Abstract

Mobile Mapping App for Fire Trucks
Track: Fire, Rescue, and EMS
Authors: Gary Wilton, Jonathon McIntyre

Historically, the District of North Saanich Fire Department made copies of hard copy map documents for defining the driving directions to emergency incidents for the volunteer fire fighters. In an industry where seconds can mean the difference between life and death, these documents need to be easily updated and accessible and this was not the case using hard copy documents. Using ArcGIS Server, geoprocessing scripts were developed to create digital maps that are printed to create the fire department map books. These PDF files have also been incorporated into an HTML5 browser application that uses data extracted from ArcGIS. The HTML5 application has been compiled into an iPad app for use within emergency vehicles while on route to emergencies. This allows access to both driving directions and any pre-emergency planning information. These tools allow for easy update of mapping files based on current GIS information and disseminate it efficiently.