GIS Day:
GIS at Harvard and Beyond

November 20, 2002

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Second Panel: GIS as a Tool for Managing Terrorist Attacks and Other Emergencies

Keynote Speaker: Jim Hall, PlanGraphics, Inc.

The World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, represented a special challenge for the GIS community in New York City. The third building that collapsed following the terrorist attacks was the New York City Emergency Response Center, which contained a sophisticated GIS system. Jim Hall of PlanGraphics, Inc. will describe how a team of determined GIS and other IT professionals succeeded in establishing a new GIS-based emergency response center within days and how GIS technology was an essential element in the decision-making process during the subsequent response to the World Trade Center attacks. He will also discuss the lessons learned for future emergencies.

During the panel discussion, Harvard professors will reflect on their use of GIS technology to monitor diseases and other emergencies around the world. They will also discuss how they are using GIS and remote sensing to assist in minimizing the future impact of natural disasters, such as earthquakes. Are there new frontiers for deploying GIS technology?