Geographic information system (GIS) technology is an essential capability for spatial and situational awareness in the missions of public safety. Over the past decade, the automatic vehicle location system (AVL) has become a powerful tool for the dispatcher to accurately locate vehicles during routing and disaster operations. Along with the wide availability of wireless communications and mobile geo-positioning devices, GIS service is increasingly integrated by the advanced applications like AVL, intelligent transportation and computer aided dispatch (CAD). This presentation will explore the ways that effective integration of GIS with dispatch applications could benefit the public safety services in terms of efficiency, safety hazard mitigation, data management, situational awareness, planning and analysis.
