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2021
Project Management for Emergency Management
As new technological innovations become available to the emergency management community, many of us find ourselves managing projects, developing applications, and building visualizations from the ground up. The resources provided in this session will explore how we can overcome challenges in this arena by implementing widely used project management and development methodologies. For a curated list of resources, please follow this link to our Resources Document.
Presenter(s):
- Justin Kates, City of Nashua (NH)
- Robert Pitts, New Light Technologies
- Madeline Jones, New Light Technologies
No more blueprints! Creating 2D and 3D floorplans
In this session, we will explore how you can convert that old hand-drawn and static building floorplan into a dynamic geospatial product, how LiDAR is helping to create 3D blueprints with point clouds, and how other projects and research under the Location-Based Services Portfolio at NIST is making sure public safety isn't left behind. Finally, we will explore the Best Practices Guide to Indoor Mapping, Tracking, and Navigation.
Presenter(s):
- Phil Mielke, Esri
GIS Deployments: How to Escape the Office!
As a GIS professional, have you ever wondered how to get out on the field and respond to an incident? If so, this session is for you! We scoured our community to identify various deployment pathways and information on how to sign up, along with details on needed certifications/qualifications, working conditions, typical deployment times, etc. Our goal is to bring you the latest information on some of these deployment pathways to help you operationalize your GIS skills and use them out on the field.
Presenter(s):
- Tari Martin, NAPSG Foundation
- Adam Fackler, NAPSG Foundation
- Tricia Lawson, NAPSG Foundation
COVID-19 Best Practices in Health/Medical Resource Management
This live session offers you an opportunity to share your experiences and to learn about emerging best practices in managing health & medical resources during COVID-19 response and for future high consequence public health events. Through this community forum, you will have the opportunity to engage with the panel and share your challenges and technology approaches in managing resources during public health events.
Presenter(s):
- Rebecca Harned, NAPSG Foundation
- Benjamin Klekamp, Fairfax County Health Department
- Justin Kates, City of Nashua, NH
- Ezekiel Peters, CO Regional Health Information Organization
- Priyanka Surio, Assoc. of State & Territorial Health Officials
Cyber Attacks: Crisis Leadership Management Seminar (Part 2)
The scenario will focus on cybersecurity operations, from the standpoints of preparedness, detection, mitigation, response, and recovery from cyber attacks, including ransomware exploits. Our goal is to be unconditionally constructive, collegial, and collaborative, and to that end, we eschew any “gotchas” and instead aim for all participants to freely and candidly dive into real-world problems, most of which don’t have easy or complete answers. The model of our seminar discussion will be to examine requirements as identified by both the MET SMEs and seminar participants in response to the events depicted in a series of unfolding video scenarios, then systematically and progressively work through GIS-based solutions to meet those requirements, both now and in the future.
Presenter(s):
- Clark Kimerer, Seattle Police Department (Ret.)
- Eileen M. Decker, JD, Los Angeles Police Commission
- James G. Featherstone, Themata Strategic LLC
- Bob Stephan, U.S Department of Homeland Security
Innovative Data Solutions for Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
This session will weave together a series of lightning briefings around innovative data solutions in planning, response, and recovery - while allowing participants and data stewards to interact via Q&A session time.
Presenter(s):
- Amanda Marchetti, Nearmap
- Julie Sokol, DHS Geospatial Management Office
- Pratik Desai, HERE Technologies
- Ryan Lanclos, Esri
Wastewater-based Epidemiology: People, Places and Pipes
The COVID-19 global pandemic reintroduced the many agencies at the federal, state, and local levels to possibilities of sampling untreated wastewater. Overreliance on clinical testing of individuals continues to be one of the greatest vulnerabilities, not only to infectious disease, but also to toxic spills, and shifts in the health status of populations. New GIS frameworks, environmental sensors, and standards for data collection and analysis focused on wastewater systems will unleash a new wave of public health advanced warning and rapid recovery.
Presenter(s):
- Dr. Ted Smith, Professor, Environmental Medicine at University of Louisville School of Medicine
You Won't Find This in the Academy: Core Web GIS Skills for Public Safety
This session will give you an introduction to fundamental Web GIS skills that can be applied to many aspects of Public Safety. You will learn about the best places to get authoritative data, plus how to use ArcGIS Online to create a simple web map and perform basic analysis. Also, you will see some great examples of different ArcGIS Solutions and other applications that illustrate how Web GIS can really make your Public Safety workflows easier and more efficient for your entire agency.
