~ ~ ~ EPC Updates ~ ~ ~

Another Cell Phone Tracking Discovery

2012-02-25T07:00:00.015-06:00

Late last week, researchers at the University of Minnesota revealed they had discovered another unique way to track cell phone location. Using techniques and equipment available to the general public for about $60, the approach leverages the following concept:

By simply calling the target's mobile number and monitoring the network's radio signals as it locates the phone, the attacker can quickly confirm if the person is located in what's known as the LAC, or Location Area Code. Attackers can use the same technique to determine if the target is within close proximity to a given base station within the LAC.

For more on this development, the following recent articles may be of interest:

Phone Network Vulnerability Reveals Location Information, Researchers Find - Minnesota Public Radio
Your Mobile Phone Could Have a Leak - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Location Tracking of GSM Cellphones: Now Easier (and Cheaper) Than Ever - ars technica (includes a link to the research paper on this subject)

Comment: Once again, here's proof that location driven technology has gotten ahead of policy. In the hands of law enforcement, this technique could be a tool for good. In the hands of criminals, this technique could be a tool for evil.

Google's HUD Glasses

2012-02-24T07:00:00.027-06:00

Long a fixture of military aircraft, and now some commercial aircraft, a "Heads Up Display", or HUD, is a system that displays navigation and situational awareness information for an aircraft on the windshield in front of the pilot. This approach to flight management enhances safety and situational awareness for aircrew by allowing them to simultaneously monitor aircraft performance, navigation and visual positioning during critical phases of flight such as landing in bad weather. On Tuesday, February 21, 2012, the New York Times reported Google's X Team has been working on a project that will place a GPS driven virtual world onto the lenses of a pair of Oakley style sunglasses by the end of the year. Effectively, anyone who wants a personal HUD, can have one for between $250 and $600. To learn more, click here.

Comment: The potential for the Emergency Response Sector is endless. Sure enough, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) has been working on a similar concept. However, since it IS the Department of Homeland Security, they get to have a longer acronym: Helmet Embedded Conformal Augmented Display (HECAD). Go here to learn more.

Bird Flu Research is Too Dangerous to Publish - For Now

2012-02-23T07:00:00.031-06:00

As previously mentioned on this website (see links below), late last year researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, were able to create a mutated version of the H5N1 virus commonly known as "bird flu". Of concern, the mutation facilitated the airborne human-to-human transmission of a pathogen that, to date, has had a mortality rate of 60%. Then, when it was announced the teams were planning to disclose their findings and methods in Nature and Science magazines so others could easily duplicate their work, a firestorm of controversy followed focusing on the research's potential use for terrorism.

In an effort to address the dual issues of "right to publish" and potential use of bird flu research for terrorism, last week a meeting sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) was held in Geneva, Switzerland. Findings of the meeting were released immediately:

"... consensus that delayed publication of the entire manuscripts would have more public health benefit than urgently partially publishing."

To learn more about the twists and turns associated with this situation, use the links below:

Reuters background piece on the meeting, click here,
Full WHO announcement per meeting findings, click here
Washington Post coverage of the WHO announcement, click here
LA Times piece on how the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) wants to be involved in future decisions on research publication, click here
Wisconsin State Journal article on lab security concerns at UW-Madison, click here

Comment: Obviously, the themes of censorship and terrorism make this series of events a hot topic in the press. There is, however, an underlying issue - the nation and world have failed to prepare for pandemic influenza by fully leveraging a technology that already exists: geospatial. For more, see:

The LA Police Department "War Room"

2012-02-22T07:00:00.081-06:00

Earlier this month, CBS News in Los Angeles (LA) did a piece on the LA Police Department's Real-Time Analysis Critical Response Center (RACR). Touted as a model for police departments across the nation, the facility features an impressive range of capabilities. RACR operates as part of the LA EOC that was opened in August of 2009. You can learn more about this facility by:

Reading a background story provided by CBS News Los Angeles: click here
Taking a tour of RACR by way of an excellent You Tube Video: click here
Reading the city's information piece on the EOC: click here

Comment: On May 1, 2007, the LAPD experienced one of its worst days when a protest march terminating in MacArthur Park started becoming disorganized and chaotic. With neither the LAPD command or crowd control elements having any meaningful form of real-time situational awareness, the situation then quickly spiraled completely out of control. When the dust eventually settled on that day, the city found itself paying out over $13.0 million to settle claims for excessive use of force by the deployed officers. Consequently, it is little wonder why LA is now home to this state of the art facility. It's the reality of that old saying, "You can pay me now, or pay me a whole bunch more later....." From the looks of the information available about RACR, it's pretty apparent LA is serious about using the technology that's available now, to keep from paying big bills later.

Save a Heart With Your Cell Phone

2012-02-21T07:00:00.062-06:00

The concept is simple. Various organizations have made Automated External Defibrillators (AED) available, but no one has mapped out where they are all located. Consequently, that potential life-saving location information is not available for use on modern smartphones. The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is out to change that in Philadelphia with its "My Heart Map Challenge". Modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) 2009 red balloon challenge, here's how the program works:

Armed with a free app installed on their mobile phones, contest participants will snap pictures of the lifesaving devices -- which are used to restore cardiac arrest victims' hearts to their normal rhythm – wherever they find them in public places around the city. Participants will use the app to geotag the photos with their location and details about the device like its manufacturer. Then, they'll send them to the research team via the app itself or the project's web site. The data collected will be used to create an updated app linking locations of all public AEDs in the city with a person's GPS coordinates to help them locate the nearest AED during an emergency.

The person or team that finds the most AEDs during the month long contest, wins $10,000.

To read the news release on this effort, click here.
To go to the My Heart Map Challenge website, click here.

Comment: There's only one word for this effort: Brilliant!

National Pipeline Mapping System

2012-02-20T07:00:00.006-06:00

As a result of the San Bruno, CA pipeline explosion of 2010, a great deal of reflection has been taking place about pipeline safety and the Emergency Services Sector's (ESS) ability to respond to these types of incidents. Unfortunately, one of the issues that has come to light is paper field notes and drawings created many years ago during original construction, may not have been accurately converted into modern electronic geospatial databases (See: Pipelines, Black Swans, and Data Governance). Additionally, because of various access issues, many police and fire departments have been responding to pipeline incidents with only basic understanding of what's in a particular pipe and how it's routed.

In an effort to focus the firefighter community's attention on this issue and what can be done about it, Firefighternation.com recently ran an extensive article entitled: "Pipeline Emergency Planning & Response Tools". Featured in the article is the National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS), a system which provides geospatial data about the nation's pipeline systems on three different levels: public sector, responder, and government agency. To read more about these capabilities, go here.

Alternately, click here to proceed directly to the National Pipeline Mapping System.

Comment: Although the online viewer is as basic as it gets, a really nice feature of the system is the ability to quickly generate point of contact information for pipeline operators by political boundary or zip code.

UAV (Drone) Mania

2012-02-19T08:30:00.014-06:00

EXTRA-EXTRA:

READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!

In the weeks after the U.S. Congress passed a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding bill with a provision for the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's)/drones in U.S. airspace (see: Commercial Drones to be Added to U.S. Airspace), there has been a flood of topic related information released in the industry and commercial media. So much so, the only way to comprehend the fast pace of developments and degree of attention is to view some of them as a "Sunday paper". So here we go:

Photo: senseFly

Swinglet CAM: It's the "Autonomous Airborne Imaging and Mapping Sensor in a Suitcase". For a visit to the senseFly website to learn all about this one - click here.

Photo: New York Times

Drones For Hire: A New York Times video showing how the real estate business in Southern California has been using drones to promote home sales. To watch - click here.

Drone Shot Down - By Hunters: Hunters armed with guns, versus an animal rights group armed with a light weight UAV - guess who won. To read the article - click here.

Photo: Wikipedia

Drones: Who Is Watching You? An ABC News Nightline piece that explores the privacy and safety issues that lie ahead with the impending boom in UAV technology use. To view - click here (sorry, there is no way around the 30 second advertisement at start of the clip).

U.S. Drones In the Skies Over Syria: It's a humanitarian disaster, and it's being watched from the sky. To learn more - click here.

Comment: The impending UAV/drone invasion of the skies is one of the most pronounced ways in which the Geospatial Revolution is going to be visible to most Americans. The trends above, taken together with developments like the ability to locally produce UAV's on a mass scale using 3D printers, means a Titanic paradigm shift is underway. Airborne imagery that once took years and bucket loads of money to obtain, will soon be available from platforms that can provide real-time collection for very low cost. Those in the geospatial community and Emergency Services Sector with their heads down on this issue, are going to be left behind to their own detriment.

NOAA Satellites Helped Save 207 Last Year

2012-02-18T07:00:00.071-06:00

Last year, satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) materially contributed to rescue operations that saved 207 individuals from life-threatening circumstances in the United States and surrounding waters. This NOAA system of satellites known as Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking System (SARSAT) operates as part of the much larger international COSPAS-SARSAT system headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Operationally, this constellation of satellites picks up the locations of emergency beacon distress signals and then relays that information to responders. Since 1982, the COSPAS-SARSAT system has been used in more than 30,000 rescues around the world. To learn more, go here.

Comment: As noted on NOAA's SARAT information page, because these satellites pin-point the location of a soul in peril, they take the "search" out of Search and Rescue (SAR)!

Smartphone Navigation for the Visually Impaired

2012-02-17T07:00:00.009-06:00

Photo: KARE11.com

Within the past year, researchers have been demonstrating some promising new ways to help the visually impaired navigate based on technologies originally developed for the greater geospatial community. One of these efforts is hand-held sonar. Another is leveraging the diverse and powerful capabilities inherently available in modern smartphones.

