GIS 4048 Module 6: Homeland Security - Prepare MEDS

This week was our second module within the broader category of GIS use in homeland security. Last week the focus was localized and specific to crime in Washington, D.C whereas this module expands our focus to consider the data needs in order to prepare for and respond to national security incidents. To do this effectively, cities, states and the nation need to have data on hand, organized, processed, and compatible with other datasets.

While we may expect a certain degree of preparedness in geospatial data on the parts of various governmental entities, the critical importance of these data for efficient and effective response to security incidents (whether human or naturally caused) requires coordination to ensure different datasets work together and are available for all users who may need them. This geospatial data coordination forms a small part of the larger aim of the Homeland Security Presidential Directive-8 to guide governmental entities at all levels to prepare for emergencies. This Directive outlines scenarios to which governmental entities must be prepared to respond (National Planning Scenarios); a list of approximately 1600 tasks for entities to incorporate in their preparedness planning (Universal Task List); and a list of 37 capabilities necessary for effective preparedness and response (Target Capabilities List).

Foundational for geospatial preparedness is the concept of Minimum Essential Datasets (MEDS). As the name indicates, MEDS defines the types of data needed to maintain the required level of preparedness for emergencies. This is applied primarily to areas deemed to be most at risk (e.g., Tier 1 urban areas). The data needed to meet the MEDS requirement are as follows: orthoimagery, elevation, hydrography, transportation, boundaries, structures, land cover, and geographic names. The table below goes into detail on the requirements for each dataset.

Table 1: From Fiscal Year 2009 Homeland Security Grant Program Supplemental Resource: Geospatial Guidance, available at http://www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/hsgp/fy09_hsgp_geospatial.pdf

This week's exercise guided us in importing, processing, and organizing the required data outlined in MEDS for Boston in preparation for our analysis next week of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Some of the data needed no processing (such as the boundary of the Boston urban area) while others needed to be masked, clipped, or selected to cover only the needed extent. The transportation data, originally in a single file, were separated into three layers, each representing a road category and symbolized accordingly. The geographic name data were imported in table form and added as XY data in ArcMap. All layers were projected into the Massachusetts Stateplane coordinate system. After all data layers were organized in a geodatabase and symbolized accordingly, they were each saved as a layer file. This ensures the layers retain their symbology when they are added to additional map documents. 

The result is a well-organized geodatabase and layer files with data processed and ready for further analysis. Such analysis will be the task in the next module.