Report on GIS Data Management for Emergency Notification Released

Online, May 26, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Nashville, TN, May 26, 2010: InfoCode Corporation, a leading provider of geographic information systems (GIS) data, today announced the release of a new report entitled "A Risk Too Great: Using Unmanaged GIS Data for Emergency Notification." The paper highlights troubling issues with deploying GIS data directly from commercial data vendors absent any hands-on analysis and processing. The content is geared toward emergency notification system managers of all backgrounds and experience levels.

The report presents an analysis of a representative U.S. county, comparing the accuracy of residential data obtained directly from a commercial provider (unmanaged data) with the accuracy of the same information following its cleansing and correcting (managed data). The report outlines cost comparisons between managed and unmanaged data and describes a number of possible pitfalls emergency notification managers can avoid.

"As an important tool for protecting citizens, a local emergency notification system should have the most accurate data available," said Jim McLeod, President of InfoCode. "However, many emergency managers who use commercial data for these systems don't realize just how inaccurate this data can be when using it right out of the box. This report identifies potential problems and risks that can be addressed with a managed data process."

GIS data is required for mass notification systems designed to alert the public through geographically targeted telephone calls, emails, text messages, etc. These systems are used around the country to warn citizens of dangers such as wildfires, weather conditions, contaminations, etc., often providing instructions such as evacuation or shelter-in-place procedures.
The report is available upon request at no charge at www.infocode.com.