22 C R I S I S M A N A G E M E N T — P R E P A R AT I O N A N D R E S P O N S E W I T H G I S Mobile GIS Aids Victoria Bushfires Search Operations Highlights n With ArcPad 8, non-GIS-experienced law enforcement officers collected field data faster. n An ArcGIS server within the fire perimeter provided updated information to search managers and field teams instantly. n Mobile GIS was the only way field teams could comply with the coroner’s mandate of proving 8,000 properties had been searched. February 7, 2009, will forever be remembered as “Black Saturday,” the day of Australia’s deadliest natural disaster. Multiple days of temperatures above 41ºC (106ºF) combined with low humidity, 13 years of drought, and northerly 100 kilometers/ hour winds to create an alignment of forces that produced extreme bushfire conditions that far exceeded the maximum fire danger ever recorded. Melbourne, Australia, recorded its hottest day ever, a blistering 48ºC (118ºF). Dozens of fires erupted across Victoria; the speed of the fires preempted the usually well-organized evacuations of those who decided to leave early. Several large conflagrations merged, forming the Kinglake Complex. Hundreds of residents who stayed to defend their homes, or who waited too long to evacuate, perished within the first 10 hours. After the flaming front passed through developed, inhabited areas, the Victoria Police (VicPol) assessed the damage and number of fatalities. Entire towns and communities ceased to exist. Familiar landmarks, such as street signs, mailboxes, residences, and businesses, were reduced to smoldering rubble. The number of missing or unaccounted-for individuals continued to increase, along with the growing numbers of deaths during this unprecedented catastrophe covering more than 220,000 hectares. This prompted the use of geospatial technologies and real-time mobile GIS to determine the extent of the devastation and to document the location of human remains. It was determined early during the search that additional specialist resources would be needed. A call was placed to the Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency, which deployed its newly formed Mapping and Planning Support (MAPS) team. This unit, composed of government and private-sector GIS professionals, volunteers its time to respond to disaster management operations. It is the only group in the country organized specifically for this critical function, and this was its first campaign fire assignment. MAPS arrived on scene with laptops loaded with ArcGIS software and wireless communication modems. Each team had a lead GIS specialist and five to seven GIS technicians. They worked 12- to 18-hour shifts for five days, then would be replaced by another team. One day of overlap was scheduled to ensure consistency during the transition. The MAPS team achieved impressive statistics while assisting VicPol for 43 days: • 44 total GIS personnel deployed • 306 person-days worked • 3,600 total hours donated Rugged PDAs running ArcPad 8 mobile GIS software were obtained from Esri Business Partners Trimble Navigation and Motorola by Esri Search teams at work. PDAs and GPS-enabled digital cameras were used to document properties searched during Operation Royals. The camera embeds the time/date stamp, coordinates, and geographic orientation into the image (see bottom of photo above). developer Maptel. Maptel programmers worked tirelessly for extended hours to quickly develop an ArcPad custom applet that could be used for damage assessment. This applet displayed the same Rapid Impact Assessment (Premises) form commonly used by VicPol but in a digitized format automatically linked to parcel data. Further assistance was requested from the public safety division of Esri. The wildland fire specialist responded to work with Victoria Police field teams to deploy mobile GIS data collection units. Additional ArcGIS licenses were provided through Esri Australia Pty. Ltd., Esri’s distributor in Australia, as well as Esri’s Professional GIS specialist downloads GPS tracklogs and waypoints collected by field teams. Services staff who installed ArcGIS Server. Esri Australia also arranged for additional computer hardware, including rugged GETAC laptops and notebooks from Toshiba. As often happens in severe fire situations, destroyed communications towers and information technology service outages led to duplication of efforts among the numerous emergency services agencies. Crews worked around the clock to restore utility infrastructure. In mid-February, after additional bodies were found in areas that had previously been searched, the Victoria State Coroner, who is not a medical examiner but a powerful judge, directed Victoria Police to search every property within the Kinglake Complex fire perimeter where anyone could have sought shelter during the fires. This new search, designated Operation Royals, was an enormous undertaking with additional legal documentation requirements. The Australian Defence Force, Australian Federal Police, and Victoria Police provided about 200 personnel, organized into five-person search teams led by a Victoria Police team leader. In the high temperatures, the team members were extremely uncomfortable in full protective suits, rubber boots, gloves, helmet, goggles, and a respirator to prevent contact with hazardous