Data Plays Big Role in Government Natural Disaster Response

Federal agencies are leveraging AI and geospatial information systems (GIS) to aid in natural disaster response. The tech is reducing duplicative spending, breaking down communication siloes and increasing efficiency.

California’s most recent wildfires that swept through many neighborhoods the past few months is perhaps a prominent example for where data systems worked behind the scenes to support recovery and response efforts.

California Congressman and Chairman of the Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Jay Obernolte spoke with GovCIO Media & Research during Esri’s Federal GIS Conference last month about how the state is using AI and GIS to perform emergency services to those affected by the wildfires.

According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, the nation has sustained 403 weather and climate disasters since 1980. Overall damages and costs reached or exceeded $1 billion, with a cumulative total cost of these events exceeding $2.915 trillion.

“From deadly wildfires in California to devastating floods in North Carolina, disasters have wreaked havoc across the U.S. … They shook millions of lives and caused billions of dollars in damage,” World Wildlife Fund Author Daniel Vernick wrote in an article about the rise of natural disasters. “There is no question that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather — often resulting in disasters — is increasing.”

According to the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, California wildfires have burned 57,768 acres of land and destroyed 16,251 structures as of March 10.

“Traditionally, [residents] would have to wait for someone from Los Angeles County to do a damage assessment on their home … which could take days or weeks,” Obernolte said.

The state used GIS to create real-time mapping tools, provide essential support to first responders and inform residents with actionable data. Interactive maps can display fire perimeters, evacuation zones and other critical information.

“It uses satellite imagery and AI algorithms to detect which homes were destroyed and which ones weren’t. And if you layer that on top of the LA County assessor’s parcel map, homeowners could actually see exactly what was going on, and that’s a really beneficial use of that technology,” Obernolte added.

Data Systems Help Drive Efficiencies

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are using GIS to break down siloes between emergency response efforts during natural disasters.

Hurricane Helene, a catastrophic category four storm last fall caused widespread flooding and damage across Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. A North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) report on the state’s recovery efforts at the end of last year estimated damage and needs of $59.6 billion from the state alone.

NASA’s Disaster Response Coordination System Program Manager Josh Barnes said during the Esri event that his agency was able to avoid duplicative response efforts during the hurricane by leveraging the tech.

“We don’t want to be poring through data and imagery to find landslides when USGS is doing it already,” said Barnes. “We fold in under their response effort to make sure that we were being complimentary with what they were already doing.”

USGS National Geospatial Program Emergency Response Coordinator and Geospatial Information Response Team (GIRT) Chair Xan Fredericks said reducing duplications not only saves money, but also could lead to more successful emergency response efforts. Fredericks added that communities impacted by natural disasters have limited resources, and agency collaboration can relieve strain on the communities.

“If we can avoid that duplicative effort, we’re really saving the resources … we’re not sending more people into the field to take those hotel rooms or put [more] stress on the infrastructure,” said Fredericks.

Data Supports Critical Infrastructure Security

Other agencies like the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) are using GIS and automation to secure critical infrastructure and reduce spending.

The cloud-based GIS platform ArcGIS Online, for example, enables users to create interactive web maps, analyze data and boost collaboration.

NNSA Geospatial Information Officer and Lead Analyst in the Office of Emergency Management Tonya Jeppesen said real-time and near real-time analytics from ArcGIS Online have enabled watch officers to focus on threats that could impact critical infrastructure.

Jeppesen said the ArcGIS Online dashboard’s real-time monitoring helped protect the Department of Energy’s Pantex nuclear power plant during wildfires in Texas in 2024.

“There was a fire that came within 30 miles of the Pantex infrastructure. With the new dashboard system, we would be able to provide that information … that would allow them to make decisions in a more efficient and necessary manner,” said Jeppesen.

With spatial and predictive modeling, Jeppesen and her team have been able to examine wind data, fire locations and sizes, terrain information and other classification data that helps connect the pieces for protecting nuclear plants.

“[Our team] has completed an analysis that’s going to not only show where the fires are in near real time, but also predict the movement of the fires based on [geospatial data],” said Jeppesen. “We’re looking at how to protect our facilities, how to protect our assets and how to protect the employees that reside in those institutions for [all our resilient infrastructure].”