Within this last area of research, the University of Minnesota Center for Transporation Studies has been hard at work on a system that seamlessly integrates multiple smartphone features such as GPS, Wi-Fi, and digital compass to provide visually impaired pedestrians with enhanced safety at street intersections. To learn more about this development, use the links below:

Smartphone Research Aims to Help Visually Impaired Pedestrians (University of Minnesota)

U of M Researchers Tap Into Smartphones to Help Visually Impaired (KARE 11 News)

Comment: This is a fabulous use of technology that overcomes the issue in the past of the visually impaired having to carry multiple bulky systems to achieve the same results. For more on this point, consider comments of Dr. Joshua Miele in a 5:00 minute video produced by baycitizen.org.

...Down goes LightSquared, down goes LightSquared, down goes LightSquared...

2012-02-16T08:30:00.041-06:00

Photo: Sports Illustrated

After more than a year in the boxing ring, LightSquared has just experienced a series of knock-out punches that have put it on the mat for the final time. First came the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) release of three reports on February 14, 2012. These reports clearly show, "...LightSquared's original and modified plans for its proposed mobile network would cause harmful interference to many GPS receivers." This development was quickly followed by a Federal Communication Commission (FCC) news release which stated:

NTIA, the federal agency that coordinates spectrum uses for the military and other federal government entities, has now concluded that there is no practical way to mitigate potential interference at this time. Consequently, the Commission will not lift the prohibition on LightSquared. The International Bureau of the Commission is proposing to (1) vacate the Conditional Waiver Order, and (2) suspend indefinitely LightSquared’s Ancillary Terrestrial Component authority to an extent consistent with the NTIA letter. A Public Notice seeking comment on NTIA’s conclusions and on these proposals will be released tomorrow.

In essence, the above verbiage means LightSquared's efforts to use its assigned spectrum, with its current design, is dead. And true to its word, on February 15, 2012, the FCC began the formal process of rescinding LightSquared's conditional waiver to operate.

For a more expansive review of the story behind this now defunct threat to GPS, click the link below to read an article from the New York Times:

Loss of a Wireless Dream Caps a Fast Fall From Grace

Additional information is also available on this blog at:

Comment: Defeated boxers are always looking for their next opportunity for redemption. Expect no less from LightSquared. Until that happens - here's the call for this bout, by the one and only Howard Cosell.

Predicting Meth Labs Before They Open

2012-02-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

A recent article in Fast Company highlighted how cutting edge work by Max Lu, a professor at Kansas State University, and Jessica Burnum could be used to predict locations of new meth labs. Go here to read the article.

Comment: This article is a worthwhile read both from the standpoint of the geospatial concepts described, and from the standpoint of gaining understanding about how little most of the world knows about geospatial technology. In reference to that last point, the article has at least two obvious errors. First, the writer associates "Google Maps" with the analytical processes described, when Google Maps has nothing to do with the technology beyond display. Second, the article tends to describe some elements of geospatial technology that have been around for years, as just invented.

Finding an Amercian Red Cross Shelter

2012-02-14T07:00:00.015-06:00

Graphic: VisionLink, Inc.

Early last year, the American Red Cross (ARC) began deploying a variety of geospatial applications to provide information about its shelters. There are three that update location information every 30 minutes:

National Shelter System: Available to Red Cross Employees and volunteers,
Search for Red Cross Shelters: Online search feature available to the public, and
Shelterview: For iPhone and iPad devices.

With no sites open at the time of this posting, the operational sense of these interfaces is limited. However, the important thing to know is this information exists and how to access it before disaster strikes.

Comment: This effort is a significant step forward for the ARC. Previously, the organization kept information about its shelter system on a paper product that was primarily restricted to internal use.

FBI Curtails GPS Tracking

2012-02-13T07:00:00.021-06:00

As a direct result of the January 23, 2012, ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that put limits on the use of GPS tracking by law enforcement pesonnel (see: GPS Tracking: Bad Guys 1, Good Guys 0), an unnamed source at the FBI has confirmed the ruling has had a major impact on the agency. For more on this story as reported by USAToday, go here.

Comment: It will be interesting to see how many "closed" cases get reviewed for possible appeal based on the Supreme Court ruling. Given the indication above that the ruling has had significant impact on the FBI, it may be substantial.

Using LIDAR to Understand Earthquakes

2012-02-12T07:00:00.051-06:00

Photo: crosby_cj

Scientists have been using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) to study an earthquake zone in Mexico's Baja peninsula. Ultimately, it is hoped these efforts will one day lead to creation of an analytical tool that can be used to predict earthquakes. For more on this story as reported by MSNBC, go here.

Alternately, an in depth review of this effort by Science magazine is available here (fee to read).

Comment: While the MSNBC article mentions the most well known fault zone in the U.S.A., the San Andreas, the potential technology as described would also be of value for the fault zone that lies to the south of Minnesota - the New Madrid.

Sierra Club v. Orange County, California

2012-02-11T07:00:00.010-06:00

Think $475,000 is a little steep for a county's GIS parcel database? So did the Sierra Club, and they decided to do something about it - they took Orange County, California to court. Now, they are fighting a battle for the entire nation, and their case will soon be ruled on by the California Supreme Court. At issue: who owns the geospatial information created by government. To learn more, use the links below to read:

An article published by Cadalyst - Does Government GIS Data Belong to the People?
Details of the lawsuit as provided by the California Public Records Access Project

Comment: On its face, this situation would seem to have little to do with the Emergency Services Sector (ESS). In reality, it has EVERYTHING to do with the ESS. Without an administrative environment where units of government are willing to share their geospatial data without an eye on the cash register, the flow of information is severely limited and the ability to build accurate situational awareness across political boundaries is virtually nonexistent. And in that situation, forget about ever seeing the ESS community's operational holy grail: a Common Operating Picture (see pages: 33, 34, 49, 50, 55, and 56).

LANDFIRE

2012-02-10T07:00:00.021-06:00

In an effort to harmonize various predictive geospatial modeling efforts related wildfires, members of a public-private collaborative group have been working to create LANDFIRE. As described in official publications:

LANDFIRE (also known as Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools) is an interagency vegetation, fire, and fuel characteristics mapping program, sponsored by the United States Department of the Interior (DOI) and the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. LANDFIRE produces a comprehensive, consistent, scientifically credible suite of spatial data layers for the entire United States.

Key goals of the LANDFIRE Program are to update and improve the data products completed by the LANDFIRE Project in December 2009. The program is a long-range initiative to periodically update LANDFIRE data to sustain the value of the original project investment and to ensure the timeliness, quality, and improvement of data products into the future.

To explore the wealth of geospatial information available from the LANDFIRE program, click the link below:

LANDFIRE Home Page

Comment: You are strongly encouraged to "rummage around" while investigating this website. In some cases, items that may be of use to you are buried down several layers in the website's structure.

Not So Fast - Crime Push

2012-02-09T07:00:00.013-06:00

Earlier this week, several news organizations ran stories about Crime Push, a just released smartphone app for reporting crimes. Based on the idea that the typical call to 9-1-1 fails to use many features of modern smartphones, Crime Push is attempting to change that by offering an easy to use reporting menu that will allow users to add pictures, video, and detailed location information about a crime they just witnessed. To learn more:

Comment: Although you have to give the inventors of this app credit for "thinking outside the box", shortly after this app was released folks started realizing this invention was only part of the solution. In order for information like this sent from a smartphone to be of value, there has to be a way to receive and use that information. To that end, remember three words: Technology - People - Policy. Take away any one of them and geospatial implementation in support of the Emergency Services Sector will not work. The Technology exists to do what these developers have envisioned, but the People (training) and Policies (implement the Technology) are not there to make it possible.

Geo-tracking Comes to a Cow Near You

2012-02-08T07:00:00.039-06:00

The Federal government is the final stages of preparing to implement the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) which will use livestock ear tags (primarily Radio-frequency identification (RFID) type), instead of branding, to denote ownership. A driving factor behind this effort - the tags will facilitate the rapid geo-tracking of livestock in the event of disease outbreaks such as bovine brucellosis, tuberculosis and mad cow. To learn more, click the link below to read an article from the New York Times:

Fewer Cows' Hides May Bear the Mark of Home

Comment: As citizens of one of the Nation's leading agricultural states, where livestock health is worth more than $4.5 billion to the state's annual economy, Minnesotans will have significant interest in how this development plays out. While the disease tracking intent is well placed, many have concerns about the program's affordability for small farmers, as well as civil liberties related issues.

Also of note:

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health already has in place tagging standards for the interstate transfer of cattle and bison,
Minnesota is home to one of the major producers of livestock RFID tags, and
The future of where this all goes is probably best related by developments in Uruguay.

The Peacemaker Comes to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

2012-02-07T07:00:00.030-06:00

The Fort Lauderdale Police have recently deployed remote sensing in a very unique way - in a large armored van that gets parked near crime hot spots. Referred to as the "Peacemaker" by law enforcement personnel, the van is home to a bank of remotely controlled cameras that officers at department headquarters can use to scan the area where the van is parked. For additional information:

Comment: In keeping with privacy concerns expressed about highway cameras and drones, look for civil liberties groups to add the Peacemaker to their list.

The FEMA Map Service Center

2012-02-06T07:00:00.004-06:00

The FEMA Map Service Center serves as FEMA's distribution node for flood information maps supporting the National Flood Insurance Program. Data related to these maps comes in five basic forms:

Flood Information Rate Map (FIRM, or just "Flood Map"): Is the official map of a community on which FEMA has delineated both the special hazard areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community. It is a paper map, typically covering a large area.

FIRMettes: A FIRMette is a full-scale section of a FIRM that individuals can create online and is formatted to fit on printers commonly found in offices.

