{"id":6394,"date":"2018-01-02T17:53:41","date_gmt":"2018-01-02T16:53:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intellias.com\/?p=6394"},"modified":"2023-09-19T14:43:15","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T12:43:15","slug":"disaster-management-using-gis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intellias.com\/disaster-management-using-gis\/","title":{"rendered":"Weather Prediction and Disaster Management Using GIS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forest Technology Systems (FTS) is a leading OEM\u00a0provider\u00a0of remote environment and weather monitoring solutions for extreme locations.\u00a0The company\u2019s\u00a0range of products includes hardware stations\u00a0to\u00a0collect data from\u00a0hard-to-access areas and online systems to make collected data marketable for the\u00a0fields of\u00a0hydrology,\u00a0fire\u00a0weather,\u00a0disaster mitigation and\u00a0meteorology.\u00a0Our\u00a0client provides equipment and software for the world\u2019s most sophisticated and demanding natural disaster information systems. Their mission is to\u00a0help\u00a0end customers successfully\u00a0monitor, record, and analyze changes in the natural environment\u00a0via\u00a0remote communications\u00a0and\u00a0remote\u00a0data collection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

FTS stations\u00a0are used\u00a0by\u00a0all\u00a0of the top 50 government forest management agencies in the United States and Canada.\u00a0Every\u00a0day, FTS products protect locations from\u00a0the\u00a0dangerous consequences of fire, flood,\u00a0and\u00a0other\u00a0severe\u00a0weather\u00a0events\u00a0by providing data\u00a0to inform the\u00a0planning of\u00a0environmental initiatives.\u00a0Customers\u00a0include\u00a0government agencies at\u00a0all levels in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and South America.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Weather<\/p>\n

Business challenge<\/h2>\n

Our client\u2019s hardware stations were already installed in extreme areas to collect data about potential hazards related to severe weather. The next step was to land all this data in one place and make it easily accessible to customers so they could visualize, measure, and analyze data using location technologies<\/a> to see potential threats. FTS needed a SaaS solution to make their collected data marketable for distribution to governments and other institutions worked on weather monitoring and disaster management using GIS<\/a>. For this, our client needed to develop a user-friendly web portal with a mobile extension including a billing system to pay for this extremely valuable data that cannot be collected from remote areas by means other than their own disaster mitigation tools.<\/p>\n

In addition, FTS\u00a0needed\u00a0to improve its hardware stations\u00a0by making it possible\u00a0to set up, control, and update them remotely.\u00a0Previously,\u00a0our\u00a0client\u00a0had\u00a0to send specialists\u00a0by\u00a0helicopter\u00a0(to the Grand Canyon, for example)\u00a0simply\u00a0to install new firmware\u00a0at a\u00a0station.\u00a0This\u00a0is\u00a0very expensive. FTS needed\u00a0a\u00a0modern API\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0reliable protocol for safe remote\u00a0connections to their\u00a0stations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our client started building a natural disaster monitor with their in-house team based on satellite connectivity to transfer data from stations, but this resulted in very high prices \u2013 approximately $1000 per kilobyte. They eventually came to the conclusion that a GSM module would lower the cost of data transfer. After changing their approach to data collection, their engineering team was able to speed up the development process. Still, they were behind schedule. FTS started searching for experienced web developers who might deliver their solution faster. They came to Intellias for team extension to develop a natural disaster information system <\/span>for data operations and remote control.<\/p>\n

Technology solution<\/h2>\n

Together with our client\u2019s in-house architects, we started implementing disaster mitigation tools for stations based on Panorama 2.0. Using these tools, natural disaster monitor supplies every user with detailed information about stations, allows filtering and sorting of options, and supports four languages. The natural disaster information system we developed uses a gateway to interact with monitoring devices via satellite and cellular channels. It collects information from a device\u2019s sensors, changes configurations, browses files on a device\u2019s file system, and upgrades firmware remotely.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0our\u00a0client, the most advantageous feature of this natural disaster monitor\u00a0is\u00a0the ability to make all collected data marketable and use it in applications for weather prediction. As for users, they\u2019re now\u00a0able to log into\u00a0the\u00a0system\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0user-friendly web API, search for the most relevant location with\u00a0an\u00a0installed\u00a0station, choose\u00a0a\u00a0timeframe\u00a0for\u00a0data collection, and then\u00a0pay for the data they want.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our solution empowered FTS and\u00a0<\/b>their<\/b>\u00a0<\/b>customers with:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n