seems like the landfall data is out there somewhere
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/27/us/20100527-oil-landfall.h tml Drew Stephen (names are incorrect below) responded to the society for conservation gis listserv on this topic http://pete.uri.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind1006&L=scgis&T=0&P=1925 my 2cents is that open data is critical in this situation, particularly on sensitive habitats and landfalls / projections of where oil is going in order to be strategic about boom locations -m Matt Merrifield GIS Manager The Nature Conservancy of California 37.791, -122.395 415.281.0475 (desk) 415.793.4759 (mobile) From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of gis pundit Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 11:15 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Geowanking] Gulf Oil Spill Disaster GIS data locked behind BPCorporate Firewall This is very disturbing. If ever there was a need for open geospatial data, this is it. I wonder what possessed the Federal & State Agencies to agree to upload their only copies of the location data their responders are collecting in the field to a BP-controlled GIS server? If it wasn't so illegal, I'd say that BP corporate firewall was just begging for a few good hackers to "fix" this problem :) >-------- Original Message -------- >Subject: FW: Letter on BP Oil Spill GIS Appears, Disappears >Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 09:17:14 -0400 >TO: NWCG GIS Task Group > >FYI > >http://www.scientificblogging.com/chatter_box/bp_gis_and_mysterious_van ishing_open_letter > >http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/54563 > >Introduction: > >Andrew Stephens and Devon Humphrey, both Geographic Information Systems >(GIS) professionals with 40 years combined GIS experience, were the >primary architects of the GIS Unit and lab at Incident Command Post >(ICP) Houma. Mr. Stephens has 20 years GIS experience, teaching GIS to >organizations worldwide, and is an expert in GIS deployment, start-up, >training and workflow design. Mr. Humphrey has 20 years background in >Oil Spill GIS with Texas General Land Office, where he was on the >development team of an award-winning oil spill GIS. He has also been an >instructor since 1994 at the National Spill Control School at Texas A&M >University, Corpus Christi. The 'Spill School' is named in the Oil >Pollution Act of 1990. > >**--------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------** >Deepwater Horizon GIS Data Concerns >From: Andrew Stephens and Devon Humphrey >Date: June 9, 2010 >Subject: BP control of GIS data > >To Whom It May Concern: > >Executive Summary > >This letter is being submitted to make it known that several key factors >of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command >Structure (ICS) are not being met in the Unified Command process of the >BP Deepwater Horizon Incident. Specifically regarding the treatment of >Geographic Information System (GIS) data, current configuration and >process limit, or exclude completely, the flow of information about the >extent and status of the disaster to government entities, emergency >responders, and the public. > >GIS is essential to the oil spill response effort and to the recovery of >public resources. Almost every map and geographic display representing >the Deepwater Horizon Incident is sourced by GIS data. Current GIS >management processes indicate that BP is treating GIS data as >proprietary information, and these data are currently being stored >behind the BP corporate firewall. It is our understanding that public >agencies, for example, The US Fish and Wildlife Service and The >Louisiana National Guard, are literally submitting the only copy of >agency field data, via wireless-enabled mobile GPS devices, directly to >a BP GIS server behind the corporate firewall in Houston. Examples of >these data are; dead bird and fish locations with photos, boom >placement, engineered construction barriers, including dates, and other >descriptive information and photos. > >State Emergency Operation Center (EOC) staff, Parish EOC staff, and >other Emergency Responders and Recovery Specialists do not have access >to these GIS datasets, contrary to all NIMS guidance, protocols and >principles. > >Per NIMS, redundancy of incident information is to be managed jointly, >and fully accessible by the Federal On Scene Coordinator (FOSC), the >State On Scene Coordinator (SOSC), and the Responsible Party. Technology >allows implementation of this design to occur instantaneously and >automatically (see attached diagram). The intent of this letter is to >inform The President, the National Incident Commander, the FOSC, the >SOSC, and the public, of the need to establish and enforce NIMS >compliant access policies over all Deepwater Horizon oil spill GIS data. > >The Geospatial Intelligence Officer (GIO) and the GIS Unit Leader, who >proposed NIMS-compliant GIS architecture to Unified Command, and >supported access to these GIS data, have been removed from the Houma ICP >by BP IT department managers. >
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