Have you ever wondered how federal agencies and private non-profits accurately anticipate the amount of assistance and goods required to help communities affected by natural disasters? How do they determine the amount of food and water necessary to sustain those affected, or how many shelters are needed to temporarily house those displaced, and where is the safest place to establish them?

We help answer these questions using geospatial technologies. A few months ago, I presented a case study at GovLoop and Esri's MapUp meeting on "Modernizing Imagery Workflows to Enhance Decision-Making." My case study explained how we conducted geospatial damage assessments for Louisiana following the devastating flooding that occurred in 2016.

Prior to the Event

Our meteorologists and coastal and water resources engineers determine areas of interest using weather data and stream gauge data. We then collect and merge various geospatial datasets to better define the area of interest and create a digital model of the potential area of impact.

When a Disaster is Declared

In less than 48 hours, we're able to provide situational awareness, which is a true sense of what is actually happening on the ground. We create a flood depth grid, which is continuously updated as rivers crest, and ultimately intersected with structure points. We then assign depth values to each structure. By determining the depth of the flooding at the structure, we get a good idea of the anticipated damages. We then use satellite and aerial imagery to validate the flood extents and damage assessments.

What this Means to Affected Communities

These assessments provide insight and allow for true, around-the-clock situational awareness of what the damage is likely to be or what it is already. We're able to better inform federal agencies, such as FEMA, and private non-profit organizations, such as the American Red Cross, on the number of people affected. The data we provide helps these agencies make better informed decisions about numerous topics, such as staffing, response, and recovery, and provides more accurate numbers for the necessary amount of food, water, and shelters required for those that are displaced. Additionally, it helps expedite survivor benefits like mortgage assistance, rental assistance, and other forms of assistance payments.

Improving the Process

Since the Louisiana event, we've been able to streamline the process of producing high-quality deliverables in a short timeframe. The hardware/software and workflows used to conduct these assessments has dramatically improved, which means quicker production, enabling turnaround times of 24 hours or less.

For example, for our response efforts to Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and now Maria, we've automated particular workflows to deliver results much more efficiently and effectively. Overall, our improved efforts have helped us provide even more situational awareness than previously, and I look forward to seeing how our work will continue to change and improve for other impending events.