Digital Q3 Data: Q3 Flood Data is a digital representation of certain features of FEMA's FIRMs, intended for use with desktop mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. Digital Q3 Flood Data has been developed by scanning the existing FIRM hardcopy and vectorizing a thematic overlay of flood risks. The vector Q3 Flood Data files contain only certain features from the existing FIRM hardcopy.

Digital Flood Information Rate Map (DFIRM): This FEMA GIS database stores the digital data used in the map production process, as well as the backup engineering data for the floodplain studies. This database provides a standard, systematic method for FEMA to distribute comprehensive details of its flood studies to the public in a digital format.

National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL): The NFHL is a computer database that contains flood hazard map information from FEMA’s Flood Map Modernization program. This data comes from the DFIRM database and Letters of Map Revision (LOMRs).

While most items above are available either through an online viewer or desktop application, only NFHL data can be incorporated into Google Earth, or brought into another mapping application as a WMS.

To visit the FEMA Map Service Center - go here

Software for refining related data within various GIS's can be found here.

USGS publishes a complementary modeling program called the National Streamflow Statistics (NSS) program which can be found here.

Comment: The above dizzying collection of links and information are reflective of the massive change taking place at FEMA as it transitions from hand drawn paper flood maps to digital data that can be modeled and analyzed. While they have made great progress, there is still a long way to go.

GISCorps

2012-02-05T07:00:00.007-06:00

A recent news release by the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) highlighted the hard work that organization's GISCorps has been doing around the globe. Starting from humble beginnings in 2003, GISCorps has grown into a substantial volunteer group that provides onsite geospatial assistance to world-wide humanitarian efforts - almost always in underdeveloped countries, and often after disasters. In the article, URISA noted that 25 GISCorps volunteers recently deployed on nine new missions in seven different countries. Those missions include:

Data cleansing of health facilities in Libya,
Support to an OSM/HOT project in Indonesia,
Assistance to a three phase disaster simulation in Samoa,
Geo-coding of Sierra Leone NGO locations,
Application testing for a non profit organization,
Deployment to a project with UNOSAT, and
A mission with the South Luangwa Conservation Society - Zambia.

Additional details about these missions can be found here.
The GISCorps home page is located here.

Since inception, GISCorps has had a total of 88 projects in 42 countries with 272 deployed volunteers.

Comment: If you're sitting in your climate controlled space reading this story thinking, "Wow, that's pretty cool. I'd like to do something like that but (fill in the excuse)." Well then, at least think about sending GISCorps a donation so their volunteers can swat bugs, eat bad food, watch the electricity flicker, and sleep on air mattresses, all in the name of using GIS to make the world a better place. They'll take a wide variety of stuff - from cold hard cash, to airline miles. Click here to find out how you can help them, help others.

Commercial Drones to be Added to U.S. Airspace

2012-02-04T07:50:00.003-06:00

On Friday, February 3, 2012, the U.S. House passed a reauthorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As part of that bill, a series of deadlines were included that will facilitate introduction of commercial drones into U.S. airspace by September 2015 (six test sites will be operational by June 2012). Final approval of the bill by both houses is expected by mid-month. To read this news as reported by the Wall Street Journal, go here.

Comment: To be certain, drones will be a point of controversy about the Geospatial Revolution going forward. No more had the FAA funding bill passed the House, than the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) pronounced with great alarm that allowing commercial drones to fly in U.S airspace would be a serious threat to aviation safety.

However, ALPA's concerns are just the tip of the iceberg. On reflecting on drone use in war, a recent New York Times editorial went so far as to opine drones could be undermining the principles of American democracy.

Stay tuned - way more to come on this one.

Other posts on this blog about drones include:

Laser Message in the Sky

2012-02-03T08:40:00.009-06:00

Playing off the Batman symbol in the sky concept, Japanese company Burton, Inc., recently revealed they have developed a prototype aerial 3D technology. Using laser beams, the system can display dynamic symbols and writing in 3D space. In addition to being hawked for potential commercial applications where skywriting might have been previously used, the possibilities for emergency warnings (Fukushima Tsunami) and post event communications are being explored. To learn more:

Comment: There have been more than a few instances where modern communications systems in a region impacted by a disaster have been seriously degraded. Issues have included cell phone systems becoming inoperative due to high demand, loss of electrical power, and the wholesale destruction of communication systems infrastructure. This concept offers a way for Emergency Services Sector personnel to provide basic one-way emergency communications with nothing more than a 3D system and a generator. Hopefully, as this prototype system transitions to actual use, safeguards will be enacted to prevent false warnings from occurring (i.e. Orson Welles: The War of the Worlds).

iPhone Location App Snares Thief

2012-02-02T07:00:00.004-06:00

Last week a tech savvy New York City policeman used the location tracking feature of an iPhone to catch a thief red-handed. Click the link below to read the article from the New York Times.

Pursuing iPhone Thief, Officer Knew Right Buttons to Push

Comment: There have been several incidents similar to this one over the past couple of years. But, with the New York accent dialed in, the final scene of this one would have been a hoot to watch. Ping......Thief: What the.....? Cop: Nice iPhone you have there.....Bozo. Thief: You talking to me?!?!?!?! Cop: Ya, I'm talking to you! You're under arrest....moron!

LightSquared: Round 14 - Here We Go

2012-02-01T08:00:00.014-06:00

When we last checked in on this situation on January 16th (See: LightSquared: Down for the Count), LightSquared was on the mat, taking the count at the end of the 13th round. But with billions at stake, staying on the mat was not an option for LightSquared. So up off the mat it staggered and into round 14 we go. Better dust off that fight card because things are happening so fast, there's no way to keep track of who is landing what blows without it. Here's an update on these two punch-drunk fighters to help you out:

Want to know more? Here are the resources:

The U.S. Government GPS gatekeeper's point of view:

National Executive Committee for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing
GPS.gov (for Congressional staffers)

The U.S. GPS industry's point of view:

Coalition to Save Our GPS

LightSquared's point of view:

LightSquared

Interested in filing a comment on LightSquared's request to the FCC? You have until February 27, 2012. Here's where you can do it:

Comment: If you are here for the first time and wondering: "What's this all about and why should I care?". Short answer: The winner of this fight could potentially determine if every GPS in the country continues to work or not. If that's news to you, you might want to use some of those links above.

The Superhero GIS Van

2012-01-31T07:00:00.001-06:00

Photo: geoplace.com

Mild-mannered Monroe County, New York, Department of Environmental Services mapping van turns into superhero when called into action by community fire, police, and Emergency Management personnel. Click here to read the story as published by geoplace.com.

Comment: This story sounds vaguely familiar. Indeed, see Comments of: Imagery and Maps From 9/11, to learn how the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources contributed their Mapmobile to the nation's response to the World Trade Center attack.

The Heart Attack App

2012-01-30T07:40:00.003-06:00

IDG News Service recently ran an article about the PulsePoint Foundation app that sends a notification to a smartphone if the user is close to a possible heart attack victim in a public place. The app is currently available in both the Android Market and iPhone App Store. As related in the article, the product is starting to spread in California:

A location-based phone application that alerts people trained in CPR when someone nearby is having a heart attack will be spreading from San Ramon, California, to San Jose by mid-February, according to San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District Chief Richard Price.

Click on video above to learn more, or click here to read the full article.

The PulsePoint Foundation's website is filled with great information. Go here to view.

Comment: What more can anyone say but - Wow!

Google Public Alerts

2012-01-29T09:30:00.025-06:00

On January 25, 2012, Google Crisis Response launched a new project called Google Public Alerts. Using a variety of publicly available feeds from entities like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Weather Service, and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the system overlays warning and alert data from these sources onto a Google interface. To view, go here.

Comment: Once again, huge kudos to Google for showing the nation the way ahead by fusing available data into a practical and friendly application that John Q. Public can start using right now. And, once again; shame, shame, shame, Google (See: Google's Crisis Map - Falling Short of the Mark). Until Google follows through on that national leadership position by incorporating U.S. National Grid functionality into its common man's geospatial products for public safety, it will be part of the problem, not part of the solution. (If anybody from Google is reading this post.....tell Ms. Mayer I'll take the shop out for a night on the town in Wausau, WI if you'll fix this problem!)

GIS and Snow: Kudos To Seattle

2012-01-28T07:20:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week, GeekWire published an article by Bill Schrier that reviewed Seattle's performance during the recent heavy snow storm in that city. The city got high marks for having a well run Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and its extensive use of Geospatial Information Systems (GIS). To read the article, go here.

Comment: This is an exceptionally informative article that relates not only what the city did right, but how GIS and social media tools could be combined to provide an even better flow on information to the Emergency Services Sector and the public in the future. You are encouraged to take the time to review the hyperlinks offered in the story. In particular, the ones for the Seattle Department of Transportation "Weather Response Viewer" and Seattle City Light System Status map will help gel some ideas offered in the article.

USNG FEMA Think Tank Conference Call Transcript

2012-01-27T12:00:00.033-06:00

Tough job - trying to make the case for U.S. National Grid, over the phone, in ten minutes. I feel like I could have done better. But hopefully, the thought will have caught on for a few more folks.

A transcript of my comments from yesterday's teleconference, can be found here.

What I believe the greater USNG user community would say about the recommended next steps for FEMA, can be found here.

Since the call, there has been lively discussion taking place over on the FEMA Think Tank on this topic. You are encouraged to add your thoughts there.

To all those who listened in - a big THANKS!

