Progress Report

To: Victoria County Local Emergency Planning Committee, LEPC.

From: South Texas Emergency Planning, STEP.

Date: October 26, 2010, 2010

Subject: Progress report: Chemical analysis for evacuation routes and environments at risk.

 

 

Introduction

 

This will cover a review of the project description on what deliverables you can expect from S.T.E.P.  S.T.E.P. is working with LEPC to find the most effective way of transporting the population at risk when a chemical spill happens. We are also doing critical infrastructure, Transportation route if any get cut off during a chemical spill or there is a spill on a highway or railroad.  This report also includes the work we have completed, the work in progress, and the work needing to be finished, as well as a list of obstacles we have faced. Lastly, S.T.E.P. will give an overall assessment of how the project is going

 

Current Work in Progress

                

                 We are currently working on our metadata for the information we have created using the data given to us.  This metadata describes what data we have used to come up with our current work and the steps we have taken to produce the current work.  This metadata acknowledges the credibility of our data thus far.

                 Before we began using any network analysis, we are consolidating the information that we have already referenced onto the map into the already established categories from previous meetings.  The categories that need to be consolidated are first responders, evacuation centers, populations at risk, and critical infrastructures.

First responders data will include:

Police stations

Fire departments

Hospitals

Evacuations sites:

Hospitals

Parks

Schools

Victoria Mall

Populations at risk:

Schools

Day cares

Nursing homes

Hospitals

Critical infrastructure:

Police stations

Water plants

Waste water stations

Water tower

Water wells

The rest of the data layers, which are railroad, transportation network, hydrology, and chemical sites provided by CHEMgroup, do not need to be consolidated.

                 We are also doing trial runs of the network analysis dataset we have created using Victoria’s Centerline to identify two of the closest evacuation shelters from each of the populations at risk that also includes step by step directions to these shelters, please refer to the images below.  We are doing the trial runs to make sure the foundation for future analysis is accurate as possible and is ready to use.

 

A)

The blue circle represents the evacuation shelters, and the navy squares are the populations at risk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B)

Step by step directions including individual maps.

 

 

**Please note these are not the final product, these are examples from our test runs.

 

Work To Be Completed

                 As we continue to work on the tasks in progress, there still remains some various analysis and final products to be completed throughout the remaining duration of the project.  The remaining work to be completed can be separated into analysis and products to be completed.

 

                 Analysis to be completed:

Network analysis and identification of closest shelter.  STEP will continue to identify the closest evacuations shelters for each individual evacuation shelter using the Network Analysis function – Closest Facility.

Integrate hazard site data.  CHEMGroup will soon be completed in their identification and creation of data vital to the second component of our analysis. Upon receiving this data, STEP will check the accuracy and completeness of the data to ensure the fitness of use of the data for our analysis.

Hazard site buffers and critical infrastructure/ hydrology risk identification.  STEP will add buffers around each individual hazard site to identify any potential risks to the critical infrastructure or hydrological features.

 

Final Products to be completed

Completion of Map products. Maps will be created to aid in visualizing the results of the analysis in regards to the network analysis of the closest evacuation shelters as well as the results of potential risks to critical infrastructures.

Supplemental table for Population Concentrations and First Responders. The supplemental table will contain unique information for specific use of the population concentrations and first responders.  The population concentrations will be provided with information of the closest evacuation shelter, the route to that shelter, as well as the next closest shelter as an alternate. The first responder’s table will list the individual hazard sites, and the population concentrations and critical infrastructure  at risk by these individual sites.

Metadata and GIS Dictionary. Metadata will be created for, and only for data created by STEP. The GIS dictionary is an extension of metadata that is used to define operational terms of our analysis.

Final Project Report- A final report will detail the results of our analysis.

Create project website. The project website will list all documents created for this project, interactive map via Manifold, as well as team information. A ReadMe file will also be created

 

Problems encountered and limitations:

Thus far, there is only one problem we have came upon.  The Victoria Centerline data that we used to create the network dataset does not include one ways.  We have added a one way attribute to those streets that applied.  We are currently doing test runs to make sure the One-way attribute is taken into consideration.

The limitation of our analysis is that the data we are using is constantly changing, such as the reported chemical sites, the amount and addresses of the populations at risk, evacuation sites, and first responders.

 

Conclusion

 

Victoria county LEPC is coming great but a little bit slower than we anticipated. Although we are still up to date; we will be done by December 13. It is coming out the way we thought. If you have any questions let STEP know.