Hello,
Welcome to this weeks discussion revolving around the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), specifically on some of the measures the department uses and has been directed to do to prepare for potential natural or man made disasters across the country. This is part one of a two part / two week look starting with the preparation of a Minimum Essential Data Set (MEDS). The basis for this week was on accumulating and organizing 8 different data layers described below in ArcMAP for a Tier 1 urban area as defined by the DHS. The overall objectives for this week were to complete this preparation, while exploring and developing an understanding on the different directives and concepts that shape DHS role in national preparedness.
The Presidential Policy Directive 8 which outlines a directive from the President to the Department of Homeland Security on establishing a National Preparedness Goal which will be "informed by the risk of specific threats and vulnerabilities – taking into account regional variations - and include concrete, measurable, and prioritized objectives to mitigate that risk" (http://www.dhs.gov/presidential-policy-directive-8-national-preparedness). The guidance in the directive establishes a need to coordinate at all levels of government from local to state to federal, to systematically prepare for varying types of major incidents.
As a result of the directive several other concepts were formalized, such as the Universal Task List (UTL), and Target Capabilities List (TCL). These lists are a combination of tasks and capabilities that bolster communities capabilities toward specifically targeted threats and hazards. When adhering to measures from these lists the local community and government should be ideally prepared for a potential incident, including response and recovery.
A significant portion of DHS involvement in this preparation is the establishment of the MEDS. This is DHS standards based model for the incorporation of geographic information systems and sciences into the collection, preparation, handling, and sharing of geospatial data beneficial to the response of a major incident at any level. The MEDS is broken down into 8 essential data layers: orthoimagery, elevation, hydrography, transportation, boundaries, structures, land cover, and geographic names (from the Geographic Names Information System). These layers are applied to a tiered area. Specifically, a Tier 1 Urban Area based on the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP). These are areas that have undergone assessment to determine the level of risk associated with high-density urban areas. The area is described based on potential threats and overall critical infrastructure that could be exposed, then defined by the cumulative extent of the metropolitan area, with a 10 mile buffer area around it.
This weeks MEDS preparation focused on Boston, MA. and the 10 mile surrounding area. Most of the data originated in the National Map viewer from the USGS. All of the data for the various datasets has been projected to the same coordinate system and datum for uniformity. Also, background data such as the transportation lines, and GNIS have all had scaled labels applied. Each dataset has been saved as a specific layer file, or layer package where needed for easy transfer from one user to another. Interoperability and transferability are the name of the game in quick preparation for these datasets. The data will be used as necessary for the disaster at hand. The transportation layer has been divided into primary, secondary, and local roads as prescribed by the Census Feature Class Code classifications. Need evacuation routes, or just roads impacted by some disaster, they are there. Need water mains or flow valve information, its there in the hydrography dataset. Do you need to know the potential coastal swell from a large storm, the elevation data is available. What geographic places or specific land types are impacted by a terrorist plot to destroy downtown? We have the information readily available. Overall that is the purpose of the MEDS, to be prepared for a broad range of unfortunate events. Below you can see the final computer layout of available datasets. Why, because in a blog post you should have something to look at! Thank you.
BMSA = Boston Metropolitan Statistical Area
bcd = my intials
Welcome to this weeks discussion revolving around the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), specifically on some of the measures the department uses and has been directed to do to prepare for potential natural or man made disasters across the country. This is part one of a two part / two week look starting with the preparation of a Minimum Essential Data Set (MEDS). The basis for this week was on accumulating and organizing 8 different data layers described below in ArcMAP for a Tier 1 urban area as defined by the DHS. The overall objectives for this week were to complete this preparation, while exploring and developing an understanding on the different directives and concepts that shape DHS role in national preparedness.
The Presidential Policy Directive 8 which outlines a directive from the President to the Department of Homeland Security on establishing a National Preparedness Goal which will be "informed by the risk of specific threats and vulnerabilities – taking into account regional variations - and include concrete, measurable, and prioritized objectives to mitigate that risk" (http://www.dhs.gov/presidential-policy-directive-8-national-preparedness). The guidance in the directive establishes a need to coordinate at all levels of government from local to state to federal, to systematically prepare for varying types of major incidents.
As a result of the directive several other concepts were formalized, such as the Universal Task List (UTL), and Target Capabilities List (TCL). These lists are a combination of tasks and capabilities that bolster communities capabilities toward specifically targeted threats and hazards. When adhering to measures from these lists the local community and government should be ideally prepared for a potential incident, including response and recovery.
A significant portion of DHS involvement in this preparation is the establishment of the MEDS. This is DHS standards based model for the incorporation of geographic information systems and sciences into the collection, preparation, handling, and sharing of geospatial data beneficial to the response of a major incident at any level. The MEDS is broken down into 8 essential data layers: orthoimagery, elevation, hydrography, transportation, boundaries, structures, land cover, and geographic names (from the Geographic Names Information System). These layers are applied to a tiered area. Specifically, a Tier 1 Urban Area based on the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP). These are areas that have undergone assessment to determine the level of risk associated with high-density urban areas. The area is described based on potential threats and overall critical infrastructure that could be exposed, then defined by the cumulative extent of the metropolitan area, with a 10 mile buffer area around it.
This weeks MEDS preparation focused on Boston, MA. and the 10 mile surrounding area. Most of the data originated in the National Map viewer from the USGS. All of the data for the various datasets has been projected to the same coordinate system and datum for uniformity. Also, background data such as the transportation lines, and GNIS have all had scaled labels applied. Each dataset has been saved as a specific layer file, or layer package where needed for easy transfer from one user to another. Interoperability and transferability are the name of the game in quick preparation for these datasets. The data will be used as necessary for the disaster at hand. The transportation layer has been divided into primary, secondary, and local roads as prescribed by the Census Feature Class Code classifications. Need evacuation routes, or just roads impacted by some disaster, they are there. Need water mains or flow valve information, its there in the hydrography dataset. Do you need to know the potential coastal swell from a large storm, the elevation data is available. What geographic places or specific land types are impacted by a terrorist plot to destroy downtown? We have the information readily available. Overall that is the purpose of the MEDS, to be prepared for a broad range of unfortunate events. Below you can see the final computer layout of available datasets. Why, because in a blog post you should have something to look at! Thank you.
BMSA = Boston Metropolitan Statistical Area
bcd = my intials
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