Here We Go: Today's FEMA Think Tank Conference Call

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon, FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino released details of today's Think Tank Conference Call. Here are the details:

Date: Thursday, Jan. 26

Time: 1:30-3:30 p.m. CST / 2:30-4:30 p.m. EST

Call in number: 800-593-0692

Password: Think Tank January (operator managed)

Access captioning

Twitter hashtag: #femathinktank

The call is open to a national audience of state, local, and tribal governments, and to all members of the public, including the private sector, the disability community, and volunteer community, who share an interest in improving the Nation’s capacity in emergency management. For those who cannot join in on the call, you can follow the conversation and ask questions on Twitter.

The three ideas that we will be discussing on this call are:

Members from the community who submitted the ideas for this month’s call will brief the Deputy and all attendees, and afterward, the Deputy will open up the call to the national audience for further discussion, questions and answers.

GPS Tracking: Bad Guys 1, Good Guys 0

2012-01-25T08:00:00.002-06:00

On Monday, January 23, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a unanimous ruling that police cannot install a GPS tracking device on a suspect's vehicle without first obtaining a warrant. The ruling reversed the conviction of suspected Washington D.C. drug kingpin, Antonio Jones, who had been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail. To read more, go here.

Comment: Developments in the world of geospatial technologies are a two edge sword. Going forward, the Emergency Services Sector will have to be smart about how those capabilities are deployed, or they are going to end up on the wrong side of the blade every time.

Burnsville Police, Armed With........Body Cameras

2012-01-24T03:00:00.007-06:00

Photo: Taser

In an effort to use technology as an impartial witness, officers with the Burnsville, Minnesota, Police Department have started wearing body cameras that record everything that happens during a shift. Turns out individuals cited for various violations are less likely to challenge the citation or claim improper officer conduct once they find out there is a recording of the event. To read more, go here.

Comment: For those who were able to hear Dr. Carl Reed's comments during the Twin Cities GECCo, the use of body cameras fits perfectly into the theme of "the responder as a sensor". Furthermore, not noted in the above article, the system deployed by Burnsville allows a supervisor to review movements and location of incidents for all officers on duty during a shift. As this technology matures, look for it to include the ability to send a geospatially-referenced, real-time feed back to a command center.

USNG as Topic for First FEMA Think Tank Conference Call

2012-01-23T07:45:00.030-06:00

Late Friday afternoon, this author was informed the post entitled "U.S. National Grid as the Response Language of Location" on the FEMA Think Tank, would be one of the topics discussed during the first national FEMA Think Tank "Conference Call". Here are the details as now known:

Date: Thursday, January 26, 2012
Time: 1:30 to 3:30 CST
Host: FEMA Deputy Administrator Serino

It is anticipated agenda and call in instructions will be posted here: http://www.fema.gov/thinktank/conferencecalls.shtm

Comment: I certainly hope you will set some time aside this coming Thursday to participate in the call. The more bodies on the call who support the idea the Emergency Services Sector and nation need a standardized, precise, and easy to way to communicate location, the more likely it is policy makers will get the message.

FEMA Job Offering - Brand New Position

2012-01-21T08:45:00.000-06:00

To support implementation of the National Disaster Recovery Framework (see also: Presidential Policy Directive/PPD-8), FEMA has recently created a new position that will be filled at locations around the United States. Here are some quick details:

Job Title: Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator GS-0301-14/15
Salary Range: $84,697.00 to $129,517.00 / Per Year
Submission Deadline: Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Locations:
1 vacancy(s) - New York, NY
1 vacancy(s) - Kansas City, MO
1 vacancy(s) - Denver, CO
1 vacancy(s) - Philadelphia, PA
1 vacancy(s) - Atlanta, GA
1 vacancy(s) - Chicago, IL
1 vacancy(s) - Denton, TX
1 vacancy(s) - Boston, MA
1 vacancy(s) - Bothell, WA

Job Summary:
In this position the incumbent will serve as a senior manager, policy advisor and executive staff official for implementing the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF). The primary function will be to serve as Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator (FDRC) and principal staff advisor to the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) on all recovery issues as they relate to the overall mission of FEMA during disaster recovery operations.

To learn how to apply, go here.

Comment: FEMA needs folks with good geospatial awareness inside the firewall. Hopefully, some readers of this blog will apply!

What Not to Do With Social Media

2012-01-20T08:00:00.002-06:00

Reuters is reporting New York City Police have arrested scores of individuals after reading their online bragging about crimes they had committed. Apparently, Facebook is the place to tell the world you have committed murder. Go here to read more.

Comment: You can't make this stuff up. You have to wonder - was the location tracking feature of Facebook enabled during these events?

Floor Plan Mapper

2012-01-19T09:45:00.037-06:00

To much fanfare, late last year Google announced release of an indoor mapping application for Android platforms. That story was posted to this blog as: Indoor Mapping Comes to Android.

While Google and several others have been pursuing an approach that amounts to indoor GPS on a mobile device for large commercial venues, others have been working on simpler, but very effective, approaches for specific sites. One of those efforts is Floor Plan Mapper.

Floor Plan Mapper allows a corporation to integrate its building blueprints with its personnel directory, thereby creating a way for employees to search contact information and the visual "where" as well. The application can also be used to search for assets (where is closest open meeting room?), and help employees and emergency responders understand escape and access routes. It is available both as a desktop and mobile application. A version is also available for convention floors. To learn more, go here.

Comment: Great to see another approach to the idea of indoor navigation. Look for many more variations on this topic in the future with Japan leading the way. Here are a couple of examples:

Indoor/Outdoor Seamless Positioning Using Lighting Tags and GPS Cellular Phones for Personal Navigation, and

Japan’s Indoor Messaging System: IMES

Note From Editor - Unable to Publish

2012-01-19T07:34:00.029-06:00

Yesterday I thought EPC Updates got knocked off line by the Google/Wikipedia blackout. Looks like this site may have a more serious problem. EPC Updates has picked up some type of publishing error that trouble-shooting suggests is a site structural issue. If the post above, or this one, is deleted, in the body of the post remaining there would be a blank white box and associated message that says:

"Given URL is not allowed by the Application configuration.: One or more of the given URLs is not allowed by the Application configuration. It must match one of the Connect or Canvas URLs or domain must be the same as or a subdomain of one of the Application's base domains."

We will continue trouble-shooting this issue, but for the time being we are able to publish by leaving this place holder in place. Please bear with us as we determine the exact nature of the problem and remove it permanently. Any thoughts or suggestions out there would be greatly appreciated. Send to: mngeoepc01@gmail.com. Thanks.

Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,
Test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test, test,

Test anchor

Drones, Drones and More Drones

2012-01-17T09:00:00.039-06:00

Photo: Siemens

Several recent articles in the main stream press have brought attention to the growing role of drones in modern society. In large part, this expanding mission has been driven by advancements in remote sensing and modern autopilot and navigation systems. Two recent examples have included:

However, within the realm of direct value to the Emergency Service Sector, Siemens and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been hard at work on a mini quadro-copter that will be capable of "producing digital models of complex interiors and inspecting inaccessible installations." Go here to read more.

Comment: Shortly after the first Gulf War, I was asked to provide comment on a planned U.S. Air Force project. The project's goal was determining feasibility of allowing one pilot to fly three other accompanying unmanned aircraft (think four aircraft flying together - with only one being manned). After considering the various military and commercial scenarios where this idea was going to be applied, my comment was: "Why don't you just sit in a bunker and fly the airplanes remotely". Looks like we are there.

LightSquared - Down for the Count

2012-01-16T08:00:00.036-06:00

Photo: German Federal Archive

On Friday, both the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee (ExComm), and LightSquared had something to say about each other.

For its part, the ExComm released a letter that basically says: the "science" of LightSquared will not work without causing irreparable harm to GPS - no further testing is warranted. Coming from ExComm co-chairs, Deputy Secretary for Defense Ashton Carter, and Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari, that puts LightSquared on the mat, down for the count.

For its part, LightSquared attempted to stagger up from the blow by accusing the ExComm of "bias and inappropriate collusion" and proposing a third round of testing on its terms. With billions at stake, staying on the mat is not an option.

For anyone joining this saga in the 13th round, past history of the fight and related blog links can be found here: The LightSquared Fight Card.

Comment: Although it's not over until the referee raises an arm - it's getting pretty darn close.

DHS Inspector General: Chicago Region Wasted $45 Million on Police Cameras

2012-01-15T09:30:00.009-06:00

Photo: Chicago Sun-Times

Earlier this week, news broke that the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had concluded Cook County wasted a $45 million dollar grant to install cameras in 256 police cars across the Chicagoland region. The system, known as Project Shield, was suppose to give a central command center the ability to view patrol car circumstances from afar. Report findings included: poorly designed equipment that failed to work, sloppy record keeping, and untrained operators. Links below provide more information on the situation:

Comment: This is the classic good idea gone bad. The project goal was clearly worthwhile, but with the wrong people in the mix the vision of what the Geospatial Revolution could do for the law enforcement community in Cook County got side tracked. Looks like they need an EPC!

First FEMA Think Tank Conference Call

2012-01-14T10:30:00.053-06:00

The date for the first conference call that will discuss ideas from the FEMA Think Tank has been announced. According to http://www.fema.gov/thinktank/:

The first call will take place from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday, January 26th 2012. That week FEMA will post instructions for participating on the call as well as the information on the ideas that will be discussed.

Also according to the FEMA Think Tank home page, the intent of this, and subsequent calls, is as follows:

Deputy Administrator Serino will conduct monthly conference calls to discuss some of the real-life solutions and ideas that are generated by this online forum. These calls will be open to the general public and captioning for participants who are deaf or hard of hearing will be provided. The Deputy Administrator will travel to a different location each month to personally meet with members of the emergency management community.

What ideas will be discussed during the monthly conference call? Each month, Deputy Administrator Serino will select three to four ideas on improving emergency management at the federal level to discuss during the conference call. The individuals that submitted these ideas will have the opportunity to brief the Deputy Administrator during the call. The call will then be opened for questions and further discussion.

