planning and decision support system that enables it to become more disaster resilient and better prepared for future emergencies. Pierre Bilodeau is the Defence & Public Safety Industry Manager for Esri Canada, a provider of enterprise GIS solutions. He retired from the Canadian Forces in 2008, after 32 years of service as a Military Engineer Officer, including 18 years with the defence geospatial community. He can be reached at pbilodeau@esri.ca. S Issue 6, 2011 I www.frontline-canada.com I 33 "Working with the EOC on this project gave us a better understanding of how they use geographic data to manage emergencies. This helps us enhance the application by integrating more data and tools that will help them carry out their mission more effectively." — Philip Healey Find out how esri.ca/ManitobaHealth Solving problems Before GIS After GIS 120 Min. 10 Min. Manitoba Health accelerated emergency decision-making from 2 hours to 10 minutes bl S l i oble Solving pr s t r u o 2 h - n o i s i c e d t at er l e c c a b o t i n Ma ms e t u n i 0 m 1 o t ro f g n ki a m - e g er m e d e t h t l a e a H GIS After GIS Before s e m o y c en 120 Min. 10 Min. a b o t i n a M / a c i. r s e w ho t u o nd Fi h t l ea H

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