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Fiber Optics and Disaster Relief

Fiber Optics and Disaster Relief

By GeoTel Communications

Geomatics technology is being utilized as a proactive and reactive aid for disaster relief.  Through an extensive analysis of fiber optics mapping, scientists can speed up the process of disaster relief and hopefully increase the chances of being more proactive than reactive.

The effects of a natural disaster can be detrimental to an areas socioeconomics, culture, technology, and people. Damages can take weeks, if not months, to repair; however, utilizing geomatics technology and data, scientists can increase the chances for a shorter reaction time for responders to aid in relief efforts.

Fiber Optic mapping, telecommunications infrastructure data, predictive analytics, and geographic information systems are offering unparalleled insight into recovery aid after traumatic natural events. Aside from government agencies such as FEMA, many preventive relief efforts are run by private organizations who specialize in geomatics technology, such as GeoTel Communications.

In an interview with Geospatial World, Dhruva Rajan noted that “Geospatial tools and techniques are the easiest way to get a synoptic view of the impact of any natural disaster. When you are faced with something that impacts the whole state, like the Kerala floods, you require data that covers the entire area.” The data illustrated on GeoTel’s TeleTracker technology enables the user to ascertain a 3D rendering of the selected area. A user’s ability to then transition between various map overlays facilities a deeper understanding of the steps necessary for recovery relief aid in the face of natural disasters.

Private companies and state governments are looking to fiber optic maps as a guide as they are continuously preparing for the hurricane season. To prepare for a disaster such as a hurricane, these sectors can use GIS technology such as GeoTel’s TeleTracker to see viable escape routes, areas with high fiber connectivity and the location of various emergency facilities such as hospitals to route the path for the quickest relief.

After a disaster, the information from GIS technology is just as useful, providing rescue teams and aid workers with accessible routes and sharing which buildings are still intact and viable for use.

As noted in Rajan’s interview, it is rarely possible to “prevent disasters of whatever type, nature or magnitude in an environment that is not well understood in all facets.” Therefore, GIS offers its users a method for understanding the geography of a location-specific area through fiber optic mapping.

As GeoTel’s fiber optic maps are updated continuously, rescues and recovery relief agencies can be armed with a holistic understanding of the affected areas both before and after a natural disaster. Not only prepared in the most efficient way possible but also how to quickly rebuild the affected area if a natural disaster occurs. It is the recovery aid that benefits from GIS as well. As nations struggle to rebuild their communities following a natural disaster fiber optic maps provided through TeleTracker allow contractors and government ventures the ability to rebuild affected areas in a more sustainable manner.

 

GeoTel Communications
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