Responding to a Threat:
Applications of ArcView for Emergency Planning in Charlotte
Permission requested: www.rmcindustries.com/
images/img0001.jpg
Purpose:
Since the September 11th
attacks, community planners across the nation are intensifying their emergency
response plans. For this project, I used ArcView’s
Network Analyst to examine the emergency resources in the downtown area and
to illustrate the possible ArcView applications in emergency planning and
response in case of a fictional terrorist attack at Ericsson Stadium.
Initial Considerations:
The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) assumes that a disaster either natural or man-made will result in numerous casualties and property loss. An emergency is declared when an event overwhelms an area’s response resources. The amount and severity of damage and casualties can be minimized with good planning and coordination amongst responding agencies.
Before
proceeding with any analysis or modeling, it is necessary to be familiar with
the demographics of the area. Charlotte, North Carolina
is the second largest financial center in the country. It is rapidly growing
with a population of approximately 1.2 million people. Many businesses are
located in downtown Charlotte including the Charlotte Observer,
NationsBank headquarters, and Ericsson Stadium. Ericsson Stadium is the home of the NFL’s
Carolina Panthers. It was completed in 1996 and seats 72, 520 people. It is located in between I-277, Mint, Graham and
Morehead Streets on 33 acres of land.
If an attack were to occur during an event at Ericsson
Stadium, a number of people would be affected and the hospitals and emergency
responders from the fire stations would need to be prepared to handle large
numbers of people.
Planning:
When planning agencies plan for an
emergency situation, they assess the number of resources in a given area and
the infrastructure in place that will facilitate movement from the resource
centers to the emergency. They use this information to determine which areas
need what resources and to allocate future resources accordingly. In this section of the analysis, I used
Network Analyst’s Service Area function to determine what resources where with
in 10, 15, 20, and 30 minutes of the Stadium. Click
here for results. Then, I grouped the fire stations by their proximity to
the station. Click here for results. From the table
associated with each station, planners could determine the number of engines at
each station and decide if it is necessary to purchase more engines. Or they
could decide to build another station if necessary. I also used the Service
Area function to determine the 15 km service area of each trauma hospital. Click here for results. Planners could use this information to determine which hospital
would fill first according to the number of beds, ambulances, doctors, and
nurses available. They could encourage the appropriate hospitals in this area
to make there own plans for handling a large-scale emergency.
Response:
In response to an emergency,
information about location and direction to the site is valuable. Responders
need to know which resources are the closest to the sight, the best way to get
to the emergency site, and alternate routes to the sight in case there is an
obstruction. I used Network Analyst’s Closest Facility function to locate the
trauma hospital and fire station closest to the stadium. Click here for results. Next to simulate the creation
of dispatch directions with ArcView, I used Network Analyst’s Best Route
function to model the best route from each trauma hospital to the stadium. Click here for results. Finally to simulate a
response adjustment, I used Network Analyst’s Best Route function to model the
best route from Charlotte Fire Station #13 located at 4337 Glenwood Drive to
Ericsson Stadium and an alternate route that avoids Thrift Road. Click here for results.
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Questions? Email me.
(lishafer@davidson.edu) |
*This
website was created as part of a class project in the Imaging the Earth Class
at Davidson College.
By:
Elizabeth Shafer
Advisors:
Dr. Mike Dorcas and Dr. Bill Ringle