Maps are at the core of any Wildland Search and Rescue (WiSAR) operation. Go to https://sargis.napsgfoundation.org/ to find out more about how you can get started using GIS for search and rescue.
The 2014 GeoSummit will be held at UC Merced, March 14th (register by March 7th)
Please consider attending - it's free and this a great way to find out more about GIS Resources in California. I will be giving a talk on GIS in Disaster Response, including Search and Rescue.
View Larger Map - click on the points to see who is currently going to attend SARGIS6 Dates: June 19th - 22nd, 2014
Training will be available Thursday all-day and Friday morning
Friday night will be a public seminar and social
Saturday and Sunday will be an interactive meeting with presentations, demonstrations, and discussion
Locations:
SARGIS6 West: Dunsmuir, California (FireWhat, Inc Headquarters)
SARGIS6 East: Morgantown, West Virginia (Exact location TBD)
Cost: Free - although a small charitable donation on-site will be appreciated! Training Prerequisites: This training opportunity is meant for people who would already have GIS training and want to learn how to use the ArcGIS Desktop template for SAR or SAR professionals who are willing to prepare for the training by completing some free online training.
Central Arizona Mountain Rescue -- Technical search and rescue in Arizona's rugged backcountry. Temperature extremes, expansive wilderness, and unforgiving topography are the standard. This team operates anywhere, anytime, and in any weather.
I am writing from Salt Lake City, Utah where the Mountain Rescue Association is having their winter meeting. While they are here, MRA members are discussing their annual budget, how to preserve their history, training, future events, collaboration, and let others know what they do. They are also discussing how they will collect incident data in the coming year and this was a good opportunity to talk about mapping and the power of GIS. I am honored for the invite and thought I would take a moment to help get their message out. Stay tuned for more great news from this meeting!!!
The Mountain Rescue Association is an organization of teams dedicated to saving lives through rescue and mountain safety education. We do so by improving the quality, availability, and safety of mountain search and rescue through;
Creating a framework for and accrediting member teams
Promoting mountain safety education
Providing a forum for development and exchange of information on mountain search and rescue techniques, equipment, and safety
Representing member teams providing mountain search and rescue services to requesting governmental agencies
The Mountain Rescue Association creates excellence through:
Professionalism
Integrity
Camaraderie
Dedication
Respect
Knowledge
Courage - Commitment - Compassion
Where is the MRA active?
This is a tough question to answer as many of their incidents are inter-agency and far from team headquarters. Without a nationwide search and rescue incident records management system the 'where' and 'how many' questions are tough to answer.
However, I was able to gather some data from the MRA Teams website and quickly make this map using Esri Maps for Office.
