Application of GIS technology in chemical emergency response

Responding to concerns raised by the Bhopal accident, more and more attention has been paid to local emergency, especially chemical emergency, prevention and planning worldwide, and many chemical emergency response systems for public response personnel have been built. With the successful application of geographical information system (GIS) technology in many fields, GIS can be an efficient tool for effective response to chemical emergencies. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the application of GIS technology in emergency response. Typical GIS technology is simply introduced and some of its existing applications to emergency, mainly natural disaster, response are summarized. Spatial data and spatial analysis requirements for chemical monitoring and emergency response are also discussed in detail. Finally a chemical monitoring and emergency response system under development by combining GIS and expert system for both chemical distribution centers and public response personnel is presented.