WASHINGTON, August 7, 2015 — On August 4th and 5th the National Alliance for Public Safety GIS (NAPSG) Foundation brought together more than 150 of the Nation’s public safety leaders and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) professionals for the inaugural National Geospatial Preparedness Summit.
The Summit was co-hosted by NAPSG and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in coordination with the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC), Fairfax County Fire Rescue, and other agencies. The Summit aimed to forge collaboration between first responders and GIS professionals so that technology can be more effectively applied in preparedness nationwide.
NAPSG’s Board Chairman, Rand Napoli, explained, “The Summit represents a series of hands-on workshops that have been strategically designed to address some of the most pressing operational and technical challenges the public safety and GIS community faces. It also culminates with a short tabletop exercise where first responders and GIS professionals will put to use the knowledge and skills gained in the first day in a simulated emergency scenario.”
On the evening of August 4th there was a separate ceremony for NAPSG’s fifth Annual Awards for Excellence in Public Safety GIS. NAPSG’s Board of Directors has unanimously selected the recipients of the 2015 Awards. Chief Napoli will present the National award to Mr. Russ Johnson, Director of Esri’s Public Safety Industry and the Local award to the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC). In announcing the selection, Chief Napoli highlighted Mr. Johnson’s lifetime accomplishments in mobilizing public safety decision makers to use GIS on a daily basis in their planning and operations. NAPSG’s Board voted to recognize the actions that Mr. Johnson took at Esri to formalize the Disaster Response and Assistance Program. Chief Napoli also highlighted the recent success of the Boston Regional Intelligence Center in using GIS to improve planning for the 2015 Boston Marathon, increase prevention efforts, and situational awareness during this year’s marathon. He conveyed that the BRIC serves as a model for local and regional law enforcement agencies nationwide.
The reception for the Annual Awards for Excellence in Public Safety GIS was made possible by the generous support of several corporate sponsors, including: HERE, Esri, Ardent Management Consulting, Dewberry, American Modern Insurance, and CSX. The reception was hosted by NAPSG at the Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC. The 2016 National Geospatial Preparedness Summit will be held September 2016 in Olympia, WA.