Comment: Through efforts of readers of this board, and others from across the U.S., the number one idea on the FEMA Think Tank web page is: "U.S. National Grid as the Response Language of Location". That's not to say everyone agrees with the premise that the nation needs a standard way to communicate location when the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) is called into action. For every 11 votes supporting the idea, one person has voted against it. Although politicians would love that statistic, it leaves one wondering what do the naysayers believe is the alternative? Choices would be:

Keep doing what we are currently doing - no clearly stated national policy; a situation which leaves every jurisdiction off doing whatever they want. How exactly does that create interoperability when disasters cross administrative borders?
Use street addresses to communicate "where"? Beyond the fact 35% of response calls don't go to a street address, that's an approach that's doing a poor job for locations that have them.
How about using the Public Land Survey System (PLSS)? In addition to being an incredibly cumbersome way to describe a location, more than a few states don't use PLSS.
Latitude-Longitude? That's an attempt to take an approach created to support area navigation across great distances (sea, and then air) by very well trained navigators, and back fit it to meet localized needs of individuals who generally don't have a great deal of geospatial training. And that's a difference that has contributed to the loss life during "rescues".
U.S. National Grid/Military Grid Reference System? As the ultimate response organization, there are reasons the U.S. Armed Forces (and NATO) decided more than 60 years ago to use this system for land based operations: interoperability, precision, simplicity, and the desire to minimize the potential for LOSS OF LIFE inherent in the other systems that describe location.

To all you out there that have voted to place "U.S. National Grid as the Response Language of Location" at the top of the FEMA Think Tank - a BIG THANK YOU! For those who haven't voted yet, please do so. Click here to learn how.

National Levee Database

2012-01-13T09:15:00.007-06:00

Since the early days of the United States, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been intergral to the nation's development through its congressional mandate to build and maintain public works that promote interstate public safety and commerce. Part of those efforts have focused on the USA's major waterways, to include ports, shipping channels, locks, dams and levees.

Due to the ever present and wide-spread disaster potential associated with this last item, levees, the USACE has worked diligently to give transparency to its efforts. Most recently, those efforts have included release of the online National Levee Database (NLD). A treasure-trove of data about the nation's levee system, the NLD features an expansive geospatial viewer with many real-time data sources. To learn more:

Click here to proceed directly to the NLD home page

or try URL: http://nld.usace.army.mil (see note below)

Comment: The NLD offers an amazing amount of layers in one place. Unfortunately, it appears to have difficulty with Internet Explorer - works fine in Chrome or Firefox.

Editor’s Special Comment: New URL for EPC Updates!

2012-01-12T11:00:00.004-06:00

Dear Cherished Reader,

About a month ago, I learned this blog was being blocked by many government firewalls because the site’s URL was associated with "blogspot" or contained the term “blog”. Pretty ironic situation given one of the primary audiences EPC Updates was intended to reach is…….public servants. The situation is even more ironic given the existence of blog.fema.gov, blog.dhs.gov, and several other similar sites. Either “gov” in those URLs is allowing users to see them through government firewalls, or unbeknownst to editors of those sites, they have the same problem as EPC Updates. But, I’m not going to worry about letting those editors know even if it turns out to be the last situation - they’ll find out soon enough. Yesterday, Reuters revealed that since June 2010, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “has been operating a "Social Networking/Media Capability" which involves regular monitoring of "publicly available online forums, blogs, public websites and message boards." Classic, just classic. Government decision makers, do you realize your Information Technology policies are bi-polar?

While there are indications some units of government are becoming less afraid of the connective tissue that social networking/media technologies have to offer – there is still a long way to go. For that reason, I have decided to take the following steps in an effort to provide better site access for federal, state, and local government workers, and foreign friends dealing with censorship issues:

Effective today, this site’s URL is changing to: www.epcupdates.org. While Blogger will provide a redirect if you use the old URL, please note the change.
Postings on this site will also be available by using links in the right side bar at: www.sharedgeo.org

Realizing full well this new approach might not be enough to achieve the stated goal because government firewalls may sense redirects, I’m prepared to standup a completely new site devoid of any blog connotation if need be. But first, I’m going to try the easy route and see what happens.

Your thoughts and comments - either by email (mngeoepc01@gmail.com) or as an attachment to this post - are always welcome.

Fraternally,
Steve

NDSU Team Develops "Winter Survival Kit" App

2012-01-11T08:10:00.001-06:00

Bob Bertsch and Jake Joraanstad, two software developers with connections to North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, North Dakota, have managed to create a rather large public relations buzz with release of their Winter Survival Kit application. As reported in the Washington Post, ABC News and a slew of others, the application offers a variety of features designed to be an electronic version of the survival kit many Midwesterners carry in their car during winter. Of course, the ability to determine a user's location and call 9-1-1 are key features of the application. Go here for the NDSU information page on this project.

Free Virtual Seminar - Statewide GIS Data for Public Safety

2012-01-10T07:40:00.001-06:00

The National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation (NAPSG) and NAVTEQ are sponsoring a free virtual seminar entitled: "Case Study on a Public-Private Partnership for Statewide GIS Data for Public Safety", this Thursday at 3:00-4:00 EDT. The presentation will focus on efforts that have been taking place in Virginia. Here are the bulleted details:

Title: Case Study on a Public-Private Partnership for Statewide GIS Data for Public Safety
Date: Thursday, January 12, 2012
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT (2:00 PM-3:00 PM Central Time)
Cost: Free - but space is limited

Go here for more details and registration.

In addition, two documents from the case study are available:

Executive Summary (1.91 MB PDF)
Complete Report (7.04 MB PDF)

MicroSoft's "Avoid Ghetto" GPS Patent

2012-01-09T08:00:00.021-06:00

(Graphic: JimBobThe Boss/Flickr)

As reported by several publications in the popular press, MicroSoft was recently awarded a patent for technology that will generate GPS routing based on crime factors. Intended primarily for Windows enabled mobile phones, the technology has already been dubbed: "Avoid Ghetto". Find below two articles on this development:

Microsoft Patents Bad Neighborhood Detection, Byte, January 7, 2012
Microsoft Patents ‘Avoid Ghetto’ Feature For GPS Devices, CBS Seattle, January 6, 2012

Comment: It was only matter of time before this happened. Although MicroSoft got there first with this aspect of what's possible with GPS and a dynamic data base - look for additional capabilities related to personal safety and emergencies from others in the years ahead.

Chicago Shovels!

2012-01-08T08:30:00.062-06:00

Photo: Paul Davidy

This past February, the City of Chicago got a black eye when it was hit with a blizzard and it quickly lost situational awareness on clean up efforts. On top of the public relations nightmare that came from claims of clean city streets, that were not, a handful of volunteers launched a social media mapping web site in less than a day that became the de facto understanding of the snow emergency. Recently, the New York Times provided an update on what's happened in Chicago since those events played out in February 2011. Click on the link below to read, or click here to go directly to the ChicagoShovels web site (look for "Plow Tracker").

U.S. | January 03, 2012 Snow Site Lets Chicago See if Plows Are Really in a Rut
By MONICA DAVEY
ChicagoShovels.org will track the clearing of streets and encourage residents to pitch in after storms.

Comment: Apparently unbeknownst to the New York Times staff, New York City has decided to copy the effort in Chicago. A decision which comes as the result of another unit of government not keeping up with Geospatial Revolution - New York City suffered under circumstances similar to Chicago's on December 26, 201o.

The Open Source Software Initiative Comes to NGA

2012-01-07T08:00:00.002-06:00

Faced with the dual reality that the American taxpayer's pockets are empty, and that the open source software community has come a long way in the past decade, several efforts to promote the use of open source software in the Federal government have taken root. Two of the most notable are:

Recently, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) decided to change its policies to allow the use of open source geospatial software at the agency. Given NGA is the primary provider of remote sensing and mapping products to federal and state agencies during disasters, this development opens the door on deployment of a variety of geospatial products that have not been previously used in the official world of response. For more on this topic, please see "The NGA Turns to Open Source", recently penned by Mark Lucas in LBx Journal.

Comment: The EPC is no stranger to open source geospatial software. Indeed, through its spin-off technical arm, SharedGeo, it has been promoting use of the Minnesota developed open source geospatial product GeoMoose. Used successfully as a Common Operating Picture platform during both the 2008 Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities and Red River Valley floods of 2009, GeoMoose has recently entered the final phase of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation's (OSGeo) sanctioning process. The other free Minnesota product to have completed this process is the exceptionally successful MapServer software.

Drone Pilots - Overworked and Feeling It

2012-01-06T08:00:00.022-06:00

Photo: USAF

Toward the end of last month, Jill Reilly of London's MailOnline, offered an article that explored the stress imposed on military drone pilots who are flying remote sensing platforms that effectively never need rest. Contrary to what one might think, for these military pilots, the stress doesn't come from the combat role performed by the drones. Go here to read the article.

Comment: This article indirectly addresses a theme raised by Dr. Carl Reed during his Twin Cities GECCo talks - Big Data. Remote sensing platforms are now capable of generating more sensory output than we have either the mechanical or human capacity to handle. That equates to unreviewed stacks of collected data, and stress on system operators.

Bird Flu - It's Time to Think Geospatially!

2012-01-05T07:00:00.056-06:00

As noted on this blog on December 21, 2011, it was recently announced that researchers in the U.S. and Europe have been able to modify the H5N1 bird flu virus in a way that creates an easily transmittable form of the pathogen - a point of great concern given the 60% fatality rate associated with this strain of flu. On December 30, 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) joined the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity in urging the teams not to publish details of their efforts out of fears terrorists could use the information to create a world-wide pandemic of epic proportions.

