Oil Spill Planning and Response—U.S. Geological Survey Estes Quad

Estes quad is an example of a GIS response map used by the Texas General Land Office (GLO) Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program for the response, mitigation, and restoration of coastal areas threatened by oil spill contamination. When an oil spill occurs, GLO provides its staff and other state and federal agency responders with map products, information about the extent of the spill, and the locations of sensitive biological areas.

The spill response atlases display many biological layers of information. During a spill, the maps are used in combination to determine strategies to contain and reduce oil damage to the Texas coast and the environment. In the past, each agency used different maps when a spill occurred. By creating the GIS response maps, various agencies are able to use the same maps and data.

Better coordination of the information speeds their response times and increases the overall effectiveness of their oil spill cleanup efforts. The end result has been a significant improvement in GLO's ability to protect the coastal environment and provide long-term cost savings to the state.