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Firing up GIS for analysis
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service selects Cadcorp SIS software for GIS-based incident analysis and resource planning...
Digital mapping and geographic information system (GIS) software developer Cadcorp has announced that Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has selected Cadcorp SIS - Spatial Information System – to provide the brigade with enhanced incident data analysis, planning, information presentation and data integration capabilities.
Cadcorp is working with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service to assist it in the installation of and training in the use of Cadcorp SIS Map Modeller, the company’s flag-ship GIS software product. Initially, this will be used by the brigade’s information systems team as the basis for a number of GIS-based applications. These will include incident and fire safety analysis work, corporate Ordnance Survey MasterMap management and distribution and the development of computer-aided design (CAD) plans for operational use.
Data conversion
An important aspect of the use of Cadcorp SIS at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service will be data conversion and interoperability. The software’s built-in capabilities for on-the-fly reading and writing of a wide range of proprietary and industry-standard GIS and CAD data formats will be used to import data from and export data to the brigade’s legacy systems. This will enable the brigade to maximise its existing investments in data from these systems.
“Although we already had a GIS capability, we needed to enhance our ability to spatially analyse incident data and to present this information to the brigade’s management in a readily understandable form to aid in the planning of the location of our operational resources”, said Fiona Hill, information systems manager, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. “We chose Cadcorp SIS for a number of reasons, the main ones being its ease of use, the wide range of spatial analysis facilities it provides and the ease with which it can convert data to other formats in order to integrate with our legacy systems. It was also the most cost-efficient solution. The technical support and training we have received from Cadcorp since we made our decision has confirmed that we made the right choice,” she added.
Commenting on the benefits that the brigade expects to gain from the use of Cadcorp SIS, Hill said, “Through its spatial analysis capabilities, such as routing analysis, Cadcorp SIS will enable us to identify the optimum use of our operational resources. Meanwhile Cadcorp SIS Map Reader will enable us to make this and other spatial information more readily accessible to different departments throughout the brigade. This is an exciting development for the Brigade as we have previously been reliant on data presented in paper form, which is a time consuming process to manage and no longer meets our operational requirements”.
“Apart from that”, she added, “we will readily be able to add OS MasterMap TOID (topographic identifier) information to incident data and to convert OS MasterMap data easily for use in our CAD software to create geo-referenced operational plans. These accurate and detailed plans of high risk premises will be viewed by operational personnel on mobile data terminals.”
“Together with our specialist business partners, we have had considerable success in addressing the specific needs of the UK’s fire and rescue services”, said Mike O’Neil, managing director, Cadcorp. “We are therefore delighted to add Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service to our growing list of customers in this field and we look forward to working with them to help them achieve their aims.”
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service
Covering an area of 216,000 hectares (834 square miles), Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service serves a population of over 1 million people. The Service operates from 25 fire stations which are situated so as to provide a fire and rescue service to every person within Nottinghamshire. Its aim is to reduce the effects on people, on property and on the environment of fire and other incidents and emergencies.
