If you have followed this blog at all you know I love the idea of maps and what they can do for you before, during and after a disaster. They create the picture of what exists and what might be in the future.
While GIS mapping has come a long way you still need GIS techs to help you in building your data sets and creating the layers of information that are useful to you.
Another path is to use Google or bing maps. A third option is to take a relatively inexpensive software program like depiction and create what you need for your Emergency Operations Center (EOC). I bought this software months ago, installed it and never used it or played with it until this past week.
I took one evening and went to a users group for novices like myself where we poked around on the system for two hours. I'm still not much of a techie, but I think if did invest some time in the software I could come up with some useful tools. They have some data sets included and you can import others from your local jurisdiction (think shape files).
There are probably other mapping systems out that can help you do what depiction does. If GIS is not available or too expensive/complicated, find something else that works for you. You may become the next Magellan cartographer!
