Urban Search and Rescue
Assist urban search and rescue efforts in emergency responsiveness with ArcGIS QuickCapture.
What is Urban Search and Rescue?
Urban search and rescue (USAR) involves the locating, rescue (extraction), and initial medical stabilization of individuals (victims) trapped in confined spaces.
Structural collapse is most often the cause of people being trapped, but individuals may also be trapped in transportation accidents, mines, and collapsed trenches.
Source: FEMA
Why location matters?
Being able to identify and record the location of victims trapped in a collapsed structure and any potential hazards helps the USAR teams to strategically plan their search patterns (avoiding duplication) and triage and prioritize medical incidents, regardless of the magnitude of the disaster.
GIS-driven technology and tools are vital in efforts to speed up the search and rescue planning cycle, quickly getting teams into the field and ultimately saving lives.
Photo credit: LAFD photo, flicker .
Project overview
Urban Search and Rescue is a sample project that allows field workers to capture the location of victims, hazards, and site information. With a few quick taps, information is sent back to the command team for systematic planning and decision-making.
Visualize data in near real time
With near real-time access to accurate information, a command team can be more proactive in planning and coordinating rescue efforts.
The adjacent example is a USAR app created with Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS , displaying observations submitted from the field.
Try it yourself
To get this sample project, follow these steps:
Step 1: Download the QuickCapture mobile app (it's free).
Step 2: Get the sample project.
Tap Continue without signing in on the launch page, and tap BROWSE PROJECTS.
Step 3: Start capturing.
Use ArcGIS QuickCapture to report observations from the field. To see your results, view this dashboard .
Warning: The dashboard is public and submitted observations will be viewable for 7 days (after which they will be automatically hidden).
Case Study | Emergency Response
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