# Presentation: 662081

## USGS and FEMA Collaboration

**HAZUS User Conference 2007**

**Notes:**
Good morning. I’m Carol Giffin and I work for the United States Geological Survey in Denver, Colorado.  First of all, I want to thank FEMA for inviting USGS to participate in the HAZUS conference and talk about some activities that we’ve been doing together.

## USGS & FEMA 

**Proactive Collaboration**
**Current Activities**
**Potential Next Steps**

**Notes:**
USGS and FEMA are working together in a very collaborative way and we’ve made some real progress towards sharing data and supporting HAZUS.  We also discussing additional collaborative activities.  These are the 3 topics that will be covered today.

## Proactive Collaboration

**Regional Interagency Mapping Coordination Work Group**
**FEMA**
**Headquarters**
**Region VIII**
**USGS**
**National Geospatial Program Office**
**Geographic Information Integration and Analysis Office**
**National Geospatial Technical Operations Center**
**Central Region National Spatial Data Infrastructure Partnership Office**

**Notes:**
There is an ad hoc geospatial coordinating group located in Denver and this group is the Regional Interagency Mapping Coordination Working Group.  FEMA and USGS have working together as part of this group so we have some established relationships. 
In April, we began to ask ourselves what else could we be doing to collaborate on geospatial related issues.  It was clear that new or updated critical facilities data would be very useful in HAZUS applications.
A small group began working together and provided representation from program, policy and technical perspectives.  Eric Berman, Doug Bausch, and Rebecca Storey are representing FEMA.  Paul Wiese, Lisa Kok and I are representing USGS.  We are really working well together as a team any of them could be up here and talking with you today.  Everyone is very experienced and knowledgeable and I really enjoy working with them.

## Current Activities

**Developing an Understanding**
**HAZUS geospatial requirements**
**Content of the National Structures Database**
**Sharing Program and Policy information**
**Sharing Critical Facilities data**
**Communicating**

**Notes:**
We began meeting about 2 months ago and we began the discussion by developing an understanding of geospatial data requirements for HAZUS and content of the USGS National Structures database.  We want our activities to be in line with each agency’s direction and we were successful in sharing critical facilities data which meets HAZUS requirements.  

## National Geospatial Program Office 

*   **“**Providing leadership to place geographic knowledge at the fingertips of the Nation.”*

***“ ******Current and accurate geospatial data will be readily available on a local, national and global basis to contribute to economic growth, environmental quality and stability and social progress.”***

**Notes:**
How many of you work with geospatial information in ArcGIS or use maps in what you do?
The National Geospatial Program Office is the part of USGS that deals with geospatial information. 
The NGPO vision is that “. . . Current and accurate geospatial data will be readily available on a local, national and global basis to contribute to economic growth, environmental quality and stability and social progress.”

## The National Map:  Data Content

**Orthorectified imagery***

**Land cover  ****(Geography)**

**Elevation (Topo)***

**Vector layers:**
**Transportation**
**Hydrography***
**Structures**
**Boundaries**

**Geographic names***

*** OMB Circular A-16 USGS Responsibility (August 2002)**

**Notes:**
The NGPO includes a number of activities such as The National Map.  Here you see a good example of the National Map data content which includes structures.   

## National Vector Program

- Transportation
- Hydrography
- _Structures_
- Boundaries

**Notes:**
Our collaboration falls under the Structures portion of the National Vector Program.  The USGS National Vector Theme Coordinator, working with Transportation, Structures and Boundaries is Paul Wiese.  Paul,  would you stand up for a moment so people know who you are?  Thanks Paul.

## USGS Update of Critical Infrastructures

**Project Scope**
**Schools**
**Hospitals**
**Fire Stations**
**Police Stations**
**Emergency Centers **

**Notes:**
When we began communicating on HAZUS requirements it was very fortutious that USGS was already working on an update of critical infrastructures.  The project scope includes the features that you see here.

## USGS Update of Critical Infrastructures

**Project Scope**
**Within Hurricane 50 mile buffer**
**Gulf and Atlantic Coasts**

**Notes:**
The project scope includes the data features shown on the previous slide and covers the area shown within a 50 mile buffer along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.  The buffer area coincides with FEMA Regions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6.

## USGS Update of Critical Infrastructures

**Process**
**Move geocoded positions to building centroids**
**Add new features**
**Verify names and addresses**
**Reconcile names with Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)**
**	**

**Notes:**
The USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center, located in Denver, is using these steps to update critical infrastructures.  They also add a permanent feature identifier for long term maintenance of the National Structures database.

## Move geocoded positions to building centroids 

**Move geocoded positions to building centroids**

**Notes:**
Here are some visual examples of the update process. 
First, geocoded positions are moved to building centroids.

## Move geocoded positions to building centroids 

**Move geocoded positions to building centroids**

## Add new features

**Notes:**
New features are added as appropriate.

##  Verify names / addresses and reconcile with GNIS

**Notes:**
Then the NGTOC verifies the name and address of a feature and reconciles the feature with the Geographic Names Information System.  “Reconcile” means that point locations and names are verified and accounted for in both datasets (The National Structures Dataset and Geographic Names Information System).  Names of structures do not have to go through the formal Board on Geographic Names process to become official.  The structures process was developed in cooperation with the GNIS group, so the names adhere to GNIS policies and once loaded into GNIS are considered official by the Board on Geographic Names/Geographic Names Information System.

## USGS Update of Critical Infrastructures

**Status**
**Delivered updated hospitals & schools in 5/07**
**Nearly 10,000 updated schools, including 800 new**
**Nearly 1,000 updated hospitals, including 100 new**
**In progress**
**Update of Fire Stations, Police Stations and EOCs  Expected completion date – August, 2007**

**Notes:**
O.K. So this is what we have accomplished so far.  We’ve provided FEMA with an updated dataset containing hospitals and schools for the 50 mile buffer area.

There is also additional data in work which has an estimated completion during August.

## Potential Next Steps	

**Additional critical facilities data for FEMA**
**Provide 50 mile buffer data to DHS Geospatial Management Office**
**Incorporate HAZUS data requirements into future USGS program plans**
**Inform USGS/NGA/DHS Program Partners Working Group**
**Develop data models and data acquisition strategy**
**Continue discussion on other geospatial requirements**

**Notes:**
The FEMA and USGS team plans to continue our collaborative discussions.  We are currently discussing the potential next steps which are shown in this slide.  As you can see, there a range of activities which include technical, program and coordination activities.

## Contact Information

**Partnerships****	****	****	****Program**
**Carol Giffin****	****	****	****Paul Wiese**
**clgiffin@usgs.gov****	****	****pmwiese@usgs.gov**
**303-202-4127****	****	****	****303-202-4298**

**Notes:**
Here is contact information for me and Paul at the USGS.

Thank you for attending this session.