GIS solutions in public safety: A case study of the Broward County Sheriff

Abstract

This paper discusses GIS and disaster preparedness and management by a public safety agency at the scale of a small metropolitan area or jurisdiction within a larger metropolitan area. After briefly reviewing the local, South Florida, context, the paper focuses first on the agencies experiences with mostly Federal GIS programs - ALOHA, CATS/JACE and HAZUS-MH - geared to managing natural and man-made disasters. The next portion of the paper focuses on an evolving enterprise GIS within the public safety agency that has included projects related to: use of GIS technology for critical incident response; homeland security; and incorporating and anticipating wireless technology in data collection, and distribution. The paper concludes with lessons learned and recommendations in terms of both technology and organizational imperatives. © 2005 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.