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Homeland Security Workshop by
Lynn UseryThe University of Georgia (UGA) organized a workshop on Homeland Security applications of geospatial information for UCGIS. The workshop, sponsored with funds to UCGIS from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) and held on November 6-7, 2003, at the UGA Conference Facility in Amicalola Falls State Park in the north Georgia mountains, brought together 14 academic and government researchers to develop an approach and proposal for UCGIS involvement in homeland security issues. Through wide-ranging discussion, the workshop participants converged to two basic approaches for UCGIS research: 1. the formation of a UCGIS National Network for Geospatial Homeland Security Support and Research, and 2. the development of research proposal briefs that can be provided to potential Federal sponsors, initially at the UCGIS Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., in February, 2004.
The network will be constituted in two phases. The first will be one of infrastructure development, including developing strategies for the sharing and making available resources and expertise at short notice, building redundant data back-up and support based on precomputed “data-bundles” for selected cities in the vicinity of the campus involved, coordinating with state and local emergency management organizations, specification of an ontology development framework, and the selection and construction of laboratories capable of providing support. This phase should include both internet and broadband-broadcast data links among the centers such that they could be mutually supportive on short notice, provide basic interoperability and be able to replace data immediately if damaged by the hazard or emergency itself. The second phase will be one of research possible only once the network is complete. This research assumes the availability of a data testbed, a synthetic or real dataset configured exactly in the way it would be once the immediate emergency response is complete, and GIS operations have passed back from the virtual center to the local authorities who normally manage events. Phase two allows extension of the concept far beyond that of an offer of emergency redundant backup. It allows research to predict, anticipate, plan, and prevent disasters, whether human or natural, and to conduct research in the response and recover process. It also develops a secure and comprehensive knowledge base of information and expertise that can be accessed on demand. An initial preproposal for the National Network is in review now among the Workshop participants and will be distributed to the broader UCGIS community in January, 2004. The plan is to provide the preproposal to potential funding sources in Washington in February, 2004. For the second approach, preparing short briefs of research underway or proposed, participants at the Workshop were asked to provide the briefs in early December, 2003 while a general call will be issued to all UCGIS members in mid-December, 2003. The purpose of the briefs are to alert Congress and Federal agency personnel of the extent of UCGIS work already ongoing in Homeland Security and to demonstrate that contributions are being made and can be expanded with more support. More information about the workshop can
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The proposed National Network is a highly
distributed network of centers of expertise and resources in geographic
information science (GIS). The foundation of the network will be the
existing GIS capabilities centered at Universities who are members of
UCGIS and encompasses GIS expertise, hardware and software, analytical
tools, local data and agreement to develop onotologies that in the early
phase will encourage voluntary use among faculty, staff and students at
each member institution, and ultimately support much better data
interoperability and knowledge sharing. The advantage of this structure is
access to knowledge, redundancy (backup) and the support of the network.
The inspiration for such a Network comes from the situation on September
11th, 2001, when New York City’s Center for Emergency Management was
destroyed with the collapse of the World Trade towers, and copies of basic
GIS support data were found to be available at one of the UCGIS member
sites at Hunter College.