Date post: | 12-Jan-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | oswald-taylor |
View: | 213 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Geospatial Mapping of Coastal Communities of Alabama
EDA Grant #: G004824
Problem Statement
Hurricane storm surge and wash of sand and debris inland frustrates clean-up effort
Heavy Equipment damages fixtures covered by debris and sand
50% or more of the damage inflicted on critical utilities during the clean-up effort
$17 million of damage in 2008 hurricane season
Preventing damage to fixtures means city will be able to allow residents and tourists to return sooner and businesses to restart
Current Condition
Each utility company has print or electronic maps in different formats
Little coordination during clean-up effort
No information sharing system in place to deliver plans to clean-up personnel
Phase I of Project: 2006-2007
Barry Cumbie, then Ph.D. student worked under Dr. Sankar’s guidance
Two focus group discussions held in Baldwin countyPolicy recommendation made to City: Community
stakeholders and especially those involved in public policy are advised from the results to recognizing the deep interdependencies of organizations and the community as well as the value of engaging in relationships to overcome the task of collecting, protecting, and effectively using critical infrastructure data in the interest of post-disaster recovery using geospatial technologies.
NSF Grant #: 0332594
Phase 2 of Project: Pilot Study in Gulf Shores, AL, 2008
Pilot study area established from intersection of 6th Street and West Beach Boulevard to approximately 1.5 miles east of Hwy. 59 on East Beach Boulevard
Pilot Study: Field Work
Chetan Sankar & P.K. Raju: Project Leaders
Call for help from City of Gulf Shores
AU students participated as part of a class
Instructed by employees of Volkert Engineering on the operation of the handheld GPS units
Pilot Study: Field Work
Infrastructure data such as the locations of electric utilities such as meters, cables, transformers, telecommunication utilities such as fiber optic cables, phones, and phone pedestals, switch stations, and water and gas utilities were entered into the database
Integrating and Compiling the Information
GPS units and camera attached to computers located at City of Gulf Shores city hall
Data was downloaded to the computer and then uploaded into Arc GIS program
Utility fixtures locations were labeled and flagged on computer screen
Data from local water, gas, electric utilities were scanned and entered into the system
Utility Plans Input in System
Established a plan for sharing information with the utility companies
Scanned hardcopy of plans into city computer system using large document scanner
Made annual updates of utilities’ data to the city mainframe and backup server
Pilot Study: Output
EDA Federal Domestic Assistance
Second Supplemental Appropriation: Disaster Relief Opportunity, Effective: 1/9/2009
Help devise long-term economic redevelopment strategies
Carry out implementation activities to address economic development challenges in regions impacted by hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters during 2008 and covered by a major disaster declaration
Baldwin & Mobile counties in AL are eligibleWe submitted a proposal: May 2009
Current Project: 2009-2011
A Geospatial Information System database (GISDB) will capture, store, and display infrastructure data
Using GPS units, the infrastructure data will be collected in the coastal area with sub-meter precision latitude and longitude intersections and uploaded to a GIS platform.
The data can then be accessed from a centralized database served by Virtual Alabama.
Project Team: Two year project
David Mixson, Walker Jackson P.K. Raju
Chetan S Sankar, Amit Mitra
Barry CumbieSteve Henderson, Diane Brown
Current Partners in the Project
• AL Department of Homeland Security, Joe Davis• Baldwin County EMA, Leigh Royals• Mobile County EMA, Ronnie Adair• AL Emergency Management Agency, Jeff Byard South Alabama Regional Planning
Commission (SARPC), Russell Wimberly & Dianne Burnett
Department of Geography & Geology, AU, Luke Marzen
Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, Bob Higgins
Geospatial Training and Application Center, Chris Johnson & Scott Saint
Dauphin Island Water & Sewer Authority: Vaile Feemster
City of Bayou La Barte, Stan Wright
Potential New Partners in Project
Cities of Orange Beach & Fort Morgan
Utilities catering to AL coastal community
Project Goals
Problem Benchmark / GoalThere is no regional model of infrastructure data sharing among multiple partners in coastal regions.
Effectively identify issues related to data storage, sharing, and security among coastal cities, utilities, and other stakeholders in Mobile and Baldwin counties of Alabama
Critical community infrastructure data needs to be collected, stored and backed up as new buildings, roads, and utilities are installed.
Effectively collect, store, and retrieve infrastructure data from multiple partners in the Alabama coastal community
During a disaster, ad-hoc facilities and practices often bypass physical and access controls used under normal operations.
Train the first responders and county personnel on effective use of the GIS data
Model for the Project: Co-Creation of IT Value
Scope of Project: Baldwin County Coastal Area + Industry Clustures
Estimate 200 miles to be surveyed
Information Flow
Utility 1
Utility 2
Utility 3
AU Students Collect GPS Data in Area
MunicipalityCleanup Contractor provided information via Google Earth file
Local Emergency Management Agency
Alabama Department of Homeland Security
Upload data to Virtual Alabama
Virtual AlabamaUse of Topcon UnitStudents learn basics of GPS technology &
how it is integrated into IT applicationsThey also learn the use of ArcGIS & link to
Virtual Alabama
Benefits: Advance Productivity, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship
40% of reconstruction costs can be eliminated if geospatial data are available on-line
Time to recover from damage is expected to be halved due to the availability of these data
Will make economic impact of this project very attractive
The concept of geospatial mapping of a coastal area is innovative;
Successful implementation of this project has the potential to spawn companies that might do similar mapping across other coastal areas of the U.S. and other countries.
Benefits: Look Beyond the Immediate Economic Horizon
Prevent further infrastructure damage during disaster recovery Real-time GPS coordinates to contractors, inspectors,
and other recovery personnel At first, “flag” critical infrastructure locations to avoid
damage Develop procedures, policy, and experience with
securely collecting, storing, and disseminating GIS-based infrastructure data
Issues Resolved and yet to be Resolved
MOA signed between AU, AL DHS, & Virtual Alabama
MOAs being signed between AU, AL DHS, & individual public/private partners
Security of data will continue to be an issueCounty EMA need to have access to the geospatial
data & provide this information to contractors who perform clean up after a disaster
Need for incentive systems so that EMA/ contractors want to use the geospatial data in recovery efforts
Similar geospatial data can be collected for other areas that has potential for disasters
Questions & Contacts
• Chetan S. Sankar, Principal Investigator, [email protected], 334 844 6504• David Mixson, ATAC, Co-PI, [email protected], 334 844 3887• Amit Mitra, Assoc. Dean, Co-PI, [email protected], 334 844 4833• P.K. Raju, Co-PI, [email protected], 334 844 3301• Barry Cumbie, Senior Investigator, [email protected], 601-266-4648• Steve Henderson, GIS Coordinator, Gulf Shores, [email protected] , (251) 968-1179