Gis For Homeland Security Sm

"GIS for Homeland Security also spotlights the visionaries who have applied spatial technology in the field-including the national stage-to develop model solutions to real threats. This book is for decision makers and first responders, for GIS users who see its unlimited potential, and for those new to spatial technology."--BOOK JACKET.

Annotation Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, many federal agencies began restricting some of their publicly available geospatial data and information from such sources as the World Wide Web. As time passes, however, decisionmakers have begun to ask whether and how such information helps terrorists and other potential attackers to select U.S. homeland sites and prepare for attacks. Under the direction of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a team of RAND researchers sought to clarify how geospatial information can be exploited by attackers and what kinds of information might prove most valuable. After evaluating both the "supply" and "demand" of geospatial data and information and surveying hundreds of websites, the authors developed a framework of three steps-usefulness, uniqueness, and benefits and costs-for assessing the implications of making such information available. This book aims to assist decisionmakers tasked with the responsibility of choosing which geospatial information to make available and which to restrict. The authors also make general recommendations about how the federal government should communicate with public-and private-sector decisionmakers tasked with comparable assessments at more-local levels.

Over time, GIS (geographic information systems) have risen in utility and prominence in the field of homeland security as well as many associated fields including emergency management, criminal justice, intelligence, public administration, and public health. This book serves the need as a text for homeland security GIS courses as well as a guide for employed homeland security professionals who need to apply GIS to multiple domains and varied threat landscapes. The book presents a practical lessons format organized around the all-hazards (natural, accidental, and intentional) threat landscape and builds on the most recent Department of Homeland Security policy guidance, i.e. the Resilience Agenda. The general structure of the book reviews a form of hazard, outlines specific homeland security policies and operations associated with the hazard, and instruct how to use GIS for a particular homeland security application. Included in the book are labs in which GIS is used to address scenarios from an all-hazards framework showing how to use GIS in different phases of homeland security operations, such as planning and response. Operations are framed based on the hazard, and GIS is used in labs to achieve operational goals.

The Distributed Functions of Emergency Management and Homeland Security outlines the roles and responsibilities of various individuals and agencies involved in homeland security and all aspects of emergency management. Each chapter focuses on the practical and applied aspects of a range of public servants in various departments and the organizations that they represent. Rather than presenting a theoretical exploration alone, the book examines the practical knowledge and hands-on skills related to various functions and how their decisions and actions play into the larger framework of safety and security —in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Every professional has a unique and integral part to play in fulfilling their roles and obligations, whether it be in relation to prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response or recovery operations. Personnel that frequently come to mind in such scenarios include emergency managers, geographers and land-use planners, EMTs and paramedics, fire fighters, police officers, public health officials, nurses, public administrators, and public information officers. And while these individuals are integral to homeland security and emergency management, there are other professionals that also perform essential duties that—while they aren’t first-to-mind—are vital to efforts relating to terrorism and disasters; this includes pilots in the aviation sector, the military, attorneys, psychologists, and forensic professionals serving in pathology, DNA, and dentistry roles. Chapters provide a holistic rendering of the homeland security and emergency management landscape to present all these various professional capabilities and contributions. This includes how current functions are coordinated as well as how future efforts might change relative to a more proactive, all-hazards and holistic approach. As such, the book will be a useful resource for students and practitioners to understand the dynamic professions—and various disciplines and fields—that impact disaster and terrorism preparedness and response capabilities.

Although many books have been published on the application of GIS in emergency management and disaster response, this is the first one to bring together a comprehensive discussion of the critical role GIS plays in hospital and healthcare emergency management and disaster response. Illustrating a wide range of practical applications, GIS in Hospital

Although the dynamic aspect of the world is widely recognized, information systems have lagged in their ability to represent these dynamics and provide support for users and analysts, especially those who work with dynamic geographic domains. A collection of peer-reviewed articles, Understanding Dynamics of Geographic Domains showcases new research