Presenter(s):
- Shelby Roberson, Montgomery County PD (MD) and NAPSG Foundation SME
Untangling the (World Wide) Web of Virtual Planning & Collaboration
Even before a worldwide pandemic, jurisdictions were exploring how to utilize technologies to drive virtual collaboration, reaching a wider and more diverse audience to inform planning and operations. This session will explore common challenges faced by agencies when shifting from an in-person planning process and emergency operations to a virtual environment, sometimes during a disaster. We will also highlight some innovative use cases of collaboration technologies being used to address common issues faced by the emergency management and responder community.
Presenter(s):
- NAPSG Foundation & Other Agencies
Imagery Collection for Resiliency, Response, and Recovery
Emergency managers, responders, and others making critical decisions in support of disaster operations rely heavily on imagery collected from a variety of sources. The presenters will provide ideas on how imagery collected by a variety of sources (e.g., from the ground, as well as airborne using traditional aircraft and small unmanned aerial systems) can be utilized to meet mission needs. Join us as we explore various imagery collection types and analyses throughout the timelines of a disaster. This session will host a curation of resources, information, and video aimed to enhance your imagery collection pre-event, during response, and into recovery.
Presenter(s):
- John Desmarais, Civil Air Patrol
- Austin Worcester, Civil Air Patrol
- Eric Templeton, Civil Air Patrol
- Jonathan Stock, USGS National Innovation Center
Recovery: The Role of GIS in Disaster Recovery Planning
Long after the media coverage has died down from a major disaster, those active in recovery start the long journey, sometimes over years, to return to a new normal. In this session, we will explore how the use of GIS in recovery should start well before a disaster at the highest levels of decision makers, how aerial imagery can help expedite the recovery process, and how some private companies are partnering with local jurisdictions to keep critical infrastructure moving and communities resilient.
Presenter(s):
- Amanda Marchetti, Nearmap
- Chris Machenburg, CSX
- Paul Doherty, FEMA
National Roundtable: Emerging Technology for Preparedness
Join us as we dive into emerging innovative technologies that support preparedness. Together we will explore how the latest in emerging technology can be implemented, while identifying key gaps where policy and technology innovation are needed most.
Presenter(s):
- Hank Rowland, National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA
- Catherine Bohn, RGO Contract Support, Dewberry
- Brian Blake, Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium
Cyber Attacks: Crisis Leadership Management Seminar (Part 1)
Are you prepared for a cybersecurity incident? What happens when a cyber-attack disables or maliciously manipulates our GIS capabilities? What are the most effective strategies to restore GIS, including options such as workarounds or secure, stored data? How can compromised systems continue to support response and recovery efforts that depend on GIS data? More important, what is the future of GIS integration into larger response and recovery systems for managing a disaster, including a cyber-attack? Join us in this groundbreaking examination of present and future GIS integration strategies in disaster response and recovery from a cyber-attack.
Presenter(s):
- Clark Kimerer, Seattle Police Department (Ret.)
- Eileen M. Decker, JD, Los Angeles Police Commission
- James G. Featherstone, Themata Strategic LLC
- Bob Stephan, U.S Department of Homeland Security
Brokering Information by Community Lifelines
The Community Lifelines construct was released by FEMA following the devastating 2017 disaster season. The move was prompted by the need to increase effectiveness in disaster operations by focusing on the restoration of the most fundamental services that support our communities. Toolkits and guidance have been released that describe the construct, but implementation across the nation remains scattered and disjointed. During this session, we will hear from entities across all levels of government who are working to apply the construct to ready their jurisdictions for a disaster, discuss what challenges remain, and deliberate what is needed to implement a standardized and streamlined lifeline stability collection and reporting strategy.
