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of life and limb. Emergency response personnel manage and execute evacuations.
They collect information from various sources and share this information with first
responders and other emergency response personnel through a common operational
picture.
Much of the information collected and required during a crisis have a spatial
component. Analyzing the area of impact for a crisis event provides emergency
responders with a spatial footprint of the affected area. Further spatial analysis may
provide estimated damage costs and an estimation of the number of people affected
and their location. Emergency planners use such information to evaluate where to
allocate resources in order to minimize further loss of life, limb, or property.
14.3.2
Challenges of Evacuations
At the onset of an evacuation, emergency planners have many questions that are
inherently spatial: How many people were affected by the incident, and where
are they located? Where are the available emergency shelters? What is the status
of the transportation network including public transportation? What is the status
and location of available emergency personnel and equipment? Much of this
information is spatial in nature; however, it may be found in disparate databases or
systems. Quickly finding answers to these questions can save lives; however, limited
knowledge can lead to increased risk to evacuees and response personnel.
One key challenge in evacuations is determining where the people are located.
Determining the location of individuals and the risks they may be exposed to
is of the utmost importance for planning an emergency response. Populations
fluctuate during the day as people travel to work, school, recreational activities,
sporting/cultural events, etc. Their location is constantly changing and not always
predictable. Currently, the allocation of resources is based on the expertise of first
responders, information that has been collected about the situation, and situational
awareness of emergency planners.
14.3.3
Mobile Phone Data
During emergencies, traditional mobile phones provide voice and SMS services;
however, smartphones also provide enhanced services through mobile applications.
Some of these applications include social media networks, notification services,
mapping, navigation, e-mail, Internet access, photo and video capture, and crowd-
sourcing applications. Individuals use these to improve their situational awareness
and share information with others who may be affected by the crisis.
Mobile phone companies collect information from individual mobile phones
in the United States and internationally. Policies for how long the data is stored
vary by mobile provider. Mobile phone data that are collected may include date,
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