- Introduction: Tari Martin (NAPSG Foundation’s Chief Geospatial Information Officer) introduced the meeting, explaining the logistics and agenda, and emphasized the importance of collaboration and preparation for the upcoming hurricane season.
- FEMA Geospatial Resource Center Overview: Christina Finch and Katie Zezima from FEMA’s Response Geospatial Office provided a comprehensive demonstration of the FEMA Geospatial Resource Center, highlighting its updated landing page, available data resources, and guidance on accessing and contributing to geospatial data for hurricane preparedness.
- Landing Page Updates: Christina Finch explained that the FEMA Geospatial Resource Center’s landing page has been reorganized to prioritize information about current activations, with updated links for each incident and an archive for closed events. The page provides quick access to incident-specific resources and agendas for coordination calls.
- Data Access and Catalog: The Resource Center offers multiple ways to access geospatial data, including hazard-specific datasets (e.g., hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes), foundational building footprint data (USA Structures), and remote sensing resources. Users can interact with the data catalog to find and download relevant datasets.
- Organizational Structure: Content is organized by FEMA program area, with the Response Geospatial Office’s resources—including remote sensing data, damage assessments, dashboards, and modeling tools—available under the ‘response’ tab. Links to other FEMA programs, such as the National Hurricane Program and HURREVAC, are also provided.
- Community Engagement and Data Requests: The ‘Join the Community’ page allows users to request access to data based on their roles, with instructions to provide name, organization, incident supported, and ArcGIS Online username. Regional geospatial coordinator contact information is available for further support.
- National Water Center Products and Flood Mapping: Whitney Flynn from FEMA and the National Water Center presented updates on water prediction tools, including the National Water Model, flood inundation mapping, and decision support products, emphasizing their expanding coverage and integration into emergency management workflows.
- National Water Prediction Service: Whitney described the National Water Prediction Service (NWIPS), which replaced the legacy AHPS system, offering dynamic hydrographs, historical precipitation, probabilistic river forecasts, and new inundation maps, with additional features like national probabilistic guidance forthcoming.
- Flood Inundation Mapping Expansion: Flood inundation mapping (FIM) is being expanded to cover nearly 100% of the nation, providing real-time, neighborhood-level flood extent forecasts up to five days in advance. The maps are updated hourly or every six hours and are accessible via NWIPS and the NWS GIS viewer.
- Decision Support Products: The Water Center issues several decision support products, including the Flood Hazard Outlook (FHO), national and area hydrologic discussions, and GIS services for integration into local mapping environments. These products help emergency managers anticipate and respond to flood risks.
- Access and Integration: Flood mapping and decision support products are available through public web viewers and GIS services, allowing integration into local workflows. Whitney encouraged users to consult the Water Center’s operations website and reach out for training or additional information.
- FEMA Headquarters Analytics and Impact Assessment: Adam Barker from FEMA’s Response Geospatial Office outlined the headquarters analytics approach during incidents, focusing on methods for hazard data vetting, exposure and impact analysis, and the importance of coordination with regional products and subject matter experts.
- Incident Coordination and Data Vetting: Adam explained that during the pre-incident phase, the analytics team focuses on identifying and vetting the best hazard data, often consulting subject matter experts and regional partners to ensure accurate impact estimation.
- Exposure vs. Impact Analysis: The team distinguishes between exposure analysis (applying hazard data to static datasets like buildings or population) and true impact analysis (which would include mitigation measures and capacity data). Due to data limitations, most analyses are exposure-based.
- Challenges and Solutions: Common challenges include incomplete hazard or building data, multiple models with varying results, and the need for clear use cases. These are addressed through pre-incident relationship building, SME engagement, and iterative analysis.
- Data Sharing and Automation: Headquarters analytics results are published on the Geospatial Resource Center and through automated alerts on the FEMA TEMPO site, with custom data products generated during incidents and shared with partners via ArcGIS Online.
- FEMA Region 6 Coordination and Analytical Products: William Holloway and Malik Rochdi from FEMA Region 6 demonstrated their regional dashboards, analytical methods, and data sharing practices, highlighting how they support leadership and state partners with real-time situational awareness and impact analysis during hurricane season.
