Washington D.C. – NAPSG is pleased to inform our members that the US Department of Homeland Security’s Geospatial Management Office (GMO) announced that it is making important infrastructure data more accessible and in highly usable open data formats to the public safety community.

The announcement was made on February 24, 2016, at the Esri Federal GIS Conference. At the Conference, Mr. David Alexander, Director of the GMO, made public the launch of HIFLD Open – which takes what was formerly known as HSIP Freedom (distributed via DVD) and creates a single point of entry to both view and download these 274 data sets, using Esri’s ArcGIS Online.

HIFILD Open is accessible to the public here:  https://hifld-dhs-gii.opendata.arcgis.com/

In addition to making these data sets publicly available in a user-friendly format, the GMO is creating an opportunity for local and state public safety agencies to provide feedback on data quality – further ensuring regularly updated and evaluated data.

According to NAPSG’s Regional Leadership Team member Eric Fisher of Fairfax County Fire & Rescue: “Using these important data sets, any time, augments my local authoritative data with regional and other data that may not currently be available. And even better, I can access and download that data in real time, so that it truly is a useful part of our agency’s planning and preparedness efforts.”

NAPSG Board Member Dan Bout of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) said that from a State perspective “open access to authoritative infrastructure data sets is an enormous step forward that will enable public safety officials at the federal, state, and local levels to more effectively plan for and respond to natural and manmade disasters.”

About NAPSG Foundation –  www.napsgfoundation.org

The National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation (NAPSG) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to equipping emergency responders and leaders with the knowledge and skills in applying technology and data to change the outcomes for survivors. The vision is achieved through the development and delivery of cutting-edge education, training, exercises & simulations, technical assistance, implementation tools, and policy and guidance. For more information on NAPSG Foundation contact Peter O’Rourke at  Email Contact, phone at 202-895-1711.