West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management: Geographic Information Systems

Geographic Information Systems

Maria E. Simental, MS
GIS Analyst

West Virginia
Division of Homeland
Security and Emergency
Management
Bldg. 1, Rm. EB-80
1900 Kanawha Blvd., East
Charleston, WV 25305

Emergency management programs are developed and implemented through the analysis of information. The majority of information has a geographic, or spatial, component, and can therefore be mapped. The linking of databases of information and map features within a geographic information system (GIS) permits decision makers and field personnel to visualize resources and infrastructure.

GIS links critical database information with identifiable features on a map, such as rivers, dams, utility networks, hospitals, fire stations, and government facilities. Using GIS allows the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and government planners to pinpoint existing hazards and plan for the response to, recovery from, and mitigation of natural or man-made disasters.

GIS assists the director and staff of WVDHSEM in the mission to protect the lives and property of West Virginians.