search and rescue search: to locate persons in distress

Search and Rescue

Search: To locate persons in distress

Rescue: To retrieve persons in distress, provide for their initial medical or other needs, deliver them to a place of safety and get your teams out safely.

Search is often the more time-consuming task:

• Where to look?• What resources to use?• How long do you look?• How to best keep track of your

resources.

• “What hampers me as a searcher is that I don't think like a lost person (well, mostly ...). Maybe one (two?!?) out of 10 times have I looked at a map, waved my divining rod over it and said: "There!" and been anywhere close to right. Each SAR is like learning all something new each time. So the priority tools (and tech devices), for me, would be those which contribute to better organizing and visualizing the SAR and the terrain.”

GIS & MapSAR Significantly Enhances Situational Awareness And Provides a Common Operating Picture

Walk, Ride, Fly

Tasks

Analysis

InvestigationsOperations

Debriefing

Planning

Equipment

Team

Briefing

Search

Field Updates

DispatcherDispatcher

Log

Assignments

Helos,Trucks

Ops

Clues, Location, etc.Orders

Air Ops

Dog Ops

ResourceUnit

Logistics

LeadInvestigator Investigator

Assignments

Clues, Location, etc.

Clues, Location, etc.

SAR Information and Resource Flowchart

Walk, Ride, Fly

Tasks

Analysis Investigations

Operations

Debriefing

Planning

Equipment

Team

Briefing

Search

Field Updates

DispatcherDispatcher

Log

Assignments

Helos,Trucks

Ops

Orders

Air Ops

Dog Ops

ResourceUnit

Logistics

Spare Ovals

Investigator

Clues, GPS Locations

Assignments

Maps:Team, Briefing

Assets

Flex ViewerTo GIS Server

MapSARArcGIS 10

Teams

Clues,GPS Tracklogs & Waypoints

Clues

Common Operating PictureAvailable to All

ArcGIS Explorer Desktop

Reports

Analysis: Surface Created with Cross Country Mobility Analysis with Roads and Trails

Dementia STATS

Pre-planning: MapSAR Structure and MED

3D Image (ArcGIS Explorer or ArcGlobe): Effective Visualization of terrain for teams and Incident Command

Used with GIS Server, Greatly Enhanced Common Operating Picture

Using GIS in SAR:The Map is Not the Territory

Understand the mapping software you use.Practice with different types of coordinate systems and converting between them.

A Good Day for SAR: Yosemite Ranger Dave Pope withChild, Merced River, Yosemite National Park

George Durkee: gedurkee@sonic.netUsing GIS in SAR for Emergency Responders:https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/sar-and-gisFiles at: http://sierranaturenotes.com/GI$/