This is my first entry into a blog that I hope will become a forum to exchange ideas regarding the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the Public Safety realm of Law Enforcement, Fire Fighting, EMS and 9-1-1 Dispatch. I'd like to invite other practitioners in the field and any others to join in constructive dialogs that help us help others in a field that I find very satisfying, if not challenging.
Every boy growing up in the U.S. dreams of being a cop or a fireman at one time or another. I know I certainly did, and now [many] years later, applying GIS to public safety seems like a dream come true, only I don’t have to chase bad guys or run into a burning building. Real cops and real fireman are my real heroes; their jobs are chasing bad guys, and running into burning buildings. We cannot leave out the 9-1-1 Call Takers and Dispatchers either; by answering an emergency call puts them right in there as first responders. All these people have a very difficult and stressful job. My job is to make their job(s) easier.
So, if you are interested in such topics as Geocoding, AVL, Database Design, Network Analysis and Routing, or any other GIS related topic, Public Safety or not, this is a blog for you. I use ESRI products in all my applications and maintain an active role in several ESRI user forums, so you can see my posts there as well (http://forums.esri.com/forums.asp?c=93&h=1944#1944 ).
Please, let’s leave the rants to other blog sites. I promise to do my very best to abide by that simple rule, but the occasional soap box won’t be considered a violation!
