Mapping for disaster

Spescom Software (formerly Altris Software) reports it has released eB MAPS, geographic information system software designed to help officials prepare mitigation and response plans to terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

eB MAPS is said to enable emergency managers and planners to identify all critical infrastructures and key assets under their jurisdiction and get access to all related documents, records and data. The package also maintains details of all organizations and people responsible for these assets allowing immediate communication. At a moment of crisis, decision makers will have all relevant information at their fingertip, says Spescom.

Spescom's new solution was developed in response to the Department of Homeland Security's National Strategy for the Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructures and Key Assets, issued in February 2003. This strategy calls on state governments to "engender coordination of protective and emergency response activities," for which eB MAPS has been specifically designed.

eB MAPS is built on Spescom's eB collaborative document, configuration and records management and ESRI's ArcGIS platforms. This combination of technologies creates a solution that leverages both the spatial mapping capabilities of geographic information systems with the contextual document, record and asset data management capabilities of eB.

Spescom further reports eB MAPS is integrated with office, e-mail and CAD applications and enables the secure capture, storage and management of all electronic and paper-based documents and content.