Instructions for Geospatial Mapping Project

1. Instructions for Geospatial Mapping Project Geospatial Research and Applications Center (GRAC) EDA Funded Project (Grant# G004824) 6/16/2011

3. Background: Problem Statement • Hurricane storm surge and wash of sand and debris inland frustrates clean-up effort • Heavy Equipment damages fixtures covered by debris and sand • 50% or more of the damage inflicted on critical utilities during the clean-up effort • $17 million of damage in 2008 hurricane season • Preventing damage to fixtures means city will be able to allow residents and tourists to return sooner and businesses to restart

4. Current Condition • Each utility company has print or electronic maps in different formats • Little coordination during clean-up to protect utility infrastructure • Limited information sharing system in place to deliver plans to clean-up personnel

5. Project Goal • Effectively collect, store, and retrieve infrastructure data from multiple partners in the Alabama coastal community • Decrease the damage done to the infrastructure during cleanup activities after a hurricane • Help the community to recover quickly after a natural disaster • Help maintain the overall stability and sustainability of a community

6. Partners • City of Gulf Shores • City of Orange Beach • City of Bayou La Batre • Town of Dauphin Island • Riviera Utilities • Clarke Mobile Gas • CenturyLink • Orange Beach Water Authority • Bayou La Batre Water Authority • AL Dept. of Homeland Security • AL Dept. of Emergency Management

7. Project Importance • Infrastructure & many public services are geographically oriented • Daily Operations – street & utility maintenance • Strategic Planning – zoning, economic development • Disasters • Preparation – evacuation, locating resources • Disaster Response – deploying resources • Disaster Recovery – inspection, return of people

8. GIS / GPS- Based Solution • GIS- Geographic Information System • ArcGIS- A GIS system developed by the Environment Systems Research Institute (ESRI) • Widely used system for surveying and referencing various locations and structures • GIS integrates information from satellite imagery, aerial photography, and latitude/longitude coordinates • We use GPS (global positioning system) units to link actual landmarks to coordinates • Computer program overlays coordinates with satellite and aerial images • Produces easy to understand map of various utility fixtures

9. What is GIS and GPS? Geographic Positioning System http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFfOTfS-ZMU&feature=related Geographic Information Systems http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi0m_lwCYkA&feature=related Geospatial Technology http://geospatialrevolution.psu.edu/

10. Activities done to date……. • Data Collection • Locations: Dauphin Island, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Ft. Morgan, Bayou La Batre • Data Recovery • Locations: Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Auburn University

11. Past Data Collection • ~60 students have been involved in data collection • Were led by two student team leaders • Mapping conducted in Gulf Shores, Dauphin Island, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan • Data collection conducted during Spring and Summer 2010

12. Data Collection • Feb 19-21, 2010 • Two teams of 4 students collected data in GS • Data Points Collected: 605 • Walking Miles Covered: 4 • Feb. 26-28, 2010 • Three teams of 4 students collected data in GS • Data Points Collected:1592 • Walking Miles Covered: 9.16 • Similarly

13. O R A N G E B E A C H G U L F S H O R E S F O R T M O R G A N

14. Data Collected So far Data Points Collected:12,000+ Walking Miles : 90+ Total Manhours:550+

15. Example of Collected Data

16. Past Data Recovery Exercises • ~30 students have been involved in data recovery exercises • Data recovery exercises were conducted at Auburn University and Gulf Shores • Data recovery conducted during Summer and Fall 2010

17. Recovery Exercises • Exercise 1 Conducted on July 21st and 22nd , 2010 • 31 students completed the exercise on AU campus • Located 3 data points • Exercise 2 conducted August 2010 • Professionals completed exercise in Gulf Shores • Located 15 data points (5 buried, 10 real world) • Exercise 3 Conducted September 16 • 11 AU Geog students conducted exercise in GS • Located 15 data points (5 buried, 10 real world)

19. Recap • Nearly 10,000 data points for Gulf Shores and Orange Beach • 500+ hours to collect • 60 man days to locate/recover all data:

20. Awards • Campus Technology Innovator Award, 2010 • AU College of Business Star Award, 2010 • AU College of Business Innovative Outreach Professional Award, 2010 • Applied for: • Computer world Innovations in Use of IT, 2011 • Department of Homeland Security Essay Competition, 2011

21. Benefits: Student Learning • Students get to work with GPS technologies • Give back to community • Learn technical specialized technologies • Improve communication skills • Improve team working skills • Enhance leadership skills • Students stated that they understood goals and learned significantly

22. Benefits: Advance Productivity, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship 40% of reconstruction costs can be eliminated if geospatial data are available online Time to recover from damage is expected to be halved due to the availability of these data Will make economic impact of this project very attractive The concept of geospatial mapping of a coastal area is innovative Project team members learn to apply theories learned in class to solve a practical problem

23. For More Information www.auburn.edu/gis www.auburn.edu/grac