EOC GIS Team

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

Beginning in October of 2017, when wildfires claimed 5,300 homes and the lives of 22 people, Sonoma County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Team immediately developed and delivered innovative GIS services to first responders, state and federal agencies, county departments, and residents. Since 2017, the county has endured one of the most significant series of proclaimed disasters including multiple wildfires, floods, Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), Joe Rodota Trail Restoration, and the COVID-19 health pandemic. Responding to each disaster event, the EOC GIS Team developed innovative products that positively informed the public warning system, public communications mapping, and operational mapping products, disaster recovery, and hazard assessment.The EOC GIS Team worked under intense pressure and time restriction to produce actively current information to match the rapidly evolving situations experienced with wildfires and flood. The tools provided real-time estimates of numbers of residents evacuated which directly informed the shelter planning and public information efforts. The mapping tools helped county staff proactively support Access & Functional Needs (AFN) clients whose lives were jeopardized during unprecedented Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). The tools they developed have saved lives and helped residents experiencing repeated disasters to remain informed and empowered.