Symbology for Emergency Response and Management: Background

1
Symbology for Emergency Response and Management
Background

• Shel Sutton
• 3 October 2002

2
What is a Symbol?

• Webster defines symbols as a) something used for
  or regarded as representing something else a
  material object representing something, often
  something immaterial emblem, token, or sign. b)
  as a letter, figure, or other character or mark
  or a combination of letters or the like used to
  represent something.
• The Oxford Dictionary defines symbols as an
  object used to represent something abstract, a
  mark, letter, etc. standing for a quality,
  process, etc., as in music or chemistry.
  Synonyms representative, token, figure, sign.

3
Missing Ingredient for Emergency Mapping

• In the US, there is currently no consistent
  national set of map symbols available for the
  development of hazard and emergency management
  maps
• Needed to
• exchange of information and data
• promote universal understanding of hazardous and
  vulnerable locations
• address communication of mission critical
  information across agencies, jurisdictions, and
  all levels of public and private sectors
• strengthen coordination and communication between
  planners
• enhance the ability of emergency managers to
  better understand information at a glance during
  crucial decision making moments
• A set of standard cartographic symbols to be
  developed and standardized
• Being developed in the Symbology Subgroup of the
  Homeland Security Working Group of the Federal
  Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)
• Planned to be endorsed by the FGDC
• Planned to be Standardized by ISO/JTC1 SC4

4
Two Classes of Symbols

• Replicative symbols
• designed to replicate or look like the feature
  they represent
• do not need to have any direct connection to what
  they identify, but they may be representational,
  for example
• airplane to designate airports
• trees to symbolize forest
• outline of a tornado
• Abstract symbols
• generally take the form of a geometric shape
• has no relationship to the form of the object it
  symbolizes
• E.g., hospital drawn as a
• letter H
• figure representing the building
• circle or box with or without an H inside

5
Subgroup Process

• Subgroup identified a structured 5-Stage process
  for organizing the tasks of the work group
• Requirements
• Documentation
• Accreditation
• Implementation
• Refinement / Enhancement

6
Requirements Stage

• Scope of the symbols
• Emergency Management at ALL levels
• Incident list combined with emergency operational
  aspects
• To be used within a GIS but considered for analog
  viewing
• Process
• Distribute Emergency and Hazards Mapping
  Symbology for review and comment
• Department of Geography, Kent State University
• Ute J. Dymon, PhD is the Principal Investigator
• Performed as a subcontract to the Michael Baker
  Corporation for the Federal Emergency Management
  Agency
• Draft a User Requirement Collection Guide
• For use with Emergency Managers in a local
  jurisdiction
• Will be tested in an exercise in Cuyahoga County,
  Ohio
• To refine symbology requirements process of the
  Emergency Management and 1st Responder Community
• Develop strategy for outreach to obtain review,
  comment, and buy-in
• Target international, federal, state, and local
  governmental and other service organizations
  (NGOs, PVOs, IOs, etc.), professional society,
  and other applicable groups
• Joint activity of the National Imagery and
  Mapping Agency (NIMA), United States Geological
  Survey (USGS), and Federal Geographic Data
  Committee (FGDC)

7
Hazard and Emergency Features Found in Source
List (very limited set of examples)

• Military
• Fire
• Bomb
• Hijacking (Airplane)
• Hijacking (Boat)
• Food Distribution
• Mortuary
• Medical
• Veterinary
• METT-TC
• Civil Institution
• Water (Sources)
• Food (Sites)
• Shelter (Sites)
• Police
• Medical (Site)
• Sewage Treatment Plant
• Education
• TV Broadcasting

USGS School Church Water Railroad NOAA Wind
Speed and Direction NCUTCD Landslide Evacuation
Route Dam Railroad World Bank Airplane Dam Ho
spital GIS Unit EM Airport Animal
Related Bridge Church Clinic Communications C
orrectional Facility Disaster Field
Office Electrical Emergency Medical Services Em
ergency Operation Center Evacuation Route Fire
Department Fuel Storage
Hazardous Material Heliport Hospital Landfill,
Active Landfill, Inactive Landing Zone Marine
Resources Mobile Home Park Police
Department Potable Water Radioactive Recovery
Center Red Cross School Sewage
Treatment Shelters Handicapped Traffic
Control Water Treatment Plant Japan
Pictogram Alarm Disrupted Highway Emergency
Operation Center Emergency Shelter Fire
Extinguisher First Aid Station Food Supply
Point Relief Goods Safety Water Supply
Point EMIS OES Rioting
Explosion Access/Crowd Control Civil
Disturbance Criminal Activity Looting Aftershoc
k Building Collapse Building Damage Earthquake
Hospital Collapse Hospital Damage Hospital
Evacuation Structure Collapse Structure
Damage Casualty Call Point Deceased EOC
Open Evacuation Evacuation Center Evacuation
Route Fatality Call Point Injuries Rescue Sear
ch and Rescue Shelter Open Urban Search and
Rescue Fire Hospital Fire Dam Collapse Dam
Damage Dam Overflowing Flood (point) 100s
more)
8
Documentation Stage

