i-cubed, an Airbus Defense and Space company based in Fort Collins, Colorado, is supplying the State of North Carolina with imagery streaming services to help prepare and respond to Hurricane Matthew. Additionally, a Geospatial Appliance Targeted for Operational Response device, also dubbed GATOR, has been sent to North Carolina state officials to help with emergency response efforts.
The streaming services will provide state officials and emergency responders improved situational awareness by having access to six-inch orthorectified imagery over 27 coastal counties, collected between January and March 2016 as part of the 911 Statewide Orthoimagery Program. The streaming services can be used in applications that are compatible with SOAP, REST, WMS or WMTS services such as: Esri Web or Desktop Applications, open source software, CAD, DataDoors or custom applications.
The GATOR device is an encapsulated and portable geospatial server for disconnected field use. It’s a ‘grab and go’ appliance that provides Humanitarian Relief Workers and Disaster Response Teams with flexible access to streaming raster data within their GIS software environment. While designed for disconnected use, when connectivity is available, GATOR services can be broadcasted over a local area network (LAN). The ability to access six-inch resolution data while being completely disconnected, en-route, or based at a remote location, assists Disaster Response Teams in making informed decisions if life-threating situations occur. Emergency response personnel would have the ability to see the original location of small electrical utilities or drainage features, which may not be apparent at a location with standing water or covered with debris, for example.
“Thanks to our reliable data management solutions, leveraging on Airbus Defense and Space’s optical and radar satellites, we are able to support emergency response efforts when devastating natural disasters happen” says Greg Buckman, Head of Airbus Defense and Space’s Intelligence Business Activities in North America. “We are utilizing all of our resources to help increase the response time and dissemination of information for teams involved with the response to Hurricane Matthew.”
Airbus Defense and Space offers unique data management solutions, including managed hosting and streaming services to a variety of markets.
To learn more about how North Carolina state officials will supply the information to emergency response officials, please read more here.