SpatiaLABS for WiSAR Release

Four new SpatiaLABS are now available using Search and Rescue in Yosemite National Park as their topic. These are FREE and ideal for beginners to geographic information systems (GIS), search and rescue professionals, or even GIS Specialists who are new to ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Online. 

In the first of these four labs, you will use search and rescue incident locations to create an interactive web map and web mapping application in ArcGIS Online to explore the distribution of incidents in Yosemite National Park.  

Click here to try the web mapping application created in the exercise.

In the second lab, you will open a map project in ArcGIS Pro and create assignment maps for the emergency search operations.  

In the third lab, you will map where searchers have been deployed and what they have found.  

In the fourth lab, you will create a “clue log” that can be edited anywhere and with any device.

Click here to try the Clue Log application.

In order to try these tutorials you will need access to ArcGIS. First of all, if you work for a government agency or are a University Student, you most likely have access to ArcGIS so check with your IT or GIS Administrator. If not, here are some other options:

1. Start a free 60-day trial http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcgisonline/evaluate
2. Join the nonprofit organization program (Most SAR Teams qualify) http://www.esri.com/nonprofit 
3. ArcGIS for Personal Use http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcgis-for-personal-use 

For University instructors - SpatiaLABS are designed to freely modified to fit your needs. 

"You'll find instructional materials in Microsoft Word and other common formats. Go ahead, change or add self-assessment questions, tweak the context for the analysis, rework the lab to use local data. Customize SpatiaLABS to suit your non-commercial needs." 

Special thanks to the SpatiaLABS team and Joe Kerski for his post on these SpatiaLABS. 

MRA Mapping Hangout #3

This week we held another MRA Mapping Hangout that covered a quick update on the MRA Mission Data Portal, talked about what is new on the portal including a new tutorial, and then we heard from Kaila Beattie from Antris. 

Antris is a safety solution designed to protect individuals who live demanding lifestyles and organizations with teams of work-alone employees. It communicates with your mobile phone or GPS device to monitor your safety and automatically notifies the necessary people of a user’s trip progress. 

The team at Antris is very interested in helping SAR Teams with both their Operations and Preventative Search and Rescue outreach. They have been very responsive to feedback and have added new features recently like off-road routing and a disconnected "park-mode". Finally, the announce a new partnership with the National Association For Search and Rescue.

If you would like to know more check out their free solution Antris on the App Stores and contact them directly if you have feedback or questions. 

If you missed it, watch the video below on YouTube. 



This month we also featured a "Map of the Month" - a cell phone coverage map and you can check this out below. 

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WiSAR Capability and Readiness Assessment Tool

The NAPSG Foundation Search and Rescue Working Group (SARWG) has completed an update to the Capability and Readiness Assessment Tool (CARAT)

What is CARAT? The Capability and Readiness Assessment Tool (CARAT) is a tool created by NAPSG Foundation.  It is designed to serve as a roadmap for public safety officials and GIS practitioners interested in learning how GIS can be applied to the public safety mission and/or in building GIS to support their agencies’ work.

Here is the direct link to the WiSAR CARAT Tool: http://bitly.com/WiSARCARAT

This website provides links to the qualifications and tools that can be used by SAR Teams to understand what geographic information systems have to offer. 

Here are some of the tools listed under 'Crawl'. All of the tools indexed under CARAT can be found in this Group. 

Here is a screenshot of qualifications for Field Data Entry Technician from NAPSG Foundation's Qualification and Credentialing Website.

We are hoping for some constructive feedback in the coming weeks so we can make improvements to the site and generate ideas for training to help SAR Teams get running with GIS for SAR. 

SARGIS7 Report

Thank you to all who participated in the 7th Annual Search and Rescue GIS Workshop on November 12-15 in Sonora, CA. The workshop was a resounding success for all participants. Special thanks to the NAPSG Foundation and Columbia College's budding GIS Program (see more about Columbia College GIS).

We are pleased to announce that the workshop materials are now available online at http://www.napsgfoundation.org/resources/materials-available-search-rescue-gis-workshop/.The Agenda posted here includes links to the materials used during each session and training for easy navigation and access. 

Additionally, we have also posted the After Action Notes from the breakout sessions on the last day, Nov. 15 at the link above. By SARGIS8 - the SAR Working Group plans to make progress in four key areas: 

• Guidelines for GIS in SAR
• Tools and Resources
• Training  
• Technology Integration (Cell Phone Analysis, Unmanned Aerial Systems, etc.) 

Who was there? 55 participants, mostly from California but also scattered across North America.

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Here are some photos of the action.

Don teaching IGT4SAR to a full classroom

Lorri presenting on where to find base data

Storytime

Why use USNG? - Talk to Cole

Hands-on with USNG

Beautiful setting - Columbia College

Action Items!

Sneak Peak of the Map Products "Menu" for Responders and Decision-Makers Link: http://bit.ly/SARGISMenu

See more: #SARGIS7 Tweets

 

The 7th Annual Search and Rescue GIS Workshop and Meeting #SARGIS7

The SARGIS Working Group within the National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation will be hosting the 7th Annual SARGIS Workshop and Meeting (#SARGIS7).

