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Summary
Pages 1-8

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From page 1...
... receivers that allow first responders to locate damaged buildings or injured residents, about images that are captured from aircraft to provide the first comprehensive picture of an event's impact, about road maps that form the basis of evacuation planning, and about all of the other information connected to a location that can be used in emergency management. Great strides have been made in the past four decades in the development of geospatial data and tools, and the Google Earth service is just one example of the power and sophistication of this type of technology.
From page 2...
... The study tasks assigned to the committee addressed both planning and response; the status of tools for predicting and mapping vulnerability; the types of data required for emergency management; the techniques available for discovering and accessing data from diverse sources; training requirements; and issues of data security. The committee approached the task by holding a series of meetings at which it heard evidence from individuals and representatives of organizations; organizing a workshop that included extensive formal and informal discussion; and drawing on the considerable experience of its members.
From page 3...
... The committee found that while enormous amounts of data relevant and indeed essential to emergency management exist, they are frequently scattered among multiple jurisdictions, in disparate and often incompatible formats. Numerous impediments exist to data sharing, including lack of interoperability at many levels, lack of knowledge about what data exist and where, restrictions on use, lack of training on the part of users, concerns about data security, and lack of operational infrastructure in the immediate aftermath of disaster.
From page 4...
... The committee's fourth recommendation seeks to address this issue through a system that would restrict access where necessary to appropriately authorized emergency management personnel (Section 4.3) : RECOMMENDATION 4: DHS should lead, within the framework of the NSDI, the development of a nationally coordinated set of security requirements for data to be shared for emergency prepared ness and response.
From page 5...
... : RECOMMENDATION 6: Interpersonal, institutional, technical, and procedural communications problems that currently inhibit communication between first responders in the field and emergency operations centers, emergency management agency headquarters, and other coordinating centers should be addressed through inten sive preparedness exercises by groups involved in all aspects of di saster management. Such exercises should be tailored to focus on clear objectives with respect to the use of geospatial data and assets.
From page 6...
... : RECOMMENDATION 9: Academic institutions offering emer gency management curricula should increase the emphasis given to geospatial data and tools in their programs. Geospatial profession als who are likely to be involved in emergency response should receive increased training in emergency management business pro cesses and practices.
From page 7...
... In essence, the report paints a picture of technological abundance, but of geospatial data and tools that despite their power have not yet been applied systematically and appropriately to emergency management. It lists numerous institutional factors that have inhibited the effective deployment of technology and numerous reasons why organizations have failed to anticipate and plan for the particular circumstances created by disasters.


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