VANCOUVER, B.C., May 2, 2005 – EmerGeo Solutions of Vancouver, B.C. is please to announce that it has completed implementation of the first phase of its WebEOC® interface.
WebEOC® electronic status boards capture information on emergency events, resources, critical facilities and other information relevant to decision-makers in emergency operations centres. EmerGeo can be used to control the process of plotting this data on electronic (GIS) maps, publishing relevant data layers to workgroups and watching an event unfold via a web map client.
This screen capture shows a sample incident entered into a WebEOC® Significant Events Board and displayed as a polygon area on an EmerGeo web map. The color of the map polygon (red) indicates the current status of the incident. Decision-makers are immediately alerted to changes in the status or severity of any type of incident, site or other data through changes in colors, size of icons and/or textual descriptions in labels appearing on EmerGeo maps.
EmerGeo not only maintains a common operating picture, it addresses the information overload problems most emergency operation centers encounter.
“The combined WebEOC® and EmerGeo solution enables organizations to share information in a controlled and secure manner, enabling organizations to achieve true multi-agency interoperability”, states Mike Morrow of EmerGeo Solutions. “EmerGeo is an integration application that sits between a customer’s GIS system and the WebEOC® server, managing the spatial data workflow between emergency planning and response departments and positions. We don’t compete with commercial GIS systems – we leverage these systems by accessing existing map data managed in these systems and giving emergency managers the tools to do their work”, explains Morrow.
WebEOC® offers optional interfaces to ESRI’s ArcIMS®, MapInfo’s MapXtreme®, and Microsoft’s MapPoint® web mapping systems; however, EmerGeo mapping delivers these additional capabilities:
– MOBILITY: EmerGeo’s Smart Client technology enables selected data from WebEOC® to be cached (replicated) to local PC’s hard drive so WebEOC® status board data is available even when the network is unavailable or servers go down.
– INTELLIGENT MAPPING AND QUERIES: WebEOC® data plotted on EmerGeo maps actually creates new map data layers rather than just displaying a virtual overlay on a map. This gives users more control over how WebEOC® data is displayed on maps (e.g. a flood represented as a polygon rather than just a point on a map), automates the changing of icons/colors based on status or severity, and gives users the ability to run spatial (geographic) queries on maps that includes all or part of the WebEOC® data in the report.
– WORKFLOW PUBLISHING: EmerGeo enables authorized users to draw and plot on their planning map(s) and then choose whether to publish those map layers to other groups using EmerGeo – a controlled information flow results.
– HISTORY LOG: EmerGeo creates a historical log of not only all WebEOC® data plotted on maps but also everything added and edited on maps. Double click on a log entry to zoom to the selected record, use the search and filter engine to extract required information or export the log to Microsoft Excel® for inclusion in your own custom reports.
– HOMELAND SECURITY SYMBOLOGY AND LAYER CATEGORIES: EmerGeo comes with editable industry standard map symbols (from DHS) and organizes map layers into meaningful, user-defined categories (e.g. incidents, operations, hazards, vulnerabilities, etc).
– HAZARD AND VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS TOOLS: EmerGeo’s optional hazmat (plume), earthquake, hazard vulnerability assessment models and links to critical infrastructure assessment software enables EmerGeo to be used during planning, response and, recovery.
– DIRECT ACCESS TO EXISTING GIS AND WEB-BASED APPLICATIONS: EmerGeo’s unique GIS vendor-independent architecture enables emergency managers to create live data connections to their organization’s existing GIS systems (such as ESRI ArcIMS, Intergraph, MapInfo, MapGuide) using OpenGIS® Web Map Services. This eliminates the expense and overhead associated with importing and converting data and gives planners and responders the option of creating similar connections to external agency GIS mapping – seamless integration of multi-agency data results.
“Hot links” can also be associated with any point or area on EmerGeo maps, giving users quick and easy access to their existing documents, data, graphics, or web applications by simply clicking on maps.
Additional product information is available at www.emergeo.com or by calling 604-443-5025.
EmerGeo Solutions, Inc.