Read the report and access the final agenda, presentations, etc. at: http://wisarandgis.blogspot.com/2015/11/sargis7-report.html

To Register: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ebj3nub834a6869b&llr=nplxpbdab
Where: Columbia College in Sonora, CA

When: November 12-15, 2015

Cost: Free 

Workshop: The workshop will include a 1.5 days of hands-on training with ArcGIS Desktop (MapSAR_Ex / IGT4SAR) along with GPS field exercises. There will also be a lesson on how to use the free ArcGIS Explorer Desktop app for basic SAR Mapping (SAR Explorer) and SARTopo.

Meeting: The meeting will have a keynote address, presentations, and discussion forums. This event will focus primarily on using GIS best practices for missing person search operations, but will address diverse topics such as:

• Review existing GIS and mapping tools for SAR
• New SARGIS tools (Web GIS, mobile apps, etc.)
• UAS, drones, and GIS
• Cell Phone Analysis GIS
• Remote Collaboration
• Update from the California GISCorps
• Standards for SARGIS symbology, SOGs, training, etc.
• Urban Search and Rescue GIS
• Preventative Search and Rescue GIS

Audience: GIS Professionals & Students interested in learning how they can help SAR teams, Search and Rescue personnel (paid and unpaid) who want to know more about GIS for SAR, and other Public Safety professionals interested in attending so they can operationalize the use of geographic information systems.

Agenda (more  details to follow)

Day	Event	Audience
Thursday	SARGIS Training	Pre-req: ArcGIS Desktop installed, Getting Started With GIS Course or equivalent
Friday
Morning & Early Afternoon	SARGIS Training	Pre-req: ArcGIS Desktop installed, Getting Started With GIS Course or equivalent
Late Afternoon	Plenary Session	Students, Professors, GIS Professionals, SAR Professionals, Public Safety Professionals, outdoor recreationalists
Evening	Social	A chance to meet the attendees and socialize. Location to be announced (local pub / restaurant).
Saturday	Presentations and Discussion Forums	SAR Professionals, GIS Professionals
Sunday	Presentations and Discussion Forums	SAR Professionals, GIS Professionals

Lodging

HOTEL / MOTEL with Special Rate

THE ALADDIN INN

Address:  14260 Mono Way, Sonora, CA 95370

Phone:  (209) 533-4971

Website:  aladdininn.com

Distance from Columbia College:  8 Miles / 15-17 Minutes

Cost:  $72 for Thursday Night & $80 for the remaining Weekend Nights for any attendee of the SARGIS7 Conference.

CAMPING / RV OPTIONS

TUTTLETOWN CAMPGROUND AT NEW MELONES RESERVOIR

Address:  Reynolds Ferry Rd, Sonora, CA 95370

Phone:  (877) 444-6777

Website:  usbr.gov/mp/ccao/newmelones/camping.html

Distance from Columbia College:  9 Miles / 13-15 Minutes

Cost:  $22 per night for Standard Campsite; $18 a night for Walk-In Campsite (No Special Arrangements for the Conference were available)

MARBLE QUARRY RV PARK

Address:  11551 Yankee Hill Road, Columbia, CA 95310

Phone:  (866) 677-8464

Website:  marblequarry.com

Distance from Columbia College: 2 Miles / 4-5 Minutes

Cost:  $40 per night for RV; $25 per night for Tent Camping (No Special Arrangements for the Conference were available)

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Are you using GIS for Search Operations?

This is a short survey designed to help us understand who is using GIS for Missing Person Search Operations and/or looking for more GIS Support. You may answer anonymously, but the geographic information you can provide will be very helpful.  

Please share the survey when you are done. Results will be posted here in the next 30 days.

Thank you for your time and consideration! 

Click on link if survey does not load below or you are using a mobile device: http://bit.ly/WiSARGISSurvey

Discussion: GIS and Institutional Knowledge in Search and Rescue

Article: Meet Philly’s “Dr. House” of Missing Persons

I just read a short opinion piece in phillymag.com about Mark G. Hopkins, the Search and Rescue Chief of Greater Philadelphia Search and Rescue. Mark sounds a lot like many "SAR Czars" I have met in my life. He's been active for 20 years and he is the go-to person for his local police agency when someone goes missing. This is not because he is easy to work with, but because he cares and knows how to run a search operation.

In this article he makes a call for action - to establish "a base level system that is applied equally to all missing persons". He even wrote to the City Mayor. However, towards the end of the article he states that he will be retiring soon. This is well-deserved for him, but I wonder how his team will cope. Are they planning for his transition?

How many of you know someone like this? When it comes to planning a search, does your SAR Chief embrace the use of GIS for mapping, gut-instinct alone, or a little bit of both? How are you capturing their spatial knowledge before they retire? 

I think the integration of institutional knowledge and GIS is a very important issue to discuss, before all the wise old sages are all gone...

