thedrifter
11-15-07, 09:19 AM
Computer mapping technology aids firefighting efforts
By: BRADLEY J. FIKES - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON -- During last month's wildfires, the Marines called a new weapon into action: computerized mapping.
Fire data flowed into Camp Pendleton from the County Office of Emergency Services. Making sense of a complicated, changing picture using technology called GIS, or Graphic Information Systems, the Marines had the knowledge to protect people and property, said Terence Adams, a retired Marine who now works for Technology Associates International Corp.
The Carlsbad computer technology company, which works with Marines, put the technology on display for the public and students Wednesday at Camp Pendleton. The occasion was GIS Day, part of Geography Awareness Week, sponsored by National Geographic and recognized in a proclamation by President Reagan in 1987.
"We were able to get their fire data and put it into the Camp Pendleton GIS product," said Adams. "We were able to track the fires not only on Camp Pendleton but also San Diego County."
GIS is in widespread use by the Marines, cities, and anyone who wants to better manage information that can be displayed geographically. Information is organized in layers -- such as roads, utility installations and homes -- that can be added or removed.
You only see what you need, which reduces distractions, Adams said.
For example, a map showing housing units could be overlaid with the geographic location of fires, Adams said. The Marines actually did this during the fires to determine where evacuations were necessary. They did the same thing with power lines, which were repeatedly knocked out by the fires.
Geographical Information Systems also helps the U.S. military know the terrain -- and the enemy -- in Iraq and Afghanistan, Adams said.
A security-related branch of the system, called the Common Operational Picture, or COP, ensures that top decisionmakers can see the same information, Adams said. While maps are often thought of as static, this approach employs constantly updated information, transmitted wirelessly and displayed graphically, he said.
"In Iraq and Afghanistan and throughout the areas the Marines operate in, we use this type of technology," Adams said. "Every commander is responsible for a certain area of the battle space. As they report, it goes up to the top, and we have that common picture of what is taking place. We try to apply that here to give the individual camp commanders a snapshot of what's going on in their particular areas."
Adams said the Marines took that battlefield system and adapted it for day-to-day usage.
"We put a chat functionality into it. We put in tracking technology, so I can give you a GPS-enabled (Global Positioning System) cell phone so I can track you as you go on the base."
When the recent fires hit, the Marines contacted the county emergency services office, which uses GIS, Adams said.
In another part of the demonstration, employees of Surveyors Service Co. displayed their automated surveying equipment and explained how the devices were used to make mapping more rapid. The wireless devices use laser and infrared beams to mark vertical and horizontal positions, and feed back the information.
On base, that equipment is in regular use by George Jackson, or "GPS George" as he calls himself, a retired Marine and Technology Associates employee who goes throughout the base's rugged terrain to mark features.
"There's always data that needs to collected," Jackson said. "I can be out in the hills, looking for manholes, I can be looking for monitoring wells, I can be looking for points that existed way back at the dawn of time."
The event had special items for schoolchildren in the audience. Gift bags included colorful stickers proclaiming "I Love Geography" and a fist-sized squeezable rubber globe, as well as technical articles for adults.
-- Contact staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at (760) 739-6641 or bfikes@nctimes.com.
On the Net:
Geography Awareness Week
tinyurl.com/2o2cju
GIS Web page
www.gis.com/index.cfm
Technology Associates International Corp.
www.taic.net
Ellie
By: BRADLEY J. FIKES - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON -- During last month's wildfires, the Marines called a new weapon into action: computerized mapping.
Fire data flowed into Camp Pendleton from the County Office of Emergency Services. Making sense of a complicated, changing picture using technology called GIS, or Graphic Information Systems, the Marines had the knowledge to protect people and property, said Terence Adams, a retired Marine who now works for Technology Associates International Corp.
The Carlsbad computer technology company, which works with Marines, put the technology on display for the public and students Wednesday at Camp Pendleton. The occasion was GIS Day, part of Geography Awareness Week, sponsored by National Geographic and recognized in a proclamation by President Reagan in 1987.
"We were able to get their fire data and put it into the Camp Pendleton GIS product," said Adams. "We were able to track the fires not only on Camp Pendleton but also San Diego County."
GIS is in widespread use by the Marines, cities, and anyone who wants to better manage information that can be displayed geographically. Information is organized in layers -- such as roads, utility installations and homes -- that can be added or removed.
You only see what you need, which reduces distractions, Adams said.
For example, a map showing housing units could be overlaid with the geographic location of fires, Adams said. The Marines actually did this during the fires to determine where evacuations were necessary. They did the same thing with power lines, which were repeatedly knocked out by the fires.
Geographical Information Systems also helps the U.S. military know the terrain -- and the enemy -- in Iraq and Afghanistan, Adams said.
A security-related branch of the system, called the Common Operational Picture, or COP, ensures that top decisionmakers can see the same information, Adams said. While maps are often thought of as static, this approach employs constantly updated information, transmitted wirelessly and displayed graphically, he said.
"In Iraq and Afghanistan and throughout the areas the Marines operate in, we use this type of technology," Adams said. "Every commander is responsible for a certain area of the battle space. As they report, it goes up to the top, and we have that common picture of what is taking place. We try to apply that here to give the individual camp commanders a snapshot of what's going on in their particular areas."
Adams said the Marines took that battlefield system and adapted it for day-to-day usage.
"We put a chat functionality into it. We put in tracking technology, so I can give you a GPS-enabled (Global Positioning System) cell phone so I can track you as you go on the base."
When the recent fires hit, the Marines contacted the county emergency services office, which uses GIS, Adams said.
In another part of the demonstration, employees of Surveyors Service Co. displayed their automated surveying equipment and explained how the devices were used to make mapping more rapid. The wireless devices use laser and infrared beams to mark vertical and horizontal positions, and feed back the information.
On base, that equipment is in regular use by George Jackson, or "GPS George" as he calls himself, a retired Marine and Technology Associates employee who goes throughout the base's rugged terrain to mark features.
"There's always data that needs to collected," Jackson said. "I can be out in the hills, looking for manholes, I can be looking for monitoring wells, I can be looking for points that existed way back at the dawn of time."
The event had special items for schoolchildren in the audience. Gift bags included colorful stickers proclaiming "I Love Geography" and a fist-sized squeezable rubber globe, as well as technical articles for adults.
-- Contact staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at (760) 739-6641 or bfikes@nctimes.com.
On the Net:
Geography Awareness Week
tinyurl.com/2o2cju
GIS Web page
www.gis.com/index.cfm
Technology Associates International Corp.
www.taic.net
Ellie