Going to the Esri International User Conference 2013?

Going to the Esri International User Conference 2013?

If you have ever been to the Esri International User Conference - you know it can be overwhelming to navigate all of the activities during the week. Here are some tips if you are a "SARGIS geek" and will be attending (or things to follow up on if you can't make it)":

1. EsriUC 2013 Public Safety Cheat Sheet


2. Twitter hashtags: #EsriUC #EsriNSS


3. GIS for Search and Rescue SIG Special Interest Group Meeting


4. Using ArcGIS for Wilderness Search and Rescue Presentation

NAPSG Wildland MapSAR Training in Bellevue, Washington

NAPSG Wildland MapSAR Training in Bellevue, Washington
Registration is now open to participate in a free training session.

Saturday April 6, 2013 -to- Sunday April 7, 2013 

Participants will learn how to use the free MapSAR tool with Esri’s ArcGIS Desktop product. The product and training session are designed for individuals with limited or no GIS experience.
GIS has proven to be beneficial when mapping emergency incidents. This class will teach you how to create search segments (probability areas), draw search assignments and print maps for field crews and the incident command post. You will also learn how to track incident activities like clues, field team status, debriefing information and GPS track logs.
This is a hands-on training class: computers, textbooks, reference manuals and software will be provided for up to 50 students.
NAPSG and Esri will be sponsoring the event.
NAPSG is the National Alliance for Public Safety GIS. This is their mission, "To support the public safety and homeland security communities in the advancement of data interoperability and information sharing, through geospatial technology, in support of local and national emergency preparedness".

GISCorps volunteers assist in a Search & Rescue pilot project in California

GISCorps volunteers assist in a Search & Rescue pilot project in California.

Check out the link. This is excellent news from the GISCorps!

What is happening?

In late 2012, GISCorps received a request for volunteers from a consortium of GIS and Search and Rescue (SAR) professionals from Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team, Esri, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and Mountaineer Rescue Group who have developed a Search and Rescue application called MapSAR. The consortium requested assistance to fill three GIS Specialist positions to support a pilot project in California using MapSAR. Those three positions were: GIS Trainers, GIS Practitioners and GIS Developers. The detailed job description for each position and other additional information is included in this document.

Who is GISCorps? From their website:

GISCorps started life in October 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia, when the URISA Board unanimously approved it as an initiative of URISA. This happened after an intensive summer of brainstorming, conceptualizing and a lot of hard work required to translate an idea into a well designed proposal. GISCorps is now a URISA program and operates entirely on a volunteer basis. The core committee members, most of whom are themselves GISCorps volunteers, run the program with administrative help from the staff at URISA. They reside in different states accross the United States and Canada and use a wiki site to work collaboratively, mostly at nights and on weekends. The links that follow describe in detail the mission and the operations of the GISCorps.

GISCorps volunteers' services will help to improve the quality of life by:

• Supporting humanitarian relief.


• Enhancing environmental analysis.


• Encouraging/fostering economic development.


• Supporting community planning and development.


• Strengthening local capacity by adopting and using information technology.


• Supporting health and education related activities.

GISCorps has accepted the challenge and the California Emergency Management Agency SAR Operations and the National Park Service are anticipating the integration of GIS Specialists into their ranks for supporting Search Operations with GIS. This is a great opportunity to bring in GIS professionals and their expertise to support an inherently spatial problem: searching for missing persons. Once we have learned from this experience it can be taken to a national / international level.

SARGIS Discussion Group

SARGIS Discussion Group

Join the discussion with Using GIS in WiSAR. A group to support the implementation of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology in SAR (Search and Rescue), emergency management, and day-to-day operations. Check out our membership map and be the first in your County, State, or Country to represent SARGIS. Sign up using your email on the right side of the page.



View Larger Map

MapSAR

[caption id="attachment_13" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Click on the image above to go to the MapSAR website. MapSAR is a free tool that runs with ArcGIS 10 to store geospatial information, enabling SAR maps to be generated, stored, and printed quickly so that search teams can get out the door faster to look for the missing person.

What is GIS? This site gives a brief overview of what GIS is and how it can be used.[/caption]