ESRI Provides Emergency Response Services to Pakistan Following Earthquake
GIS Technology, Services, Maps, and More Help Agencies, Victims
Redlands, California—In response to the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that occurred October 8, in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, ESRI is providing a number of geographic information system (GIS) support services designed to assist responding agencies and victims. The quake rippled throughout South Asia, destroying entire communities, killing tens of thousands of people, and injuring or displacing tens of thousands more.
ESRI and its distributors in Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan are actively supporting relief efforts by providing temporary keycodes, on-site support, and other assistance that can be acquired within one business day and is available to any organization regardless of its GIS platform. ESRI is in contact with government agencies, relief organizations, and business partners to assist in the response and recovery efforts. Logistics in the area pose major challenges, and mapping services are in high demand to assist with coordination.
"GIS has been proven time and again in recent natural disasters to be invaluable in emergency response and recovery," says Russ Johnson, public safety industry manager, ESRI. "ESRI is committed to providing technology, personnel, and additional resources vital to helping agencies deliver assistance where needed. Mapping helps in all areas, from positioning facilities and services to determining what infrastructure is damaged and how to get it up and running to locating lost property and developing short- and long-term recovery strategies. GIS professionals have been on the front lines of catastrophe response around the world, and this is being demonstrated again in the destructive Pakistan earthquake."
To request emergency software, data/imagery, or services/consulting assistance, complete and submit the Request Emergency Assistance form located at the ESRI Earthquake Response page. All requests for assistance should be justified and show direct support for the disaster. Contact the Disaster Help Coordination team for general request inquiries via e-mail - Disaster_help@esri.com and include the Assist ID number and agency name in the e-mail subject line.
ESRI is providing a rich array of information resources via its ESRI Earthquake Response page. People can locate U.S. Geological Survey earthquake reports, a worldwide earthquake locator, recent worldwide earthquake activity, and more. In addition, the site offers a collection of links to map and data resources pertinent to the earthquake and disaster recovery efforts in South Asia. The information portal is designed to meet the needs of responders, relief organizations, government agencies, affected people, journalists, and the general public. Visitors can also go online to subscribe to ESRI’s RSS news feed for up-to-date announcements about the use of GIS in disaster response.
In addition, ESRI is working closely with URISA’s GISCorps, a nonprofit organization, to coordinate short-term, volunteer-based GIS services to the affected area. GIS professionals who would like to volunteer time and services should complete the online application on URISA’s GISCorps Web site. Agencies and organizations assisting in relief efforts that are searching for volunteers with GIS expertise can e-mail the GISCorps committee members at info@urisa.org for a list of qualified applicants.
