GIS in Risk Assessment

STILL Cold!

Tuesday was another two-hour delay for cold.  I have a tiny office in the bus barn, a cinder-block building that while not drafty, radiates cold into the office.  If my feet weren't nerve damaged, I would most likely be complaining daily of cold feet, not that anybody would listen.

Risk Assessment Using GIS

I spent the day looking at various maps of Hancock County, in which my district is located.  For my Mapping and Analysis class I have to do a final project, and I am considering creating a risk assessment tool for people to use for schools using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).  I was amazed at the amount of data that has been collected.

There are population maps, township maps, road maps, data for crimes, housing starts, almost every conceivable issue.  If there is data for it, it can be mapped.  The hardest part of the project will be identifying what data I need to conduct the risk assessment.












The GIS maps are so much more informative then the map above.  While it shows you where I work, it says nothing about the community in which I work, nor of any risks or threats that may lurking.  For example, the map below shows a breakdown of population by census tracts.  The darker the colors, the higher the population density.


So with the GIS data, we can visually represent the data to help us better understand it.  Using the ArcMap software, we can also create charts and graphs, and then use them for risk assessment.  I hope I've been able to portray the excitement I feel about this tool.