NECP Spotlight: Leveraging Geographic Information Systems to Enhance Emergency Response

The public safety community heavily relies on technology, software, and applications to receive, dispatch, and respond to requests for emergency assistance. The data produced by geographic information systems (GIS) helps to accurately identify an individual’s location, resulting in quicker response times and improved situational awareness for responders. Unfortunately, public safety organizations often operate on outdated technology, computing software, and applications, resulting in inefficiencies and an inability to coordinate with other public safety agencies during a crisis. To assist local jurisdictions with preparing for natural disasters or man-made events, Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) and Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs) must adopt tools that leverage real-time data and geographical information into their operations.