Resource Tracking and Management

Personnel accountability and tracking is an essential element of effective public safety response. Historically, location tracking has been limited to vehicles equipped with GPS units commonly called automated vehicle location (AVL). In response to the new demand for personnel tracking, manufacturers now include GPS chips in their portable devices. This expanded capability, known as automatic resource locating (ARL), enhances the tracking functionality to include personnel location.

GIS supports combining personnel skills/capabilities data with ARL functionality to provide superior decision making to incident commanders. The utilization of ARL allows incident command to monitor the location of resources to maximize their effectiveness. It helps get the right resource to the right location at the right time.

By integrating Mobile GIS with telemetry technology and information about the vehicle and incident, field personnel can be accurately tracked to identify

• If a vehicle or individual is in dangerous proximity to a plume, hazard zone, or other danger
• If an airbag is deployed in an emergency vehicle
• If a shotgun was removed from a law enforcement vehicle rack
• Activities warranting an alert for backup or help

The advantages of using GIS in resource tracking and management solutions include

• Increased capability to identify the closest unit to a newly reported incident
• Increased personnel safety with enhanced situational awareness
• Providing danger proximity alerts for public safety operations