The Texas General Land Office (GLO) has implemented the use of real-time data for incorporation into an oil spill trajectory model. The real-time data is collected from a series of offshore buoys and tide gauge systems. The real-time systems collect critical tide, current velocity/direction, and other meteorological conditions for driving the oil spill trajectory model. The trajectory model predicts where oil will move and allows for improved allocation of spill response resources. The oil spill plumes generated from the trajectory model are used to conduct spatial analysis in the GIS for resource at risk reports and protection strategies. The GLO has been using an advanced, nationally recognized oil spill GIS application for over five years. Other components contributing to the success of the oil spill GIS include digital orthophoto quarterquads, detailed data layer map libraries, and high volume custom map production routines. This paper describes the integration of these various technologies during several major oil spill disasters in Texas over the past 18 months.
The response to an oil spill can be broken down into several phases, all requiring the use of accurate and current information. Initially, it is a facility emergency that requires the site manager to implement a site contingency plan. If the spill is of significant size, the area contingency plan is activated and the regional response team is call in. The command goes from a site command phase to a transition phase to a unified command phase without interrupting the flow of information. Personnel from the Coast Guard, federal and state environmental regulatory bodies and private industry join forces in the unified command. Answering to the command desk are the Operation, Planning, Logistic/Finance and Command Staff; each with their own coordinators and advisors. ArcView is an ideal tool for integrating and disseminating information at a spill. Site and area contingency plans can be developed and stored at the site and critical backup locations. Using ArcView, site managers can begin their response by simply following the "cook book". During the transition to a regional command center, the status of various efforts can be linked electronically to ensure that the cleanup continues without interruptions. Once the unified command center is running, servers and local area networks, ISDN and phone modems, and satellite communications will allow for instant dissemination of data. State and federal GIS coverages can be accessed to ensure that the most current environmental data is being used; the integration of near real-time satellites and remote sensing aircraft data with ArcView will provide accurate spill location maps; ArcView status boards and maps can be viewed by anyone at anytime; and data can be archived for use in the inevitable law suits. In February at an oil spill drill in Charleston, SC, a limited test was conducted using ArcView. From this test, valuable insight was gained into the pros and cons of using ArcView during an emergency response.
Each year, the Minerals Management Service reviews over 1,000 oil and gas exploration, development, pipeline, and platform removal activity plans. The review process includes many geographic analyses, such as calculating distances from an activity to protected biological features, determining which of more than 15 mitigation areas an activity falls within, intersecting the helicopter and service vessel paths between onshore service bases and an offshore activity site with special mitigation areas, and others. An automated GIS application using ArcView is being developed to perform these analyses. The application will also assist MMS with oil spill planning, air quality, and archaeological analyses. The functionality developed for this application will be available bundled together for a complete plan review, and also individually as buttons and tools for general purpose and impromptu query, display, and analysis. The objective of this application is to improve office efficiency, analytic accuracy, and to develop standardized approaches and data for offshore environmental reviews.
Moderator: Doug CribbsGeographic Information Systems (GIS) have been used in countless natural resources applications. These applications can be categorized as planning or management, process modeling, inventory, and assessment. Within these categories, spatial analysis, through the use of GIS, enables end-users to have information for decision-making. This paper outlines a scheme for implementing two specific applications: one for coastal or marine environments and the other for riverine. The marine GIS application, commonly known as an Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI), is used by emergency responders when there is an oil or other type of spill. ESIs have been successfully implemented across the United States and in many nations world wide. The conversion to a digital product, using GIS, has been developed for many areas of the United States and is part of many on-going projects sponsored by state government agencies and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The ESI shoreline classification is a function of relative exposure to wave and tidal energy, shoreline slope, substrate type, and biological productivity and sensitivity. In the riverine environment, a new project, sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, is underway with the purpose of classifying river reaches of smaller river and streams for oil spill sensitivity. A model, the Reach Sensitivity Index (RSI), has been developed on South Carolina rivers and tested in the Leaf River basin of Mississippi. There are two primary components to the RSI: 1) the containment and recovery of the oil; and 2) the vulnerability and sensitivity of the associated wetlands. These two applications provide users with detailed maps and data tables. Current research is underway by many organizations to expand on the ESI principle to develop desktop mapping tools for identifying critical habitats, spill response, and damage assessment. Future goals include applying the ESI concept to the entire coastal zone and the RSI to the entire watershed, for analytical and management purposes. The ESI and RSI are building blocks for comprehensive land use analysis.