Feature Feature "The ArcGIS Mobile solution is seamless and immediate," he said. Although ArcPad 8 allows updating of the server from the field, it is designed for knowledge users who are conducting ad hoc projects. ArcGIS Mobile was selected because it was a simpler solution that allowed one application to be used for multiple projects. ArcGIS Mobile can be customized with extensions tailored to the needs of each responding agency. These applications can be configured to monitor fieldworkers, enforce validation on fields, attach cabinet (CAB) files and photos to reports, and post data automatically back to the server. With ArcGIS 10, "We could sync from anywhere using the BGAN network," said Patterson. The Spatial Flex viewer, an outof-the-box solution that comes with ArcGIS Server, was used for displaying current maps at daily briefings. The ability of everyone in a five-state area to see the same information at the same time was a big advancement. options open and increases the potential for better decisions and more effective response. Extending the Role of Mobile GIS For many years, GIS has played a pivotal role in disasters like the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Remediation efforts for one of the most wellknown accidental oil releases, the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, were aided by GIS. This technology has played a key role in managing and analyzing data for oil spill restoration projects. With the introduction of ArcPad a decade ago, ArcGIS was expanded to include the mobile platform, which has been especially valuable to emergency management. With ArcPad, GIS professionals and trained volunteers involved in emergencies could access and collect georeferenced data in the field using GPSenabled handheld devices. However, the use of ArcGIS Mobile in the Deepwater Horizon incident represents a milestone in the extension of GIS in the field. Simple, focused applications that were rapidly deployed and centrally maintained let responders from the Louisiana National Guard, USFWS, and other agencies immediately and rapidly gather georeferenced data with little or no training. With the addition of BGAN, which supplied wireless connectivity, information on the rapidly evolving event was quickly and easily shared with all agencies involved, helping organize protection and cleanup efforts and providing a common operational picture in near real time. the species in succeeding years. After cleanup, healthy birds were released in Florida, Texas, and western Louisiana. A Breakthrough "The big difference between this event and others I have been involved in was the scale of the event and the ability to provide real-time situational awareness bidirectionally," said Patterson, who has been involved in public safety for more than 30 years. In previous response efforts, GPS units were used for collecting locations. That information had to be uploaded somewhere separately later and incorporated into a map, then pushed out or printed to update other people in the effort. www.esri.com Response crews from federal and state agencies and teams from Bp used mobile units and ArcGIS Mobile to collect data on the location and condition of barriers. With the combination of ArcGIS Mobile and BGAN, these capabilities can be supplied in one simplified process. Patterson believes these new capabilities have important implications for emergency response efforts. Because real-time information about the incident can be made available to everyone working on an event, they can interact as needed, not just at daily briefings. The 12hour cycle for incident control can be modified and a new paradigm adopted that keeps ArcUser Fall 2010 33