During the Kincade fire this past October, UCSF’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) needed a map that showed UCSF clinics and other properties with their proximity to the fire evacuation and PG&E Power Shutoff areas, which were changing hourly. The map would help UCSF leaders assess the impact of the evolving situation and aid in their decision-making process. For example, if a clinic needed to be evacuated, would doctors and personnel be alerted to stay home? Could we identify nearby patients with medical devices that would need assistance? Would appointments be rescheduled?

Within hours, the GIS team developed a dynamic web-accessible map using UCSF's Enterprise GIS platform. Taking advantage of existing data that already included UCSF locations, additional data was incorporated from appropriate state and local agencies, such as wind speeds and closed roads, that would be useful for EOC planning.

The web map is designed to be updated quickly and require little direct maintenance and could support future events. If fully deployed, the GIS could help UCSF be more prepared, manage operations in real-time, and conduct post-event analysis to enable better decision making during a time of crisis.