Oil Spill Participation Post Part 2-

GIS is used in as a useful tool in many different disaster situations. One way to involve GIS is to predict what might happen in a possible disaster. Some disaster relief efforts are totally based on damage models predicted on a computer. It is also used to help government officials and other decision makers locate where they will establish their medical centers and other disaster relief stations, and could help the homeless and others find their ways to shelter and to hospitals. And finally another way it can be used is to assess damage caused by the storm and to record damage costs. Maps could possibly be made to show damage before and after the storm, and then follow up maps to show recovery efforts and status on roads and so on.


In the past week we have researched the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. GIS is also used in situations like this. It can be used to map daily photos of the spill and how much it has spread. And by the use of Google Earth it can help show people around the world exactly where it is at the time. Projected photos of the spill can also be made to predict where the oil is heading and be able to give certain areas warning about the presence of the oil on nearby beaches and bays. Using information by the NOAA, maps can be formed to show animals that could be in danger of the contamination such as anything from crab and shrimp that will affect the local fishing for seafood, to birds and reptiles that live near the coastal waters.