While these developments were taking place on center stage, a grim reminder of the deadly potential of the virus was playing itself out in Southern China. Coming on the heels of Hong Kong's effort to eradicate a mid-December outbreak of the virus by slaughtering nearly 20,000 market birds, it was announced this first outbreak of bird flu since 2010 had claimed the life of a Chinese bus driver on December 31, 2011. Expanded information on these developments can be found in the articles below:

Debate Persists on Deadly Flu Made Airborne, NY Times, Dec 20, 2011
WHO "Deeply Concerned" by Mutated Birdflu Research, Reuters, Dec 30, 2011
A Bird Flu Death in China. What it Means - and Doesn't Mean, Time, Jan 1, 2012
Hong Kong Keeps Ban on Some Chinese Poultry Imports After Flu Link Found, Bloomberg, Jan 3, 2012

Daily monitoring and/or detailed information on this subject is also available through the University of Minnesota's world renowned Center for Infectious Disease Reporting and Prevention (CIDRAP). Bird flu resources can be accessed through the MCEIRS Avian Influenza Training link in the breakout box, top of the right main column.

Comment: Unfortunately, much like formal public health efforts inside the United States, WHO's perspective on the Geospatial Revolution is one focused on mapping statistics, not on using geospatial technologies for real-time situational awareness. For an example, go here.

Given this virus, and others to come in the future, are potentially both significant natural and man-made threats, it's imperative that efforts like Florida's Community Health Assessment Resource Tools Set (CHARTS) Interactive Community Map and Houston's St. Luke Episcopal Health Charities Project Safety Net, are seen as the minimum starting point in moving the world-wide public health and medical communities toward real-time sensing and visualization of pandemic and other health related data. In that regard, one of the most progressive understandings of what is possible was recently offered in the International Journal of Health Geographics: "Crowdsourcing, Citizen Sensing and Sensor Web Technologies for Public and Environmental Health Surveillance and Crisis Management: Trends, OGC Standards and Application Examples".

Bergen County New Jersey Builds State-of-the-Art EOC

2012-01-04T08:00:00.029-06:00

Photo: Marketwatch.com

EmergencyManagement.com recently featured an article about seven towns in Bergen County, New Jersey, that pooled their resources to build a state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center (EOC). This collaborative effort not only provided a much updated capability to meet their collective needs, but has facilitated interoperability and multiagency coordination. Go here to read the article.

Comment: This is a great example of communities working together before trouble strikes, so they are better able to handle it when it does.

EPC Updates Resolutions for 2012

2012-01-03T08:20:00.003-06:00

On New Year's Eve day, a countdown of the EPC Updates most popular posts for 2011 was offered on this blog. However, with over 240 posts in the past year, giving consideration only to the "most popular" probably means some insightful information from 2011 was left behind. Consequently, an editor's review of the past year has resulted in a list of the "Top Ten Most Overlooked Posts for 2011". From each one comes an idea, theme, or issue that speaks to the future use of geospatial technologies in the Emergency Services Sector (ESS). And in turn, from that list comes 10 potential resolutions for 2012. So without further adieu, in descending order, here are the EPC Updates.....

Top Ten Most Overlooked Posts for 2011:

10. North Dakota: First Known Use of a Drone During the Arrest of a U.S. Citizen - Dec 13, 2011. Resolution: Learn more about drones and the issues related to their use inside the United States.
9. Indoor Mapping Comes to the Android - Dec 2, 2011. Resolution: Work to further indoor "GPS"capabilities that will benefit the ESS.
8. NSGIC Releases Best Practices for Geospatial Data Sharing - Nov 13, 2011. Resolution: Promote sharing of geospatial data for use by the ESS.
7. Anger Builds Over Radiation Forecast Maps Withheld From Japanese Public - Aug 10, 2011. Resolution: Always encourage units of government and infrastructure owners to promptly and meaningfully release incident related geospatial information to the public during disasters.
6. Terrorism Concern: Scientists Asked to Withhold “Bird Flu” Data - Dec 21, 2011. Resolution: Engage the medical community per their need for meaningful geospatial enablement.
5. Supreme Court Justices Show Concern Over GPS Tracking - Nov 11, 2011. Resolution: Learn more about the complex and diverse legal issues that are emerging for the geospatial community as the Geospatial Revolution continues to accelerate.
4. Safecast: Crowd Sourcing Radiation Measurements In Japan - Nov 22, 2011. Resolution: Work to help the ESS understand it is failing in its mission if it is not actively participating in the Geospatial Revolution.
3. Makes Me Cry - NIMS Guideline for the Credentialing of Personnel - Sep 17, 2011. Resolution: Work to ensure formal national recognition of concepts embodied in the EPC's Geospatial Emergency Management Specialist (GEMS) project.
2. The LightSquared Fight Card - Dec 15, 2011. Resolution: Closely monitor developments that could significantly impact use of GPS inside the United States.
1. The 9-1-1 Carnage Continues - Aug 20, 2011. Resolution: Work to get all parts of the ESS to use a common language of location - the U.S. National Grid.

Comment: On the first full working day of the year, the above are offered as food for thought. Hopefully, you'll take at least one of these resolutions to heart and become actively engaged on the issue in 2012!

Job Opening: Minnesota Chief Geospatial Information Officer

2012-01-02T08:00:00.004-06:00

Update (January 5, 2012): The application deadline has been extended to January 30th!

After many years of dedicated service to the people of Minnesota, Chief Geospatial Information Officer, David Arbeit, recently announced his plans to retire. Consequently, anyone interested in being his replacement can find information on how to apply through the EPC Jobs Board link in the right hand side bar. ~~Applications must be submitted by January 6, 2012.~~

Happy New Year From Minnesota!

2012-01-01T07:00:00.013-06:00

Wishing the Very Best

for You and Yours in 2012!

EPC Updates: Top Ten Countdown for 2011

2011-12-31T07:00:00.084-06:00

If Guy Lombardo, Dick Clark, Casey Kasem, and host of others can have New Year's Eve countdowns, so can the EPC. So, find below, in descending order for EPC Updates, countries of top readership, and the most popular posts during 2011:

Top Countries of Readership for 2011:

10. Japan
9.   Australia
8.   Philippines
7.   India
6.   Germany
5.   France
4.   Canada
3.   United Kingdom
2.   Russia
1.   United States

With over 3/4's of the hits on this blog since inception on June 23rd, 2011, it should come as no surprise that the most avid readers of this blog live in the United States. However, what is surprising is that among EPC Updates readers living on all six habitable continents, the next most avid group comes from Russia?   Hmmm......

Top Posts for 2011:

10. Geospatial Tech's Impact on Government's Emergency Response Efforts - Aug 24, 2011
9.   The Future is Now: A GIS Driven Common Operating Picture at California ISO - Dec 12, 2011
8.   Twin Cities GECCo Wrapup - Oct 29, 2011
7.   Tickets - The FREE Open Source Computer-Aided-Dispatch Software - Sep 24, 2011
6.   DHS Launches OneView - Prepares to Pull Plug on iCAV - Jul 22, 2011
5.   Google's Crisis Map - Falling Short of the Mark - August 28, 2011
4.   U.S. National Grid - "In" The FEMA Think Tank - Dec 16, 2011
3.   Garmin Greatly Expands the Number of Units With U.S. National Grid Capability - Nov 8, 2011
2.   HSIP Gold 2011 Released - Mar 9, 2011
1.   First Successful Cyber Attack Against U.S. Infrastructure - Nov 21, 2011

With over 400 hits in one day, no other story on this blog came close to receiving the attention of this year's number one story: First Successful Cyber Attack Against U.S. Infrastructure. While several news organizations have subsequently reported the Department of Homeland Security and FBI are now saying the incident was a "false alarm," the reality is the scenario attributed to the event remains valid.  For that reason, on November 30, 2011, House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan's 8th, and Committee Ranking Member, Representative Mitch Rupperberger of Maryland's 2nd, introduced H.R. 3523: "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011". As envisioned, the bill, which now has 37 co-sponsors, will allow the nation's intelligence directorate to share cyber relate threat information with the nation's infrastructure owners.

Lost on the Way to the Fire

2011-12-30T08:00:00.007-06:00

As they have several times in the past, Firehouse.com recently ran an article about the lack of a uniform and precise way to communicate location information in the Fire Service. Here's the lead-in sentence from the article:

"Several weeks ago, city firefighters were dispatched to a call on Hewitt Street in the East End. Except they were actually needed four miles away on Jewett Street in the North End."

To read the remainder of the article, go here.

Comment: Clear and precise communication of location in the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) isn't an issue isolated only to the Bridgeport Fire Department featured in the above article. As related in a previous post on this blog: The 9-1-1 Carnage Continues...., the issue impacts all sectors of the ESS and all regions of the nation. However, there is a solution for the situation, it's called the U.S. National Grid (USNG).

Things Are Jump'n In Frogtown

2011-12-29T08:00:00.150-06:00

The geospatial efforts of Tait Danielson Castillo, Executive Director of the District 7 Planning Council of St. Paul, were recently subject of a featured article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Specifically highlighted was Castillo's use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) to map data that was then used to engage the neighborhood's 5,500 residents on issues ranging from community gardens to crime hot spots. Go here to read more.

Comment: This is a "big jump" forward for Frogtown's efforts to create a cohesive neighborhood and make it a safer place. However, similar follow-on efforts in other neighborhoods are certain to "leapfrog" it if Frogtown keeps its policy that mapped data will not be shared with the public. That's because the best situational awareness comes from data collaboration, not data collection. And you can't effectively collaborate, without sharing.

