Google Earth has become a platform for revealing atrocities in Dafur, tracking the spread of the avian flu, and analyzing the effect of climate change on sea levels, among dozens of other great applications. Recently the State of Alabama’s Homeland Security department opted to use Google Earth as a platform for emergency management.
The site threads together thousands of pieces of information from across the state – including maps, photos, traffic cameras, current weather and other databases. From fire and police departments responding to emergencies to emergency management agencies assessing damage from natural disasters, Virtual Alabama provides city, county and state officials with near instantaneous access to information ranging from building layouts to fire hydrant locations. Here’s how Alabama describes the possible benefits.
Suppose a fire breaks out at an engineering building at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. Firefighters can use Virtual Alabama to access floor plans for the building and find out which classrooms are occupied at that hour.
Suppose another tornado were to hit Enterprise. Officials could use Virtual Alabama to access aerial photographs from before and after the tornado to assess the damage, determine the property tax valuation of each damaged structure and quickly put together a disaster assistance request for the federal government.
Like other interactive geospatial mapping efforts, the potential applications are broad and potentially transformative. Alabama is in the process of overlaying tax maps, forestry maps, utility line maps, and other maps with tax records, up-to-the minute weather data, and live cameras on public buildings and highways. We’re documenting similar efforts for our Government 2.0 research — if you have any good examples, please let us know!
