Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
information necessary to contact those responsible for economic or ecologic
resources that may be at risk from the spill so that appropriate responses can
be taken. This is by no means an exhaustive examination of the data that can be
extracted from Arc Map. Queries can be developed that can display whatever data
planners or responders feel is important. For instance, near real time meteorological
data is available online from data buoys in the lake as well as stations along the
shore. Personnel with a copy of the Arc Reader project and an internet connection
can use hotlinks built into the Arc Reader project created for the Mistake on the
Lake exercise to access weather data as reported at Coast Guard stations, airports,
NOAA data buoys moored in the open lake. Live or recent data from other sources,
for instance USGS/NOAA river current gauges, can be made available through
the ArcReader project, again as deemed appropriate or useful by planners and
response management personnel. Additional data tables can be added at the discre-
tion of the Area Committee.
11.7 Conclusions
Geospatial technologies have matured in recent years to become a useful tool
to develop, update, display and publish protection strategy data and maps.
Geospatially enabled response plans can be developed, response options analyzed
pre- and post-incident or post-exercise and changes made to the strategies relatively
easily. The flexibility of geospatial technologies provides planners with a way
to develop protection strategies for different conditions at a particular location.
This study selected a limited set of protection strategies already established in the
Western Lake Erie Contingency plan for display using a geographic information
system; print page layouts for the data and maps were also developed.
Existing protection strategy maps in the western Lake Erie plan were evaluated
for readability clarity and usefulness for responders. The quality of the maps varied
widely, from high quality, legible maps of some areas to low line resolution,
pixelated maps of others that are of little use. Page design and data fields to
be included in the geospatially enabled protection strategies for the Western Lake
Erie were found in a number of locations. The primary source of inspiration was
the work done by the Northwest Area Committee in the Puget Sound GRPs (marine
environment) and the Snohomish River protection strategies (riverine environ-
ment). Design elements of each were included in the draft page design, potentially
useful data fields that were not included in the western Lake Erie plan were
included for review by planners and responders. An important facet of the data
layout is the ability to link to dynamic data, such as SCAT data, that will allow the
import of data from existing external sources during an incident.
Most of the elements necessary to accomplish this task are in place. Once a
page layout is approved and the appropriate data fields updated, the data fields must
be populated, the maps published and included as part of the Western Lake Erie
Plan. It should be noted all work done on the western Lake Erie protection strategies
