Thursday, May 29. 2008

GIS helps Manage NASCAR Fans

Police and others in Dover, Delaware are now using GIS to better respond to issues related to the large crowds that come to town twice a year for the races. Credit is given to "Gary Nowak, the city's new geographic information system chief," for writing a computer program with the required data. The systems runs on laptops and helps law enforcement respond to situation in the Dover Downs "campgrounds" where tailgaters gather. Apparently near real time data is added, but it's not clear how. Says the local paper: "The program details the status of crowds around the racetrack."

- Delaware Online/The News Journal

To get the rest of the story, read this article from ESRI. It notes the underlying technology and how the data are updated.

Using ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Mobile software from ESRI, staff operating in the command center and in the field can visualize where disturbances, code violations, accidents, and other incidents occur.
This view of the entire race, with real-time event data being posted by field personnel using ArcGIS Mobile, provides the command center with a common operating picture that can be shared with other personnel in different locations. The server-based GIS provides an enterprise platform that can be accessed using browser-based desktop or mobile clients. It makes extensive capabilities available without having to install any special client software and without training.

Posted by Adena Schutzberg in ESRI at 20:57 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0) |

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The text of the News Journal story is a bit off; the credit goes in large measure to Mark Nowak who worked with ESRI to leverage existing city data and GIS tools into a system for managing most of the city's interactions with the folks who show up twice each year for NASCAR races. The ESRI article is a bit more complete.

It's more than just cops and people issues, the city more than doubles in population when race fans start camping out at the track the week before the race. The city has to manage those huge campgrounds and the many vendors who set up temporary shop around the area to serve the crowds. Each vendor, for example, has to have a business license, and city staff have to inspect each site to make sure it is in compliance. They also have to make sure that the campers are far enough away from things like power lines and other infrastructure and that cars aren't parked in stormwater swales. Both situations have led to problems in the past.

I'm not directly involved with this project, but have watched as a citizen of the state. Mark and the city GIS crew, and the police and fire officials he is helping out, do a great job. The GIS data and tools they have adopted help them do an even better job.

#1 Mike Mahaffie (Link) on 2008-05-30 09:07 (Reply)

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