- Incident Journal and Dashboards: Region 6 maintains an incident journal and interactive dashboards to orient leadership on federal response activities, resource movements, and situational updates, with the ability to filter by event and access real-time data.
- Analytical Methods: Malik described the use of quantitative precipitation estimates, H3 hex grids, and geo-enrichment to identify areas of highest impact, enabling targeted outreach to local emergency managers and more accurate population and structure impact estimates.
- Data Sharing and Collaboration: Region 6 shares analytical products and feature layers with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners via ArcGIS Online, maintaining both real-time and historical datasets (e.g., power outages, PDA trackers) to support decision-making and disaster declarations.
- Coordination with Partners: The region works closely with state GIS partners, especially during events, to expedite processes like preliminary damage assessments and ensure timely access to imagery and analytical resources.
- Remote Sensing Resources and Imagery Coordination: Devon Maloney from FEMA’s Response Geospatial Office detailed the types of remote sensing data available during disaster response, the process for requesting imagery, and the coordination mechanisms to avoid duplication and maximize coverage.
- Imagery Types and Applications: Devon outlined the range of imagery resources, including optical satellite (coarse and high-resolution), synthetic aperture radar (SAR), aerial imagery, and UAV/drone imagery, each with specific use cases, resolutions, and acquisition timelines.
- Acquisition and Tasking Process: Imagery requests are coordinated through FEMA regional geospatial coordinators and discussed during incident coordination calls, where priorities and areas of interest are set to reduce duplication and ensure efficient data collection.
- Data Sharing and Licensing: High-resolution commercial satellite imagery is acquired at no cost to FEMA and can be shared with SLTT partners via ArcGIS Online groups, while aerial imagery from partners like Nearmap is available to partners for 30 days post-collection.
- UAV Coordination: FEMA does not own UAV assets but coordinates with federal, state, and local partners to collect UAV imagery, which is especially useful for targeted, high-resolution assessments. Data from external UAV sources can be ingested if shared.
- Geospatial Damage Assessment Process: Amelia Prior from FEMA’s Response Geospatial Office explained the geospatial damage assessment (GDA) workflow, including data sources, analyst training, and the integration of imagery and field observations to support disaster declarations and situational awareness.
- GDA Workflow and Data Sources: GDAs are produced by visually comparing pre- and post-incident imagery, incorporating USA Structures data, hazard-specific information, open source media, and search and rescue observations to assess structural and non-structural damage.
- Analyst Training and Partnerships: A structured training program ensures consistent and high-quality assessments, with over 250 trained volunteers from the Civil Air Patrol, Coast Guard Auxiliary, and FEMA regions supporting large-scale events.
- Product Access and Sharing: GDA results are presented in a real-time dashboard, filterable by incident, county, and occupancy class, and are accessible to government partners via ArcGIS Online or community accounts. Underlying feature services are also available for integration.
- Recent Activation Example: During Hurricanes Helene and Milton, over 200 analysts marked more than 258,000 damage points and 100,000 downed trees, demonstrating the scalability and value of GDAs for situational awareness and disaster response.
- Community Resources and Next Steps for Preparedness: Jeff Baranyi from Esri concluded the meeting by highlighting key community resources such as SARCOP and PhotoMappers, providing guidance on accessing ArcGIS Online groups, and outlining Esri’s support mechanisms for disaster response.
- SARCOP and PhotoMappers: SARCOP serves as the system of record for search and rescue teams, with data available to emergency managers for damage assessment and disaster declarations. PhotoMappers, a volunteer initiative, provides vetted situational awareness from open source imagery and can be activated by any government agency.
- ArcGIS Online Access: Jeff emphasized the importance of being in the correct ArcGIS Online groups before incidents occur and introduced the ArcGIS Online Automated Sign-Up and Approval Process (ASAP!) for streamlined group access, encouraging participants to verify their group memberships and facilitate access for others.
- Esri Support and Story Maps: Esri offers disaster response support through additional software, workflow implementation, data connections, and technical support, with new Disaster Resources Story Maps available to help users quickly find relevant resources and data to prepare for and respond to different disasters.
- Preparedness and Collaboration: Jeff underscored the value of community collaboration, information sharing, and learning from each other to improve outcomes for survivors, reduce duplication of effort, and enhance preparedness for future disaster seasons.