Everyone's talking about Virtual Alabama. Well maybe not everyone, but at least the Homeland Security crowd that cares about new ways to leverage Google Earth to integrate geospatial applications, databases, and more. This is cool stuff with federal, state, and local governments getting onboard.
Government Computer News (GCN) recently ran a story on the Long Arm of Virtual Alabama. Here's an excerpt:
Launched in November 2007 by the Alabama Department of Homeland Security, the project uses Google Earth as its visualization engine and delivers data and query tools to more than 1,200 state and local officials, from county sheriffs and assessors to firefighters and health care providers.
And it’s not just state and local. More than 35 federal agencies also have access to Virtual Alabama...
So how do you get there? The Virtual Alabama portal is packed full of information, including an ability to request an account. You can even view sample imagery.
There are even blogs popping up about Virtual Alabama.
Federal Computer Week (FCW) was "Wowed by Virtual Alabama." Here's a quote from them:
It is difficult these days to be really wowed by an application. We have seen so much, we often expect the unexpected. Then along comes Virtual Alabama...
So when tornadoes struck Alabama earlier this year, officials used the system to view the damage, even comparing before and after images. Officials also were able to pull in data that showed the location of potentially hazardous materials that might have been disturbed by the tornadoes.
I think this mashup is a view into the future for all of us in government and private sector emergency management. Our GIS team in Michigan is starting to do similar things, and I know other states are as well.
But my hat goes off to my friends in Alabama. Nice job for leading the pack in this area right now.
After you visit, come back and leave a comment on what you think.
