CMEP GIS Workshops
From December 01 through December 05, the 25 people representing the Ministry of Emergency Situations departments from all the regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan gathered in the Country’s Capital city of Astana for a GIS training workshop. The event took place at the Grand Park Esil Hotel’s Conference room.
The workshop was organized under the agreement between the CMEP/USACE and the MES of Kazakhstan with active participation and strong involvement of the US Embassy to Astana and the technical support of the Partnership Information Management System (PIMS).
A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.
GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.
A GIS helps you answer questions and solve problems by looking at your data in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared.
GIS technology can be integrated into any enterprise information system framework.
GIS workshops help nations develop the GIS skills necessary for effective emergency management. GIS workshops focus on improving GIS capabilities to make databases, collect and analyze data, produce maps and perform consequence analysis. These 4-5 day workshops are designed according to the nation’s needs and existing level of expertise. Typically, 2-4 GIS experts assist the partner country in performing a number of key tasks:
Demonstrate capabilities and functionality of GIS software
Identifying procedures for GIS integration into disaster management activities
Improving information supply to national decision makers during a crisis
Increasing the flow of data between the nation and NATO allies and partners
Evaluating the hardware currently available for GIS software installation and recommending any possible upgrades
Helping partner countries to implement this important information technology is a major component of the CMEP program. These bilateral or multilateral workshops take place either in the partner country or in Germany at the USACE Europe District’s International Engineering Center in Wiesbaden.
Regional GIS workshops focus on regional-level GIS capabilities by developing regional databases of response assets and GIS capacities that can respond to a regional disaster.
These events are similar to standard GIS workshops but are conducted on a larger scale.
Facilitators assist partner countries in improving geospatial and other disaster-related data consistent with NATO standards and international usage. This helps foster information exchange between nations, NATO EADRCC, UNOCHA and other international bodies.
CMEP Workshops utilize GIS technology and focus on the management of multinational regional disasters. Objectives include:
Establish regional cooperation.
Make use of PIMS/internet in planning the response and GIS in responding to catastrophes.
Creating a common database to be used in coordinating a response to catastrophes.
Create joint operational systems for national centers of reaction in the event of catastrophes in participating countries.
Increase transparency and build cooperation among Allies and Partner nations.
Facilitate planning and cooperation in the NATO Civil Emergency Planning structure.
Exchange information on legal considerations and response procedures for large catastrophes with international implications.
Develop cooperation at the provincial level on the basis of bilateral agreements on cooperation and mutual assistance in case of technological and natural disasters and other severe accidents.
The latest GIS workshop took place in Astana, Kazakhstan with participants from the Kazakhstan Ministry of Emergency Services. Representatives came from the Central Government agencies as well as regional offices from throughout the Country. The primary goal of this workshop was to introduce participants to the ESRI ArcGIS software to view, edit and analyze GIS data. A secondary goal was to illustrate and describe the Emergency Management program of the US Army Corps of Engineers and how GIS has been used in it.
In the course of the event two facilitators from the USACE, Mr. Tony Hill, ESF-3 Assistant Team Leader, and Mr. Seshu Vaddey, P.E., Hydraulics & Hydrology Design Branch, and the participating trainees were able to share their knowledge and technologies in the area of Emergency response to the natural and man-caused disasters and catastrophes.
For four days the trainees were presented by the facilitators with the GIS components and features to use in planning and responding to the contingencies. Following the guidance and instructions delivered, the participants practiced in the usage of the system and by the end of the course were able to use it in the workshop’s exercises.
As Mr. Seshu Vaddey said: ”It was a highly successful event where participants gained a strong understanding of the ArcGIS software as well as the USACE EM program. Additionally, many of the participants also were able to consider how this growing technology can work with there own organizations and their current needs.”