• Skill sets required to assist in the
  design/development of the symbology
• Users
• Cartographers
• Graphical designers
• Human factors experts
• Academia
• FEMA will continue using the Kent State
  University and the current Principle Investigator
  to support the effort
• Principle Investigator Dr. Ute Dymon of Kent
  State is the President of the Canadian
  Cartography Association

9
Accreditation Stage

• The Standards Process
• Many to choose from
• Different standards organizations better for
  different parts
• Graphics
• Metadata
• Exchange processes
• Representation processes
• Selection for each part will depend on standards
  organizations
• Speed of process
• Consensus building (feedback) ability
• Vendor Community inclusion
• User Participation (Emergency Managers 1st
  Responders)
• Relevant Scope
• Recognized Authority
• Open
• Risk (Pros/Cons)
• Change Mechanism (maintenance)
• Cost of Implementation (vendor impact)
• Ownership of Standard

10
Implementation Stage

• To be performed in conjunction with the other
  activities (i.e. Symbology development)
• Draft approach to symbology implementation
• Emphasis on digital visualization
• Capability to be used for paper maps to be
  retained, but not an overriding factor
• John Stanton (Defense Information Systems Agency
  (DISA))
• Shel Sutton (NIMA/MITRE Corporation)

11
Refinement and Enhancement Stage

• Will include the other elements of Homeland
  Security (i.e. detection, deterrence, critical
  infrastructure, etc.)
• Not discussed at length during the meeting
• Specific activities will be defined as earlier
  stages progress

12
Current Issues (1 of 2)

• Principles for Homeland Security Spatial Data
  Symbolization
• Document essentially provides many of potential
  requirements
• Requires review and comment
• Funding
• Additional resources will be required
• Process of both accreditation and implementation
  is assumed to require efforts beyond those of the
  current Subgroup membership
• Contractual support
• Other agencies
• Additional support from members organization
• Open Process
• need to open the Subgroup process to external
  participation
• OpenGIS Consortium (OGC)
• OMG
• Vendor community (e.g., ESRI, InterGraph,
  MapInfo, etc.)
• Federal compliance to the Americans With
  Disabilities Act and the Section 508 compliance

13
Current Issues (2 of 2)

• Technology for Implementation
• Simple Vector Graphics (SVG)
• Graphical Markup Language (GML)
• Geographic Markup Language (GML)
• Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)
• Virtual Mark-up Language (VML)
• others
• Need for tagging symbology for metadata and
  attribution was identified as a requirement for
  better understanding by the Subgroup
• Hierarchy of Military Symbols in MIL-STD-2525a
  vs. Emergency Hazard Mapping Matrix based on
  Kent State study
• Appendix addressing symbols for Military
  Operations Other than War was basis for military
  symbols studied
• Will require reconciliation before a joint
  standard can be submitted to any accreditation
  process
• Critical Infrastructure Data Matrix
• Derived from initial Homeland Security
  Infrastructure Program (HSIP) Tiger Team final
  report
• Identifies data types required for Critical
  Infrastructure Protection and the associated
  metadata

14
What can we do?

• Review and comment on Kent State document
• Provide consolidation point for comments by
  Emergency Response Community
• Use mailing list from this weeks Crisis Response
  and Information Technology Seminar invitation and
  attendance lists to present document and offer
  opportunity to comment
• Collect comments and provide initial set to FGDC
  Homeland Security Working Group in Washington
• Provide updates as additional comments become
  available
• Assist in defining requirements for symbology
  implementation
• Become the lead standards organization for
  implementation standards
• Will need to partner with others (OGC, FIPA,
  OASIS, etc. as applicable) for standards
  community to develop complementary standards
• Will need to coordinate among international
  emergency response organizations, FGDC HSWG, and
  other standards oranizations.
• Rise to the challenge