Search and Rescue (SAR) and GIS is an award-winning combination!
On November 3, 2011 a group of forward-thinking SAR volunteers and US National Park Rangers received
the prestigious Foundation Award for Excellence in Public Safety GIS from the National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation.
This informal group was formed in Joshua Tree National Park in 2009 and has made incredible progress towards integrating GIS into missing person search operations (SAR-GIS). SAR-GIS has been used successfully on search operations in National Parks and Counties across the U.S. and Canada. You can join the SAR-GIS discussion group to find out more about the topic.
Now, the SAR-GIS group has independently put together a set of templates and tools for ArcGIS users to support missing person search operations. It is called MapSAR and can be downloaded and used with ArcGIS Desktop 10 by joining the ArcGIS Online Group (once you join the group you will see the latest MapSAR build) with your free Esri Global Account. Also watch this video, Life Saving Maps, to get an overview of how MapSAR is being used by the Sierra Madre SAR Team to quickly get search teams into field with their assignment maps.
MapSAR now has the following customized capabilities and will add more features over time:
1. Map production templates (Data driven pages and map templates)
2. Custom GPS data download tools (GPX file importer)
3. An Operational Layer geodatabase (Joined and related tables) with symbology
4. Search area buffer tool (Buffer Analysis)
If you are not already a GIS user and want a FREE and easy to use application to get started, a SAR volunteer has made this special ArcGIS Explorer Desktop download available here. In the meantime the group anticipates creating detailed how-to manuals and training in the near future so even novice GIS users can get started.
MapSAR is one part of an initiative to raise awareness to the practical and analytical capabilities GIS has for missing person search operations. After all, everything about the process of searching for and rescuing a person in need is spatial. We expect to see many tools and training in the next year to continue advancing this noble cause, “So that others may live…”.
Please feel free to leave comments and questions for the authors and also join the SAR-GIS group to find out more.
Contributed by Tom Patterson, Public Safety Industry Specialist, and Paul Doherty, Public Safety Technology Specialist
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Update: The MapSAR Tool manual is progressing well. We’re at the editing stage now (12/17/11), so perhaps a month to a draft PDF release. We’re also writing Using GIS for Wildland Search and Rescue to give SAR teams and other emergency responders the ability to create an effective understanding and use of GIS in operations. This will include Using ArcGIS Explorer for Emergency Operations. We’re aiming for spring 2012 for finishing that.
The Google Group: Using GIS in SAR for Emergency Responders is a good place to check for updates.
George Durkee