News

The Gdynia based GIS solution development company, Estimal, used the TatukGIS DK to develop and deliver the GIS mapping functionality for the new City of Gdansk (pop. 600,000) 112 Emergency Response Call Center. (Public emergency response call centers of this type are referred to as 911 call centers in the U.S.) The public opening of the call center � which supports the Gdansk Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services - was covered by local television media on January 8 and in local newspapers the following day. The GIS mapping solution, said to follow the most modern, world standards for such call center systems, is the first of its kind to be deployed by a major city in Poland.

The public emergency response control center in Gdansk, where the software is deployed.

Click to enlarge; The calculation of the optimum route to the location of a fire (Strzyza).

 

The mapping solution is based on a SOAP client-server* configuration designed to simultaneously support an average of ten or more emergency response dispatchers. The application allows each dispatcher, within seconds of the receipt of the call, to know the caller�s location, evaluate the availability of resources at that moment in time, and to dispatch the necessary resources in an optimal manner.

The GIS mapping portion of the response system includes the following features:
 

• Displays the map location of the place of the event via the use of address geocoding. If a call is received from any fixed line telephone number, the dispatcher immediately sees the map location of the caller's address.
• Displays the real time map positions and dispositions of mobile units available to respond to the call, delivered via GPS, to determine which resource is best positioned to respond to a given incident.
• Displays the shortest driving routes from the locations of available response units to the location of the emergency event, taking into consideration one-way streets, obstacles, etc.
• Tracks mobile emergency units in progress, via GPS technology, to help coordinate available resources during an incident.
• Map visualization of relevant objects such as fire hydrants, medical delivery points, parks or forested areas, etc.
• Supports mosaiced aerial imagery as well as vector street map data.
• Possibilities to attach descriptive information to addresses, points, or objects, including photos, building plans, etc.
• Printing of the map display (map portion) in any screen view so that the map image may be sent by fax to a field location.
• Possibilities to upgrade the system to link the call center map to alarm systems and to add evacuation planning in the event of major disasters such as chemical spills, explosions, floods, etc.

 

By basing this solution on the very affordable TatukGIS technology (versus other, much more expensive, GIS technology options), Estimal was able to provide the call center mapping solution to the City of Gdansk at a reasonable price that the City could afford and accept.

An article describing this event that was published in the Polish Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper on January 9, 2003.

* Special written permission was granted to Estimal to develop this server based solution, given that the DK license agreement forbids the use of the DK product for server based solutions without receiving prior written permission from TatukGIS.