Redlands, California—Security for the 2016 Republican National Convention will deeply incorporate Esri geographic information system (GIS) technology. Public safety officials from Cuyahoga County, Ohio, collaborated with Esri to ensure a safe convention by speeding access to data and providing a common operating picture. Using Esri ArcGIS, maps and data will be shared between all the agencies involved.
Approximately 50,000 people are anticipated to attend the convention this year, including more than 5,000 delegates and alternate delegates from every state. Security is always a top priority, and the recent spate of protests at GOP nominee Donald Trump’s campaign rallies highlights the need to improve situational awareness and public safety.
Since November, a GIS working group including Esri experts has met with the many agencies involved to configure a system to quickly share maps and data during the convention.
“It’s been exciting to really leverage the power of GIS across a number of disciplines, agencies, and platforms,” said Daniel Meaney, GISP, manager of information and research at the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission. “Esri cloud-based tools have allowed us to share data like never before.”
ArcGIS allows all members to securely share maps and data via the web. It will allow staff to generate maps quickly and update them on the fly, while ArcGIS Online will provide the common operating picture for information that needs to be constantly updated, such as movement along streets,road closures, and more.
“We are constantly impressed by how smoothly city and county governments are able to work together and share information,” said Chris McIntosh, director of public safety at Esri. “Sharing information between all these agencies ensures that events throughout the city can be monitored closely and responses to incidents will be fast and informed.”
For more information on how the ArcGIS platform helps public safety agencies, visit esri.com/public-safety.
