EMNet site deleted

Despite having 67 followers, I've chosen to delete the HorizonsEM site EMNet collaboration. The reason for this is that progress on the Emergency Management Information System has superseded the need for us to continue collaboration on GIS systems.

The EMIS will provide the start of a mapping platform that we can all use. I expect that version 1.0 of the EMIS will have a basic mapping module however future versions will provide more opportunities to integrate web services based maps.

I'd like to reinforce that agencies should begin the process of publishing the GIS data they hold so that it can be picked up in the new mapping platform. Things like current road status are going to be central to good emergency management and this platform will be perfect for that.

Thanks to those who have supported the EMNet project... that eventually became AEGIS Map and is now evolving to the national EMIS.

Its taken ages to come up with AEGIS

We've been planning a mapping portal to integrate near-real time data from agencies with static base data through a web page for a while now - I'm sure you've heard... For about the last month Adrienne (our BA) has been saying what are we going to call this thing???

Well... (trumpet flourish)... AEGIS MAP “Aegis” an ancient reference to a cloak or shield that symbolises protection by a higher authority.

AEGIS also stands for Agency Enhanced Geographic Information System.

So, we've talked about it, designed it, talked about it some more and redesigned it, tweeked it and talked about it some more. Told people we're doing it, blogged about it, made a website about it, got a cool name for it...

Can we build it??? YES... we can! (thanks Bob). Edward has returned from the US and is champing at the bit to start writing up the code. I'm sure that in the very near future we'll have a prototype to test drive. We'll keep you posted.

GIS web portal developments

In recent days, we've set up a website for collaboration on the development of the EMNet GIS web portal. Unfortunately this is not a pubically available site at this time and is really intended for participants to work openly together in developing our individual requirements and considering how the portal might work.

This Friday, we have a meeting of the Lifelines Advisory Group to work through some of the fundamental issues. So far we've worked on the business rules that run behind the scenes as well as expectations. Last week however we had a rather sudden development with the interface and the ESRI interface is looking pretty promising.

Here is a link to a demo site for New Zealand. Although there are only a few layers of information available, this certainly proves the basics of GeoRSS feeds from existing data sources - the earthquake info comes from GeoNet and state highways from NZTA real-time data. We've asked Eagle to include some regional level data from Horizons to make it locally interesting as we develop our requirements.

Progress report - EMNet GIS

It seems that we are making steady progress with the development of the prototype EMNet GIS web portal. Adrienne has been working hard to establish the business rules behind the portal and we think we've got it pretty well sorted now.

We've started looking at some of the datasets that might be included in the model and although we've only looked at a couple of agencies, we are up around 130 different data layers already - now you know why its important to have the rules sorted out! Over the next wee while, we will be looking to survey a number of potential data contributors to test the rules and to determine whether the desired outputs can be achieved.

Just yesterday I met Emma Doyle from Massey University who is interested in our project. Emma has funding from the Foundation for Research Science and Technology to investigate ways of making science advice relevant to emergency planning. I think the EMNet GIS web portal will play an important role in this, particularly for immediate/intermediate response planning.

Sean Hodges was also doing some further investigation yesterday with a possible interface for the EMNet GIS. While its still early days, we like to check out these things as they come along.

Here is a really good example of what we are trying to achieve (without spending $2M!!!). Check out this demonstration of the new ESRI interface.

GIS portal

Horizons staff, on behalf of the CDEM Group, are currently working on a project to integrate GIS data from a variety of sources for use in day to day management of lifeline assets (by the utility operators) and emergency management decision making. This will include dynamic data relating to utility status and static data such as known hazards such as flood plains and earthquake faults. We believe that the project will be of interest to other CDEM Groups. Hawkes Bay Group has already expressed a significant interest and we are working collaboratively with Nigel and the team from HB in an effort to meet their needs too.

The project is in its infancy and as part of the development process we are inviting those interested to keep tabs on the project and to provide feedback throughout the process. At this stage, we think the end product will be a web portal with varying levels of access. Near real-time data will be fed into each layer by the agency responsible for the asset (or information contained in the layer). We hope to be able to achieve this without the agencies having to significantly change their operating systems or procedures... hopefully some clever automation can do this for us.

So far, we have posted information from the project management software to this site. We would welcome your feedback via our Google Group here.

Adrienne Bonnington is leading the development of this project from a technical perspective and I'm playing the part of the ever hopeful end user.