PolicyOne recently completed a location intelligence study
for the city of Lewiston, Maine involving an in-depth analysis of fire station
location. The city has four fire stations. While the location of the existing
stations serves the historic central core of the city, there is some concern
that development beyond the core city may require new stations in the future.
The study employed the use of GIS software to analyze geographic and
demographic data, the city's road network, and E-911 call center data for fire
responses.
Our analysis revealed that current deployment of fire
department resources mostly met existing needs. However, the maps created in
GIS to compare response times within the existing street network showed that
continued development in the fringe areas of the city will eventually require
at least one new fire station. The advantage of having this study is that the
city now knows where future problems may surface and may begin developing a
strategic plan to address the issue. The Insurance Services Office (ISO) and
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) provide guidelines for fire
department response time and fire station coverage. This study used those
guidelines in the analysis.
In 2008, the ISO commissioned a survey of the nation's fire
chiefs. The findings revealed a growing problem in the nation's local fire
departments with staffing, fire station location, and firefighting water
supplies. Unchecked residential and commercial development in many rural and
suburban areas of the United States has forced local fired departments to
increase service without a corresponding increase in resources. More often than
not, local fire chiefs are scrambling for new options to enhance service
delivery. PolicyOne is well qualified to assist communities with fire service
deployment studies and strategic planning.
(1) ISO/ORC opinion survey accessed online, 6 June
2009: <http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2008/12/02/95955.htm>
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A previous article here introduced the idea of
information-rich maps created for studying and understanding business
operations. The concept and application of location-based information is widely
known as location intelligence. In 2007, BusinessWeek and Pitney Bowes
MapInfo surveyed 1,700 C-level executives of large organizations. The report
titled Location Intelligence: The New Geography of Business explores the
benefits of location intelligence, offers real world results, and shares key
findings from the BusinessWeek Research Services survey on the technology gap
that business leaders must overcome to compete more effectively. In brief, the
survey found that more than 80 percent of all data maintained by organizations
around the world has a location component. Associated technology and
specialized analysis helps executives and enterprise-level users make critical
business decisions using economics, demographics, physical geography, and other
data pertaining to location. Location intelligence helps to identify patterns,
risks, and opportunities often difficult to see in a traditional, basic
spreadsheet analysis. Location intelligence is particularly suited for
financial, insurance, communications, and retail operations.
(2) BusinessWeek Research Services survey accessed
online, 6 June 2009: <http://media.govtech.net/RC_PITNEYBOWES/BusinessWeek.pdf>