Digital Data Provides Maps for Hurricane Relief

Auburn, Ala – September 23, 2005 -

 

“It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” Those are the words of Ronnie Davis, a 36 year veteran with the National Guard who just completed an assignment with Hurricane Katrina relief in Mississippi. Davis has been stationed in Kosovo and has worked numerous disaster efforts during his time with the Guard, but the devastation in Mississippi really got to him. Davis is attached to the 1204th Engineering Company of Slocum, Alabama. His unit was called up to assist with the Hurricane Katrina efforts in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. “Our primary mission was to provide security and to help the local authorities restore order,” said Davis.

 

Upon arrival, the only maps available were tourist-type maps—roadmaps. In his full-time career, Davis is a Soil Conservation Technician working for USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), in Geneva, Alabama. In that capacity, he works daily with digital data to produce conservation plans for producers in Geneva County. Davis knew what digital data was available through NRCS, he was familiar with the equipment needed to produce the product, and knew how valuable the maps would be to those working in the relief effort.

 

Davis said, “I asked permission to send a few of my fellow guardsmen to pick up what we call a DTSS (Digital Topographic Support System), which is a topographic system that we can use to produce maps and shape files.” His commanding officer agreed, so now Davis needed access to the digital data.

 

“I knew that NRCS would have the data needed to develop maps for the local network,” said Davis. A phone call to his home county put things in motion. Through the NRCS network, the NRCS Cartography and Geospatial Center, Forth Worth, Texas, put together the digital data needed for the entire southern portion of Mississippi from Interstate 20 to the Gulf. The data were burned to a CD and sent overnight to Davis at his Ocean Springs, Mississippi, attachment headquarters.

 

“When we arrived in Mississippi, there was very little communication system available. We set up our equipment on the runway at the Ocean Springs airport and operated the equipment off of our own generator. We had two plotters, and one large scanner. With this set-up, we produced over 800 maps to support the whole operation there in our sector. We didn’t have internet upon arrival, so we had to hand deliver the maps. With these maps, we could pin-point the local need. Not only did we produce maps for our own unit, we produced maps for the local police, State Troopers coming in from other states, large maps for use by FEMA for distribution points. You’ve got to understand that this area was devastated. The local police had one map mounted on a wall. You can imagine how difficult it was to try to direct people to go to various places with only one map to work with,” said Davis.

 

“With the background and training I’ve had with NRCS, I knew NRCS had the information that was needed to produce the maps. With my work with NRCS, I had the insight of what was needed, because it’s a day to day routine for us. What I do at work for NRCS just transitioned into what was needed to help with Hurricane Katrina relief in Mississippi and to support the local governments,” said Davis.

 

“Kosovo was a war-torn country, but Mississippi was worse than anything I’ve ever seen. Total areas were gone. What wasn’t destroyed was damaged by water. The maps that we produced helped provide a framework for relief efforts in the Ocean Springs area,” said Davis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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