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ESRI and GCS Research Collaborate in Statewide Montana Bioterrorism Exercise

Mapping and GIS Integral Part of Sharing Information during Disaster Exercise in Montana

Redlands, California—ESRI, the world leader in geographic information system (GIS) technology, together with business partner GCS Research http://www.gcs-research.com , recently took part in Operation Last Chance One, a statewide disaster preparedness exercise in the state of Montana.

Led by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) in collaboration with Montana Disaster and Emergency Services (DES), this operation was the first exercise of its magnitude in Montana. It included participation from 59 of 63 county and tribal health departments as well as 26 hospitals and clinics. The two-part exercise simulated the spread of pneumonic plague as high school campers returned to their homes as well as a chemical release from a hypothetical airplane crash at Helena Regional Airport.

A crucial element of Operation Last Chance One was to test the ability of local, state, and federal health officials to share information and resources during a disaster response. Another goal was to test the ability of public health agencies to diagnose disease and investigate and control its spread.

"ESRI and GCS helped our department understand and use GIS in this mission-critical exercise," says James Aspevig, public health informatics manager, DPHHS. "GIS can be very useful in situations that require us to have a better integrated view of conditions on the ground."

"In my opinion, the usefulness of graphic visualization made possible by GIS cannot be overstated," says Earl Hall, basic biodefense project manager at the University of Montana. "While the data necessary for a robust GIS application to public health emergencies in Montana may still be in its infancy, I am convinced that a commitment to data integration will ultimately prove beneficial to public health authorities. Predictive modeling of infectious disease spread, using GIS technology, is an area that deserves more attention."

ESRI and GCS Research http://www.gcs-research.com volunteered their services in support of the DPHHS Emergency Operations Center planning team operating under the incident commander. ESRI ArcGIS Desktop software and ArcWeb Services were used to provide real-time mapping of simulated disaster events and assessment of the potential geographic spread of disease over time. The DPHHS GIS team also exchanged information in real time with the DES GIS team to ensure that a common operational picture was established and shared by the participating agencies for disease surveillance, communication, and decision-making.

"The critical role of information technology (IT) in public health emergency preparedness and response is clear, as we have seen through its critical role post September 11, 2001, and most recently during ongoing hurricane efforts this year," says Bill Davenhall, health and human services industry manager, ESRI. "GIS adds significant value to IT infrastructure by providing a framework to integrate data from disparate sources—event data; critical infrastructure data such as hospitals, clinics, schools, and roads; pharmaceutical stock pile sites; political boundaries; and real-time data feeds such as weather, traffic, emergency room visits—and then visualize, analyze, and map that information in order to create a common operational picture for communication and decision-making purposes."

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Press Information:
Karen Richardson, ESRI
Tel.: 909-793-2853, extension 1-3491
E-mail (press only): [email protected]
General Information: [email protected]

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