About EMSINA

ABOUT EMSINA

As much as eighty percent of information used during emergencies is 'spatial' information, having a location component such as an address or a map reference. Most of Australia's Emergency Services now use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to manage complex spatial information on the environment, infrastructure and operational matters. In recent times GIS has played a significant role in many emergency management disciplines such as bushfires, counter terrorism, animal disease outbreaks, floods, severe storms and earthquakes.

As GIS technologies have become increasingly integrated with a number of allied hardware and software technologies such as remote sensing, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and hand held computers, these "intelligent mapping systems" have becomes flexible and widespread in their use. However many emergency services in Australia have not yet derived full benefit from the employment of GIS as a tool of the trade. This requires a significant internal investment in money and people as well as full cooperation from many other Government and private institutions.

In October 2002 at the national GeoInsight workshop in Canberra, around 80 participants agreed that tremendous efficiencies could be gained by interstate co-operation in the development of spatial information systems. The Emergency Management Spatial Information Network of Australia (EMSINA) was formed to represent state GIS User Groups and the federal emergency management sector.

EMSINA has developed a constitution, attracted seed funding and laid out a plan of future activities.

Providing a practitioners voice in national consultative processes
Establishing common operating procedures and assisting in the development of standards
Establishing a national skills register to assist in the deployment of GIS staff to emergencies
Organizing workshops to promote the use of GIS across the sector

EMSINA is primarily a network of Emergency Management GIS practitioners sharing ideas, technology and staff and also plays a role in advocacy and operational support.

EMSINA consists of representatives from state and territory state GIS User Groups and three federal Government agencies being Emergency Management Australia, Geoscience Australia and the Bureau of Meteorology. EMSINA meets on a quarterly basis.