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Programs & Services

GIS: Geographic Information Systems

Emergency Management GIS Resources • Virginia GIS/Mapping Web Sites

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management is charged with the coordination of the Commonwealth’s emergency preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery efforts. In support of the mission of the agency, the Geographic Information Systems Program has at its core the following vision statement:

To enable and facilitate local, state, and federal collaboration through the use of geospatial data in order to
protect the Commonwealth of Virginia and its localities from the impacts of natural and manmade hazards.

Emergency Management GIS Resources

Below is a PDF presentation with an overview of how GIS is used to support the mission requirements in the emergency management field. Also below are links and examples of how GIS is used to promote public safety and emergency preparedness. Note that links to external websites will open in a new browser window. To view Virginia-specific GIS sites, click the "Virginia GIS/Mapping Web Sites" in the gray bar above.

New: VDEM GIS Program Overview [1.0mb PDF]

Geospatial One Stop – geodata.gov

Hurricanes
http://gos2.geodata.gov/wps/portal/gos/communities/hurricane
MODIS Active Fire Mapping Program
http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Coastal Services Center

Historical Hurricane Tracks
http://maps.csc.noaa.gov/hurricanes/
Storm Information for Coastal Officials
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/storm_info/
Flood Mapping - Tar River, NC Case Study
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/ncflood/
Coastal Flooding - Oregon Coastal Inundation Visualization Tool
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/cspPNW/

National Weather Service

GIS Data
http://www.weather.gov/gis/
Radar and Weather Warnings (KMZ)
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge/kmzgenerator.php
Experimental Daily Precipitation Analysis
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/rfcshare/precip_analysis_new.php
National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) Experimental GIS Shapefiles
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/regsci/gis/shapefiles/ndfd/
National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) Datasets
http://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/gisdatasets/
NOAA Nowcoast
http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/
HPC 1-5 Day Precipitation Forecasts in (SHP)
http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/about_gis.shtml

Tides Online

Real-time Data
- Chesapeake Bay Observations
  http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/cbports/cbports.shtml?port=cb
- Chesapeake Bay Operational Forecast System
  http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/cbofs/cbofs.html
- NOAA Tides Web Services
  http://opendap.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/axis/
Historical Data
- Historical Tide Measurements
  http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/station_retrieve.shtml?type=Tide+Data

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Map Service Center (Floodplain Maps)
http://msc.fema.gov/
Mapping Information Platform (Map Modernization)
http://www.hazards.fema.gov/
Mapping & Analysis Center (Event Mapping)
http://www.gismaps.fema.gov/
HAZUS Software for ArcGIS
http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/hazus/
HAZUS Training at EMI
http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/hazus/hz_training.shtm

United State Geological Service (Real-time Data)

Map of Flood and High Flow Conditions
http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/?m=flood%2Cmap&r=va&w=dryw%2Cmap
Virginia Surface Water Data
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/va/nwis/current/?type=flow
Earthquakes >M1.0 in the past 7 Days (KMZ)
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/catalogs/eqs7day-age_src.kmz

Hurricane Katrina / Rita GIS Products

Louisiana Geographic Information Center - Hurricane Response Mapping
http://lagic.lsu.edu/hurricanes/
ESRI Disaster Response & Assistance
http://www.esri.com/disaster_response/katrina-rita.html

To learn more about GIS, visit http://www.gis.com.