FEMA should produce a smart phone application that allows the capture and upload of georeferenced text and photo's during a disaster. In this way, everyone can send pictures of bridges collapsed or damaged with a gps derived position and texted description attached. Another app could be created for "Needing Rescue or Assistance", a 911 type function, which should be separate and managed differently..
Preliminary Damage Assessments by Smartphone
Tags: phone apps
Comments (19)
Doing this for preliminary damage assessments is nice, but the real issue is getting this in the hands of localities, not FEMA and the States. The Initial Damage Assessment (IDA) is something that localities do before the PDA process. The IDA is what is performed to help identify areas/communities that may require a PDA. If we are starting to collect the GPS / Smartphone data at the PDA part of the process, we're already several days into the event and we miss the initial view / text of what occurred. Additionally, if the IDA is done well (smartphone or other types of apps may make sense here), then the PDA can use the IDA as a starting point without reinventing the wheel. This proved quite helpful with a 2008 tornado where a locality IDA was house by house, with maps provided to the PDA teams. In many cases, the damage was not immediately visible from the street but the IDA data prompted the state/federal PDA teams to be sure to look at all 4 sides of the house - ultimately resulting in roughly a 95% agreement rate with the locality IDA data.
One problem is The American Red Cross does not allow photographs to be taken during preliminary damage assessments due to "privacy concerns"
There's an interesting app -- "Mobile Damage Assessment Device (MODAD)" that may work. . . http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mobile-damage-assessment-device/id407852152?mt=8
We also need to consider the cost effectiveness of process and the staff needed to digest the information given and to get the information to the proper departments and agencies involved. But a sound idea. Also thanks for posting the link. I myself didnt know about it either.
Currently, PDAs are conducted with pencil-and-paper; inefficient, labor-intensive, and cumbersome for events over a wide area. . .
The Homeland Security Advisory Council in LA is also working on a smartphone app.
In general, the entire process must have better oversight regardless of how the inspectors are compensated. Review of their work for accuracy and completeness will only enhance the process and prevent needless wasting of money, or in some cases allow people to qualify for funding who otherwise would not due to a shoddy inspection.
Another note... PDAs have been tally sheets. They are not project plans and do not capture location. Defining what is needed for the PDA would go a long way to helping see if an app is needed or not.
I have performed a few PDA's and assessments with all requiring location information along with damage description. On the federal level looking for that $ threshold and Red Cross for sheltering requirements.
Austin Peay State University created a damage assessment application for this very purpose.
http://www.apsu.edu/news/gis-center-helps-develop-damage-assessment-application
There are multiple companies that offer applications that tie in to their incident management systems. Why should we rely on FEMA to do something the private sector has already done, and done well? Add this component to your RFP and demand excellence from the private sector when selecting bids. The competition over your business will get you exactly what you want.
Applicant software that pertains to distribution of funds weather on a smartphone or other machines may have legal consequences. Rules and policy changes could make the software invalid.
I don't think this a good idea, especially for moderate (damaging) sizes or up in case of earthquakes. As we experienced from the Virginia quake of a magnitude of 5.6, when the quake struck the region, everyone tried to make call in order to make sure if their loved ones are safe, which caused 'a jam' to the communication system in the region. And the situation will be especially worse in urban areas like in 'an earthquake country' of the southern California. So, for this reason alone, it would be hard to make 'Preliminary Damage Assessments by Smartphone.'
Chaos of the phone system and high traffic volume on Public Safety communications is expected following a significant incident. Utilizing the smartphone to capture this preliminary information can be efficient. Transferring data following such an event presents challenges. Alternatives may be hotspot WiFi, satellite, sneaker net or amateur radio.
Simple solutions may be the most elegant and reliable, without requiring a specialized technology investment. Maps and aerial photography could help get the initial damage assessment done quickly. Many cities and counties have GIS with tax parcel databases. Find out who does GIS in your cities and counties, get to know them, and learn about what they can do.
Our local IT department at the request of our EM director developed a program for some phones we have in a bank which will be issued to CERT members for just such an occurance.
Perhaps the Debris Estimation Tool (DET) already employed by FEMA Infrastructure Branch personnel may be of use in this instance. Long story short, it is a tablet device where the user can be a passenger in a vehicle travelling slowly down the road...and all they have to do is push a button or two for each downed tree or damaged building they come across. It is automatically geo-referenced, so a GIS person in a local or regional office can receive the data (when it is uploaded) and make a map.
I found and Android app that does exactly this om Android Market
During the initial stages of an event, we are gaining information from our local windsheild teams as well as the public. By having a simple app that can be used by the public to report damages, we can reduce call volumes. I think the intent of the original idea was for use by the public during the Response Phase to assist in action planning and where resources might be needed. I like the app in this context - with a big caviat that it also come with a data collection tool (even a simple database collection)that can be used in the EOC that would link GPS coordinates with previous messages already received so as to minimize multiple listings of the same location.