Issue directive making federal disaster maps and data public

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In recent disasters, such as the California wildfires, there were no publicly available computerized maps and data. At one point, state and local responders were relying on maps posted to Google maps by a local newspaper.

FEMA customarily prepares computerized maps (GIS), but does not customarily release that data. It sometimes makes the data available to researchers and, nonpublicly, to other government agencies. But, there appears to be no set policy making the data reliably available to the public. Other federal agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture, can be even more reluctant to release data. This deprives the public of access to information useful in many respects, from filing insurance claims, assessing the adequacy of emergency response, planning routes of travel around affected area, even lifesaving evacuations, as in the California wildfires.

Why Is This Idea Important?

The data collected by federal agencies for disaster related activities belongs to the public and should be accessible to them.

Idea # 295Making Data More Accessible, maps, gis, disasters, fema, data, accessibility

Comments

barbmau 9 months ago

Not that FEMA has been especially competent in the past, but in terms of wildfires, these are locally managed by state firefighters and first responders, who evaluate data and devise the safest and most effective exit strategies/routes and evacuation plans for affected parties. These people are far more competent than the public, who may access maps of the disaster areas and try to plan their own exit strategy without the benefit of training, experience in the area, or adequate information to get out safely. Also, there are always spectators at any disaster, both the press, official and unofficial photographers as well as the public looky-loos and thrill seekers, and those people need to be managed and kept out, which would be much more difficult with detailed maps available showing boundaries of disaster areas, which also can change every hour. I don't think the public is especially benefited by having access to every detail of emergency management areas.

lewisplan 9 months ago

To barmau: The federal government participates in fire control, also, and FEMA coordinates federal response. Onlookers have always been a problem, long before electronic mapping was available. That's why access control procedures exist. But, does the public know what those procedures are, and are the procedures appropriate? Often, the answer is "no.".

The press, as Katrina demonstrated, has an important role and reason to be in disaster areas. If the electronic maps were as useless as you suggest, they wouldn't be useful to government officials, either. But, of course, they are!

Johnruuu 9 months ago

see my post under new strategies and techniques.

There are security risks involved in the too early release of information,especially in this information age and where disaster and loss of life are involved.

We have to be sensitive to those affected and prevent theft and vandalism by those who might attempt to capitalize on such circumstances.

Where to obtain information, if your an affected party to a disaster is key and should be improved by simple Red Corss assistance helplines. This again, should only be expanded if you can prove who you are and a person-to-person oversight authority can validate your potential claim of loss.-hope that makes sense.

spiral_winddancer 9 months ago

Please see http://www.nifc.gov/ for all major (over 100 acres) wildfires in the United States. The Situational Report (known as a Sit. Report details all resources dedicated to a fire and the amount of containment; you can also look at the expected fire weather and behavior forecast. There is also a national map of all major wildfires and there approximate size.--All of this information is updated daily during the fire season and there are links to all relevant agencies under "related links." As for individual fires, the only means to look at fire maps regularly updated to the public would be via satellite which would cost way too much. Each fire changes constantly and there are thousands of wildfires throughout the US every year.

lewisplan 9 months ago

Much of the information related to a disaster is withheld by the federal government or is not made readily available even long after the disaster has passed, thus making moot the arguments that sharing disaster data poses a risk or is impractical. Government officials have acknowledged privately that they are protecting private sector interests by withholding data.

bhuberty 9 months ago

Yes, this has to be done because as we saw in Katrina and recently in the Red River Flood this year, people in distress may be more able to help themselves than relying on FEMA. For Fires and Flooding, one needs to know where it is and how fast it is coming towards you in realtime, 24/7. Currently, USFS, States and FEMA are not acquiring the right kind and frequency of aerial and satellite imagery. Nor are they posting the mapping imagery.

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