Targeted Mitigation

Mapping and GIS to support specific hazards in a community. These hazards can be man made or natural hazards. Law Enforcement use of GIS for crime analysis and Fire use of data that describe patterns in fire or medical occurance are good examples of Targeted Mitigation. Data is used to both describe the location and nature of the problem as well as to test potential mitigation measures as potential solutions to a problem set.

Crawl

Creating data to map hazards and call patterns is always the first step when using GIS for Targeted Mitigation. Understanding tabular data (spreadsheets, CAD calls, etc) in relation to where these hazards occur is a good place to start. Sometimes describing the hazard in map form is easy, flood plains and the wildland urban interface are good examples. They are static areas in which a hazard most often occurs and are often datasets that are widely available. Printing hardcopy maps of these hazards and distributing them for use within Public Safety is a good first step.

Walk

Next, using the address and location information associated with historical repsonses to certain types of calls is very helpful. This is a common practice amoung Public Safety agencies to visualize the distribution of calls and call types. This is the foundation of crime analysis. Next, using the call data itself to symbolize these maps more specifically allows Public Safety to see if there are less obvious patterns to the activity – time of day, day of week, occurance in various occupancy types or zoning types are good examples.

Run

Incorporating dynamic call/occurance data into dynamic analysis of risk or hazard into a system that automatically recommends management actions or deployment adjustments is the zenith of Targeted Mitigation. By dynamically incorporating current calls with historic occurance patterns helps organizations visualize what is happening as well as what is probably going to happen – and where. This information allows dispatching organizations to proactively mitigate incidents that are emerging or will probably emerge. It is also a valuable analysis tool for planners to maximize prevention and planning activities. Tracking occurance and the effect of mitigation against actual data allows Public Safety to analyze mitigation effectiveness and communicate those patterns to policy and budget decision makers.

Example: Search Mitigation at ArcGIS Online

Example: Search Crime Analysis at ArcGIS Online

Example: Denver County Risk Assessment