-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Geospatial Information Library
Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 11:46:00 -0500
From: Hadden, Robert L ERDC-TEC-VA <[log in to unmask]>
To: Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Hi!
I'm new to Maps-L, but so far I have enjoyed the posts.
The Topographic Engineering Center is part of the US Army Corps of
Engineers, and we deal very often in practical problems dealing with maps,
imagery and visual information.
FYI: Most recently, we have scrambled to get data on Burma (Myanmar)
in support of the disaster engineers and humanitarian aid planners. The
Geospatial Information Library (GIL) of ERDC-TEC prepared a web page to
support Myanmar relief effort. The Engineer Research and Development Center's
Topographic Engineering Center (ERDC-TEC) has prepared a Web page
http://www.tec.army.mil/Burma/index.html in support of the US Navy/US
Marines/US Department of State relief efforts in Myanmar, the Southeast Asian
country formerly known as Burma. The US Navy vessels, the USS Essex, the
Harpers Ferry and the Juneau, are standing by offshore ready to supply
material and manpower in the humanitarian relief. The engineers and planners
on board and at the US Embassy in Yangon will use this geospatial data to
help establish hospital locations, supply dumps, landing zones for
helicopters, prevent transportation bottlenecks, and to protect the aid
workers in the country.
While this page is prepared to assist the US armed forces, the US
Department of State and other government agencies, this data is also
available to those other government and non-governmental organizations with
an interest in the region. Regrettably, some of the data is restricted to
government use only. The government's disaster engineers are prepared if we
are ever permitted to enter the country. At the moment, our armed forces are
not allowed to enter, but several of our other government agencies, and many
other international agencies, are using this posted data to help save lives,
supply aid, and preserve quality of life issues.
Similar web pages were established for a mudslide on the island of
Leyte in the Philippines. Guinsaugon is a "barangay" in the municipality of
Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, the Philippines, that was almost completely
destroyed by the February 17, 2006 mudslide. The landslide was caused by ten
days of incessant rain that softened the soil in the mountains. The community
had approximately 2,500 people before the slide. The village, located on
Leyte Island, had mud up to 30 meters (100 feet) deep in places. An
elementary school with almost 200 students in class was overwhelmed. The
Philippine government asked for our aid, and the US Marines (III Marine
Expeditionary Force) had to dig, often by hand, through the mud and residue
of the landslide. Our archived webpage about the tragedy at Guinsaugon, Leyte
is at:
http://www.tec.army.mil/Leyte%20landslides
We were asked to supply hydrology, soil, slope and terrain data about the
island. One of the interesting reports, and perhaps the most recent, was
prepared for General Douglas McArthur's invasion of Leyte. So not only were
we able to supply slope and soil information, but also on the map were marked
the airfields for Japanese fighters.
We also prepared for an eruption of a volcano in Indonesia, but
instead there was an earthquake that killed over 6,000 people. Once more, the
USS Essex and other vessels nearby rushed in manpower, hospital supplies and
aid to the stricken city of Yogjakarta, on south central Java. See our
webpage of mapping, hydrology and geological data at:
http://www.tec.army.mil/Merapi
It is very satisfying to work on such projects, even if the data has
to be gathered quickly and without much planning. A practical application of
map librarianship, to say the least.
Lee
R. Lee Hadden
Geospatial Information Library (GIL)
Topographic Engineering Center
ATTN: CEERD-TO-I (Hadden)
7701 Telegraph Road
Alexandria, VA 22315-3864
(703) 428-9206
[log in to unmask]
See some of my writings, both online and on paper, at my author page at:
http://www.librarything.com/author/haddenrobertlee
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