Friday, June 11, 2010

Participation - Week 4

GIS plays an important role in disaster relief and response. It can be used to map areas that have been damaged after a natural disaster. Disaster relief aid, such as FEMA, can respond to these areas first. This will help save money because aid will be sent only to areas in critical need of help. Clean up is another major issue after natural disasters. GIS can be used to show what areas have the most damage. It can show what streets are passable and what buildings are destroyed. GIS can even help prevent damage from occurring. Models can predict what will occur if a hurricane, for example, came through the area.
Although the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill is not a natural disaster, GIS can be used in the disaster response. GIS analysis can show organizations, such as Waterkeepers and the EPA, what coastal areas and animal species are most vulnerable to the oil spill. The analysis will allow the organizations to respond to the most vulnerable areas first. GIS can also help responders decide where to place boom. The boom can be placed so that the most vulnerable coastal areas can be protected.

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