Presenter(s):
- Tari Martin, NAPSG Foundation (Facilitator)
- Chris Vaughan, FEMA (Moderator)
- Austen McMillin, Houston Public Safety and Homeland Security
Should've had a v8: 2021 Updates to USAR/GIS
The 2020 hurricane season was one of the busiest seasons for Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams in recent memory. Following the end of the season, field users, task force leaders, and Incident Management Teams (IMTs) submitted improvement ideas and enhancement requests for the standardized geospatial tools used during the season. This feedback was incorporated into v8 of the Wide Area search form and associated tools. Join us as we cover the updates to these geospatial tools and provide an overview of ArcGIS QuickCapture, ArcGIS Survey123, ArcGIS Field Maps, the SAR Intel Manager, and ArcGIS Dashboards for USAR operations.
Presenter(s):
- Paul Doherty, FEMA
- Jared Doke, NAPSG Foundation
- Colleen Livingstone, NAPSG Foundation
Tech Innovation: Bringing Mass Care Up-to-Speed
Everyone involved in mass care activities has one goal in mind: improve the outcomes for survivors of disasters. As technology continues to reach a broader audience, stakeholders from all levels of government, the private sector, and nonprofits are harnessing this technology to address significant gap areas. In this session, we will explore how local jurisdictions are utilizing collaborative technologies to prepare for disasters and share real-time shelter information during response, how to harness the power of crowdsourced applications and volunteers, and learn about the future of the Red Cross National Disaster Partner Hub.
Presenter(s):
- Denver Human Services
- CEDR Digital Corps
- American Red Cross
No Coins Required: Using Arcade to Enhance Your Public Safety Applications
Arcade is a programming language similar to JavaScript that is built within ArcGIS and allows us to create enhanced popups, dynamic symbology, or calculate fields. This technical document will not be an introduction to Arcade, but rather some best practices and guidance on some of the most useful scripts we at NAPSG Foundation have used in the past year. We will explore 3 different topics: Intersects, Links, and Symbology. These three parts will cover our most used Arcade scripts and include the source code to get you started on implementing them into your applications. It is worth noting that you do NOT need to have all of these scripts in your application, but these may spawn ideas on how you can enhance your user experience.
Presenter(s):
- Adam Fackler, NAPSG Foundation
Communication & Outreach in Public Safety
You have the responsibility of communicating and reaching out to the public. You have crafted a message for the public and ensured the contents are accurate. You think you're ready to publish. Have you factored in the considerations below? Whether you serve as a public information officer, work in external affairs, or manage or collaborate with someone in these roles, this session is for you.
Presenter(s):
- Melody Daniel, Arkansas Air National Guard
- Edward McDonough, Maryland EMA
- Shelley Pelcher, National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA
- Charlotte Abel, NAPSG Foundation
Innovations in Community Resilience
As the cost and frequency of disasters continue to rise, communities are faced with myriad potential paths to mitigate against the impacts of threats and hazards. The pathway to building community resilience is complex and requires an understanding of the community and the interdependencies of the built, social, and economic functions. In this session, learn how communities are developing innovative ways to collaborate, producing viable preparedness plans with multi-agency coordination, and leveraging data science to inform community action and policies that reflect our changing climate and investment in social equity.
Presenter(s):
- Tari Martin, NAPSG Foundation
- Dr. Shane Hubbard, Space Science & Engineering Center, UW
- Casey Zuzak, FEMA NHRAP
- Derrick Hiebert, Hazard Mitigation, King County (WA)
- Lisa Foster, Pinellas County (FL)
Drones: Taking Stock of a Growing National Capability
As the capabilities of drone systems have increased and imagery collection has decreased in cost, drone usage is gaining traction, particularly for emergency response. In 2020, mission partners across all levels of government came together to try and provide situational awareness of imagery collection across the public and private sectors. In this session, our panelists will share new initiatives that inventory team availability to respond during disasters, as well as opportunities for the community to contribute to the effort.
Presenter(s):
- Christopher Todd, Airborne International Response Team (AIRT)
- Charles Werner, DRONERESPONDERS
- Austin Worcester, Civil Air Patrol
Oregon's Wildfire Response – Lessons Learned from 2020 Wildfire Season
This presentation will demonstrate Oregon’s response to the wildfires in 2020, including the build-up to the event, solutions created for the response and ongoing recovery, lessons learned from the response, and future projects based on those lessons.
Presenter(s):
- Daniel Stoelb, Operations and Preparedness Section, Oregon Office of EM
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