The primary aim of the project was, and is, to assist emergency managers, planners, the public, and others in their efforts to reduce hazard vulnerabilities through awareness and education, hazard mitigation, and comprehensive land-use and development planning.
Specific assessments or analyses included in RVAT include Hazards, Critical Facilities, Societal, Economic, Environmental, and Mitigation Opportunities. However, four additional assessments were included in RVAT, three of which target a particular audience (Floodplain Management, Parcel Analysis, Hazards Locator Tool). One additional mapservice, entitled Observations and Forecasts, allows users to dynamically link (via hotlinks) to real-time and near real-time atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrologic information on the Internet. The inclusion of these additional tools helped to address other multi-hazards issues, many of which were identified during the multiple partner meetings that were conducted in each county during the project’s life cycle.
The structure of the ArcIMS application was driven in large part by information from project partners and future users. Initial needs assessments, formal project reviews (both internal and external), and subsequent trainings were used to guide the look and feel of both the mapping interface and the Web site. For example, project partners requested a tool simplification, the “auto-identify” function in the Hazards Locator Tool, during one of the subsequent trainings. In other evaluations, project partners recommended additional instructions and features to meet anticipated user needs.
The spatial data layers used in the CSI RVAT ArcIMS were obtained from a variety of local, state, and federal sources (see Appendix 1). In most cases, only limited processing was required to prepare the data for insertion into the mapping application, and the processing mostly took the form of spatial reprojection and/or conversion to a shapefile (if provided as an ArcInfo® coverage). In a few cases, however, a significant amount of effort was required before the information could be added as a functional data layer in the ArcIMS. In order of increasing difficulty, the following types of data all required varying amounts of processing beyond simple location, collection, and reprojection—meteorological, oceanographic, and hydrologic observing station data; critical facilities; largest employers; and data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The simplest data processing task (beyond mere reprojection or conversion) was the addition of hyperlinks to the data attributes from the National Weather Service (forecast zones, buoys, METAR stations), U.S. Geological Survey (river gages), and National Ocean Service (tide gages). Adding hyperlinks allowed the user to be able to link directly to the particular observing platform’s Web site and view near real-time information.
The critical facilities data set was obtained from FDEM as one homogenous data layer containing nearly 22,000 records (statewide coverage) and 96 different categories. The project team selected Brevard and Volusia Counties and then collapsed the 96 original categories into just 16 layers according to a particular emergency management function (e.g., fire and rescue facility, police station, hospital or nursing home, animal care facility, hazardous material storage site, etc.). Coordination with project partners was necessary concerning this particular data set to ensure that the generated categories were sensible in a local emergency management context.
Largest employer data were provided to the project team simply as a list of addresses. In order for the data to be displayed in ArcIMS, it was necessary to geocode the addresses and then verify the locations using aerial photography to ensure that the geocoding process was successful (i.e., accurate). Once the team was satisfied with the placement of each building facility, a point shapefile was generated and added to the ArcIMS.
In the case of block group data obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, an entire methodology had to be developed and implemented to process the data so that they could be included in the ArcIMS.
By all accounts, the CSI RVAT project was a resounding success. This success is attributable to a number of factors including regular communication between project partners and project team members; frequent on-site meetings and partner collaboration, including telephone and e-mail communication; comprehensive internal and external reviews of the Web site and ArcIMS prior to final delivery; and in-depth trainings given to partners and other local officials. Additionally, effective data organization tactics, as well as strong programming support, contributed to the creation of this informational, intuitive, aesthetically pleasing, and, above all, useful product.
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Coastal Services Center. 2004.
Coastal Storms Initiative - Florida Pilot Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Tool
Lessons Learned Report. NOAA Coastal Services Center.
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