TCIP Conference Presentation Materials are Now Available

2011-12-28T08:00:00.007-06:00

In late Summer, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in association with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), hosted the 12th Annual Technologies for Critical Incident Preparedness (TCIP) Conference and Exposition. As described in a recent news release, the conference:

"...brought together first responders, government officials, academic experts and others to share their knowledge of technological advances made over the past 10 years that strengthen our nation's ability to handle emergencies. Presenters, invited by the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and the Department of Defense focused on the use of technology in prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. Topics included responses to 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, personal location and tracking technologies, new aviation systems and tools, biosurveillance, addressing the active shooter threat, social media alerts and warnings, and more."

NIJ has recently made many of the presentations from this event available at its JustNet online site. Go here to view and/or download.

Comment: More than a few of these presentations incorporate the thought that GIS is critical to preparedness and response efforts. Happy hunting!

Presidential Policy Directive/PPD-8

2011-12-27T08:00:00.021-06:00

On March 30, 2011, President Obama signed Presidential Policy Directive/PPD-8: National Preparedness. Much like what has been done for response efforts through the National Response Framework, PPD-8 requires release of a series of documents that will bring better definition and structure to the nation's preparedness efforts. To date, three main documents, and a variety of materials supporting them, have been released:

September 23, 2011: The National Disaster Recovery Framework

September 30, 2011: The National Preparedness Goal

December 6, 2011: The National Preparedness System Description

To learn more and read these documents and supporting materials, go to FEMA's home page for PPD-8, located here.

Comment: As part of the above efforts, in November FEMA released its Think Tank as a way to directly engage the public. Currently, the number one suggestion posted on the Think Tank was offered by this author: U.S. National Grid as the Response Language of Location. Please keep the votes coming in for this one so the issue receives the attention it deserves! (The process of voting is quick and easy as related here.)

Itttt's Baaaaaack - EMI's Social Media Webinar

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

On December 7th, 2011, the Mission Support Branch of the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) hosted a webinar for Federal, State, Local, Tribal and emergency management personnel and their staff on the use of social media. 300 individuals tuned into the event making it the largest webinar ever sponsored by EMI. Consequently, EMI has decided to repeat the webinar. Here are the details:

Date/Time: January 18, 2012 from 4:00-5:00 PM Eastern Time (ET)

Website Information: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/r72351348

The webinar is an informational brief. Therefore, participants do not register.

Conference Bridge Information: 1-800-320-4330 and Pin #: 885312.

There are a limited number of lines that will be available on a first come, first served basis. Once the 300 lines are used, no further lines will be available. If possible, please conserve lines by calling in as a group.

Closed Captioning Information: http://fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=1877175&CustomerID=321

Course Description: The webinar defines social media and presents the emerging trends and best practices in using social media applications (Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc.) during all phases of emergency management. It also provides a tutorial on how to access and work within these social media applications. The webinar concludes with an overview on how emergency management and response personnel can help their organizations find their unique voice in social media.

Course Goals: At the completion of this training, participants will have a basic knowledge of:

Social media best practices;

Working within various social media; and

Finding your unique voice in social media.

EMI Point of Contact: For course information, contact the EMI course manager, Doug Kuhn, at (301) 447-1287, 1-800-238-3358 (ext. 1287) or email: doug.kuhn@fema.dhs.gov.

Adobe Connect Information:

Test your connection if you have never attended a Connect Pro meeting before: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

Get a quick overview: http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview

Happy Holidays From Minnesota!!!

2011-12-25T08:00:00.002-06:00

Click here for the 2011 Holiday Greeting Card, University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business

NORAD Tracks Santa!

2011-12-24T07:00:00.003-06:00

Once again, the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) will be geospatially tracking Jolly Old Saint Nick as makes his way around the world. Watch the action online, in Google Earth, or on your phone! Go here.

Ho, ho, ho.....Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Map of Preventable Diseases

2011-12-23T08:00:00.014-06:00

The renowned Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recently released an interactive map showing outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases. Initially based on more than three years’ worth of news clippings collected by staff, going forward the map encourages submission of “crowd sourced” data that can be verified in major news articles. Go here to view the map and learn more.

Comment: Here’s another example of an organization not normally associated with the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) that is working to bring visualization to public safety/health data. Most interestingly, lacking apparent access to formal information flows from organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), the CFR has instead opted use an approach that relies on the awareness of the masses. In that thought is another emerging reality for the ESS – social media is both transmit AND receive.

Smartphone Safety Application for Rutgers Students

2011-12-22T08:00:00.004-06:00

A collaborative effort involving teachers and students at Rutgers University has resulted in development of a smartphone application that provides users with information about crime prone areas of the campus. This mobile GIS uses two sources of mapped information to deliver situational awareness to users:

Data on past criminal activity

Crowd sourced information about safety features like lighting

To learn more, go here.

Comment: Note that this application was not developed through efforts of the Rutgers campus police, but by the community at large. Thus, much like the circumstances related in the "Safecast" post on this blog, it's another example of others doing the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) mission when the ESS hasn't kept up with the Geospatial Revolution.

Terrorism Concern: Scientists Asked to Withhold “Bird Flu” Data

2011-12-21T10:00:00.065-06:00

Photo: The Guardian

Here's the story's lead-in: "For the first time ever, a government advisory board is asking scientific journals not to publish details of certain biomedical experiments, for fear that the information could be used by terrorists to create deadly viruses and touch off epidemics."  To read the article from the New York Times, click the link below:

HEALTH | December 21, 2011
Seeing Terror Risk, U.S. Asks Journals to Cut Flu Study Facts
By DENISE GRADY and WILLIAM J. BROAD
The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity has urged Science and Nature to keep details out of reports that they intend to publish on a highly transmissible form of the bird flu.

Comment: In the age we now live, any major pandemic, whether it is man-made or naturally occurring, in human beings or animals, really only has one hope of containment - situational awareness through geospatial technologies. Beyond understanding "where" to direct the fight, geospatial technologies are key to tracing virus movement, anticipating future outbreaks, and setting containment zones. Such was the case with the very serious outbreak of Hoof and Mouth in Great Britain and Northern Europe in 2001. By the time the disease manifest itself, it was already multi-nodal due to the extensive and rapid movement of animals facilitated by modern agriculture. Thus, the only way to comprehensively understand how to put the genie back in the bottle in a situation like that was through a geospatially driven approach (re: Minnesota Veterinary Observer, Dale Neirby).

With regard to bird flu, to date efforts have focused primarily on anticipating transmission from native species. In 2010, Ecology and Society, hosted a series of papers on "risk mapping" of avian influenza.  Although "risk mapping" is less about location and more about transmission factors for most authors on this subject matter, one exception is Professor A. Townsend Peterson of the University of Kansas. Through lots of hard work that included combing more than 50 plus years of Audubon bird watcher reports, Professor Townsend developed an extensive transmission model for the North American continent that predicts further points of outbreak based on location of the first confirmed case, date and bird type.

Unfortunately, the greater response community doesn't seem to understand that dynamic geospatial awareness is essential to limiting the pandemic transmission process in the human population.  On one hand, the medical community, from the Centers for Disease Control on down, appear to be thinking about geospatial technology circa 2006 - static map products used to relate post event statistics. Additionally, current daily disease outbreak reporting and the next generation of health records include scant location capability relative to what is possible. On the other hand, the emergency management community, has neither the expertise, nor capacity, to engage the medical community on the issue. Consequently, the potential for real-time situational awareness reporting from the medical community is still decades away. Given the very real possibility that an easily mutated deadly bird flu virus could now end up in the wrong hands, it might be prudent for us to collectively rethink our engagement on this issue.

Unified Incident Command and Decision Support

2011-12-20T08:00:00.003-06:00

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently launched a website to promote its Unified Incident Command and Decision Support (UICDS) software. Under development by SAIC since 2009, UICDS is intended to be a "middleware" data sharing program. As described at the UICDS home page, the intent of the effort is as follows:

"UICDS is information sharing middleware for NIMS incident management that continuously receives and shares standardized data among many agencies during an incident. Your everyday application gets from UICDS exactly the data you need to use, visualize, process, improve, decide, and then share back through UICDS to keep everyone informed.

Because UICDS is middleware, there is no new user interface to learn, no cost to obtain it, and you retain complete control over your data. You get notified when an agency has provided new or updated incident data and you share your data with whom you want instantaneously and in the background without any disruption to your operation."

To learn more, go here.

Comment: It seems as though that at any moment in time, the Department of Homeland Security has more than a few of these information sharing technology development efforts underway. Often, as is the case with UICDS, geospatial is a big piece of the puzzle. Yet, to date, robust geospatial information sharing remains an elusive goal for the Emergency Services Sector. Hopefully, UICDS will be able to help change that landscape going forward.

Geospatial Technology Comes to the Maurtitius Police Force

2011-12-19T08:00:00.031-06:00

Recently, the online version of GeoInformatics Magazine reported on deployment of a customized Geographic Information System for the Maurtitius Police Force. Although the system serves an Indian Ocean island nation few have ever heard of, this user friendly system offers some substantial technical capabilities. Go here to read the article.

Comment: The perceived level of a country's development often gets in the way of understanding advancements in technology. U.S. police departments could learn a lot from this Maurtitius Police Force system, the same way the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration could learn a lot from Mongolia's air traffic control system (see comments by Senator Jay Rockefeller mid-way down the page).

NOAA - 2011: A Bad Year For Weather Related Disasters

2011-12-18T08:00:00.012-06:00

In early December, several news organizations reported the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had confirmed what many had suspected - even with a month still left in the year, 2011 was the worst year on record for weather related U.S. disasters. In all, NOAA was reporting there had been 12 events, each causing more than a billion dollars worth of damage.

To put this report in perspective, NOAA has set up a web site to tell the tale. Go here.