If you are interested here is one systematic (but not always very practical) approach to document historical information from from Yosemite National Park case incident reports: Georeferencing Incidents from Locality Descriptions and its Applications 

However, how can we use GIS to create digital records of institutional knowledge. When someone goes missing from x1,y1 place they are usually found within x2,y2 region because of conditions a,b,c? 

Experimenting with Wacom screens to capture institutional knowledge in ArcGIS, circa. 2009

This is not to say we can create "auto-magical" algorithms to predict where missing persons are, but can we capture the thought process and mental maps of experienced SAR professionals so we can teach the next generation of leaders?

Read the article and then please comment below. 

2014 WiSAR GIS Year in Review: Map Tour

Click on the link: Map Tour

In the year 2014, great advances were made in the use of geographic information systems for wildland search rescue. 

• MapSAR and IGT4SAR were used to support a number of missing person search operations
• Workshops were held across North America
• There were several peer-review publications on the use of GIS in WiSAR
• The US National Park Service has recognized the GIS Specialist role as a necessary incident command structure position during search operations

More important than the updates in technology, policy, or science, is the connection between the great people driving this movement. We have so much to celebrate - excellent work everyone and thank you for time and dedication to such a noble cause.

However, while much was accomplished this year, the reality is, GIS is still not widely used in missing person search operations and other SAR functions. 

What can we do in 2015 as a volunteer community to increase the adoption of GIS as a critical SAR function in North America and abroad? 

• Develop simple to use geo-enabled applications for mission critical tasks? 
• More SARGIS workshops? 
• Form a recognized non-profit organization with operational capacity to help when needed? 
• Present to emergency management and law enforcement agencies? 
• Lobby to federal governments for more support?
• Strengthen the alliance with GIS volunteers like GISCorps, MapAction, MAPS? 
• Create a research and development center for WiSAR GIS? 

These are all ideas that have been discussed and are always on my mind. Now that the SARGIS Discussion Group has reached +600 members across the world I truly believe we have reached the critical mass to make global change. 

I think we can all agree, that someday, when a person goes missing, the use of GIS for planning, operations, logistics, command, and public information will be the "standard of care". Imagine that your loved one (a relative, a spouse, your child) was missing - how would you want the search management team to use geographic information?

Let's make 2015 a spectacular year and have a great time doing it - so that others may live... 



Please add comments below if you think we missed an event, have a case-study you think should be highlighted, or have ideas on how we can make a bigger impact. 

Webinar: Mission Reporting and Search and Rescue Mapping for the MRA

Thanks to Pigeon Mountain Industries (PMI), Jon Pedder and I were able to brief the WiSAR Community on how the Mountain Rescue Association is using GIS to record mission data and we also discussed possibilities for how GIS could be used in the future. 

Here is the link to the PMI recording: http://pmirope.com/media/2014/12/02/mra-webinar-series-mission-reporting-and-search-and-rescue-mapping-for-the-mra/ 

"The Mountain Rescue Association has access to a mapping system called ArcGIS Online http://msar.maps.arcgis.com/home/ and it has been configured for the MRA Mission Reporting initiative. We will cover how this is being used for mission reporting and how it could be used to support operations, especially missing person search operations. The presenters, Paul Doherty and Jon Pedder, are both members of the Esri Disaster Response Program. Paul Doherty, PhD is the Technical Lead for the Program. He has 4-years with Yosemite Search and Rescue, and is also an active researcher who focuses on the use Geographic Information Systems for Search and Rescue. Jon Pedder is the newest member of the Esri Disaster Response Program and has 9-years volunteering with the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team." 

Here are some training videos created for the MRA Members.

2014 SAR Special Interest Group Meeting

This is just a quick recap of items discussed at our Search and Rescue Special Interest Group Meeting at the 2014 Esri International User Conference in July. 

• An update on MapSAR / GISCorps pilot project. There was a lot of interest and it sounds like it is time to expand beyond California!
• An update from Caroline Rose on her MS Project. She is looking to interview more SAR personnel on the types of mapping solutions they currently use so we can design better solutions in the future (ie "MapSAR 3.0"). 
• Karyn Tareen spoke about  opportunities to collaborate and learn from other workflows eg USAR, Damage Assessment. She and her GeoCove team have already pioneered some  new workflows.
• Robert Koester has secured funding to continue building out the ISRID Database. 
• D4H has added support for the International Search and Rescue Incident Database and MapSAR!
• A brief update on SARGIS6 East and West. There were a lot of similar themes discussed and everyone seemed very happy with the collaboration between the two locations. 

If you were there or have questions - please feel free to add comments!

Here is a map of attendees.

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Where is the Mountain Rescue Association?

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!!!

So who is the MRA? 

From the MRA blog...

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. 

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Don't forget Alaska!

How can we help the MRA? 

• Sponsor them, sponsors are heroes! http://www.mra.org/sponsors
• Join an MRA team so you can save lives too
• Make your team join the MRA: http://www.mra.org/about-mra/how-to-join
• Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, LinkedIn
• Come to the 2014 NASAR / MRA Conference