Comment: In 1860, 80% of Americans lived in rural settings and the nation's population was approximately 31 million. In 2010, 80% of Americans lived in urban settings and the country's population was approximately 310 million. While there are more than a few who would like to focus discussion of rising costs of weather related events solely on climate change, the reality is that as infrastructure has become more tightly interwoven, and the nation's population has become more densely packed and grown 10 fold, the opportunity for weather to bring harm to individuals and man-made structures has increased significantly over the last 150 years. Thus, it's all the more reason why the best possible geospatial technology should be in the hands of the Emergency Sevices Sector. An ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure.

Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami - Visualizing Before and After

2011-12-17T08:00:00.012-06:00

Over the past week, a number of organizations have offered reflections on the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami of earlier this year. Many of them have used maps and satellite photos to highlight the extent of the problems that remain. For your consideration:

1.) Click on the link below to read an article from the New York Times. Associated maps and satellite photos are offered as separate links:

WORLD | December 07, 2011

Japan Split on Hope for Vast Radiation Cleanup

By MARTIN FACKLER

Japan hopes the cleanup near the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant will allow the displaced to return home.

Click here, for an oblique graphic and maps of the Fukushima region.
Click here, for a series of comparative satellite views of the damaged areas in Japan.

2.) Proceed to Google's "Memories for the Future" site. On it you will find a Google Maps application that provides a StreetView version of "before and after" the devastation. Drag the gold colored "Google Man" down from above the scale slide bar on the upper left hand side of the map, and drop him onto any part of the map's blue colored areas to begin your tour. Click here.

3.) Nagasaki Archive has created a Google Earth mashup that allows users to view post event photos overlaid onto a pre-event version of Google Earth. Go here to read about the effort and see representative examples.

Comment: The brain works in pictures - its the reason we can see multiple different views of something like a dog (face, profile, top-down, etc.), and still recognize what we are looking at is a dog. Its smoehting I tinhk you cmolpeetly udrnetsnad - eevn touhgh I dnot tnihk you hvae eevr ralley tohuhgt auobt it. See what I mean? Your brain even processes words as pictures. Consequently, the best way to relate any story is by using - pictures. And when that story is about a disaster, maps and aerial photos are the only way to tell a story that's about location - whether it's while the disaster is happening, or later.

U.S. National Grid - "In" The FEMA Think Tank

2011-12-16T08:00:00.004-06:00

As noted previously on this blog, a little over a month ago FEMA launched The FEMA Think Tank as a website where individuals can offer, "ideas for strengthening the emergency management field and improving the nation’s capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters." Others can then review these posts and vote concerning respective value. The FEMA Think Tank is located here: http://fema.ideascale.com/.

Last week on The Think Tank, a post was offered by this author entitled, “U.S. National Grid as the Response Language of Location”. It can be found on the first page of suggestions. It is currently rated number 3 out of 115+ suggestions for improvement.

Comment: In an effort to help raise awareness about the lack of a nationally consistent standard for communicating location in the Emergency Services Sector, a "get out the vote" campaign for this post is underway. Consequently, as a reader of this blog, your assistance is being requested:

Please proceed to The FEMA Think Tank, review the post, and then give it your thoughtful consideration. To do that, go here: http://fema.ideascale.com/a/dtd/U.S.-National-Grid-as-the-Response-Language-of-Location/320144-14692

If you are in agreement with the post and are willing to vote for it, please create a user profile by clicking “Register” in the top right corner of the web page. Registration is VERY quick and easy.

Then return to the post and vote for it by clicking on the associated “Thumbs-up, I agree”.

Done.

A few minutes of your time spent on this simple project, could very well help change the way the nation does business in the Emergency Services Sector. Thank you.

The LightSquared Fight Card

2011-12-15T08:00:00.004-06:00

From this point forward, you're going to need a fight card to keep up with events taking place over in the LightSquared Arena. Here's an update:

December 9th, 2011: Bloomberg News reports a second round of Federal Communication Commission (FCC) mandated interference tests confirmed LightSquared's broadband system would disrupt the signal to 75% of GPS units. Go here.

December 10th, 2011: The Wall Street Journal reports LightSquared's financier, Minnesota youth hockey prodigy, Philip Falcone, is being threatened with possible civil-fraud charges by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Go here.

December 12th, 2011: Bloomberg News article fills in the details of the SEC investigation into Mr. Falcone and Harbinger Capital Partners. Go here.

December 12th, 2011: CEO of LightSquared, Sanjiv Ahuja, fires off a letter to Department of Defense Deputy Under Secretary Ashton Carter and Department of Transportation Under Secretary John Porcari (interference testing leads), demanding an investigation into the information leaked to Bloomberg News on December 9th. Go here for the letter.

December 14th, 2011: The report on the second round of interference testing is due to the Executive Committee overseeing testing.

Comment: Get Reeeaddy to RUMMMBLLLEEEE! More background information on this situation can be found in the following previous posts on this blog:

September 19, 2011: LightSquared Turns Into a Political Dogfight

September 13, 2011: Congressional Hearings Into LightSquared Interfernce with GPS

July 20, 2011: Comments From the LightSquared Discussion Panel at the ESRI Survey Summit

July 12, 2011: The LightSquared Battle Heats Up

July 8, 2011: LightSquared GPS Update

June 16, 2011: More on LightSquared

HAZUS Goes to Singapore

2011-12-14T08:30:00.000-06:00

The HAZUS program recently announced that National University of Singapore will begin a HAZUS pilot study. Find below the official news release:

"We're very proud to announce that the National University in Singapore (NUS) has received approval to conduct a HAZUS pilot study. This is a significant accomplishment for the HAZUS program and we are hopeful that this will lead to further use of HAZUS in Singapore.

Earlier this year, the NUS was asked to perform a study for the government of Singapore on sea level rise using loss estimation methodology. After researching the best methodologies and tools available, the NUS concluded that HAZUS deserved looking into further. NUS representatives then worked with FEMA to arrange for face to face meetings with members of the HAZUS program team.

Eric Berman, HAZUS Program Manager, Philip Moore of the Emergency Management Institute and Kevin Mickey from The Polis Center visited NUS in November to provide additional information on the HAZUS software. Their presentation, which included a HAZUS workshop and demonstration of the HAZUS methodology, was attended by government representatives from Singapore, NUS and other local academic institutions. As a result of these meetings, NUS decided to pilot the use of HAZUS for their study.

A leading international university centered in Asia, NUS offers a global approach to education and research. Its transformative education program includes a broad-based curriculum with over 36,000 students from 100 countries.

The HAZUS Program Team looks forward to increased opportunities to work with HAZUS internationally. This visit to Singapore follows the signing of an agreement between the U.S. and Canada in August to provide HAZUS software to Canada."

Comment: The interest shown in HAZUS by both Singapore and Canada is great news. The greater the involvement by organizations with diverse perspectives, the better the HAZUS product will be for all.

North Dakota: First Known Use of a Drone During the Arrest of a U.S. Citizen

2011-12-13T08:00:00.056-06:00

Several newspapers, to include the Minneapolis Star Tribune, recently reported on an event that took place in eastern North Dakota in late June 2011. Specifically, for the first time inside the borders of the United States, a Predator drone was used for surveillance during the arrest of three U.S. citizens. Go here to read the article as printed in the LA Times on December 10, 2011.

Comment: Here's yet another controversy when it comes to privacy and the Geospatial Revolution - and our failure as a nation to consider where things are headed before we get there. On one side are those who believe law enforcement drones are a much greater violation of personal privacy than is the case with observation airplanes. On the other, are those who see drones as nothing more than better technology that will make law enforcement easier and safer. Debaters, start your engines.

The Future is Now: A GIS Driven Common Operating Picture at California ISO

2011-12-12T08:45:00.001-06:00

In 2009, the California Independent System Operator (ISO) Corporation, an entity that manages 80% of the power grid in California, commenced construction of a state-of-the-art control center that incorporates situational intelligence. Central to these efforts was the introduction of geospatial displays that function on several levels, to include displaying real time information about Emergency Services Sector (ESS) related events and disasters. The company that built the system for California ISO, Space-Time Insight, has recently released a series of videos documenting the effort. Find below a trailer for the series:

Additional videos, to include one dedicated specifically to crisis management can be found on the Space-Time Insight video page located here.

In addition, a two-page background document is available here.

Comment: The above featured video and supporting reference material bring to mind at least five different points about the apparent future of the Geospatial Revolution in the utility sector:

Geospatial technologies and SCADA will become increasingly intertwined.

Geospatial products and services will become less about applications run by trained professionals, and more about inclusive systems that provide basic analytical capabilities to information managers and decision makers.

ESS related geospatial information will become an essential element of information in the control system of any well managed utility.

In order to prioritize response efforts, emergency managers and responders will need real-time access to a geospatial "Big Picture" for each major utility within their zone of responsibility.

In much the same way utility companies were at the forefront of efforts to introduce GIS technology, they are now on the cutting edge of efforts to introduce Common Operating Picture (COP) technology - something of great value to the ESS.

Taken together, the thoughts above are the reason the EPC began developing a working relationship with the Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITA) in 2009. GITA stood then, as it does now, as the lone professional geospatial organization in this arena that is not stuck in the present, nor beholden to any specific software. Instead, through its GECCo effort dating back to 2004, and its Emergency Response Symposium effort dating back to 2008, it had anticipated the paradigm shift in the utility sector that is now starting to materialize. It's also the reason GITA alone has received Department of Homeland Security (DHS) financial backing for delivery of its GECCo program; most recently in Dallas and the Twin Cities, and soon to be followed in the San Francisco East Bay on January 26 and 27, 2012, and Charlotte, NC, later this spring.