Hampshire looks at buying disaster simulation software

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

HAMPSHIRE — The village is considering buying the same disaster simulation software that once was used by a single emergency volunteer to coordinate the rescue of 15,000 animals during Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana two years ago.

Hampshire Trustee George Brust learned about the Depiction visualization tool during a meeting with Kane County officials. He then invited Donald Bryant, director of the Kane County Office of Emergency Management, to talk about the system during a special meeting of the village’s public safety committee.

According to Bryant, Depiction was developed by a former Microsoft executive. It uses technology from the company’s flight simulator to allow emergency planners to posit scenarios and plot responses to emergencies as they occur, using an interface akin to a real-time strategy game.

The software was used to fight fires in California. During the 2007 Rancho Bernardo fires, some incident commanders used publicly available building permits to plot the locations of swimming pools throughout San Diego County. They also plotted the locations of lakes, rivers and reservoirs so they knew where they could quickly get water when they needed it.

If Hampshire purchases the system, it would come with a map of Kane County. Bryant said Hampshire officials could identify communities in the county, along with mapping the location of schools, fire stations, police department headquarters, emergency shelters, hospitals and emergency sirens.

“It could show the number of available beds at emergency shelters and hospitals,” Bryant said.

“It will automatically find the shortest route between two points. It can offer predictions on the effects of flooding in an area. If there is an increase of 1 foot of water in a creek, it shows where the water will go. It can determine the number of homes and the amount of people who would be affected.”

Bryant added that Depiction is “a versatile tool and easy to use. A visual map is easier to use than a written report. It’s a great tool for law enforcement.”

Brust said he would like to see Depiction utilized in Hampshire and surrounding villages. “It would put us all on the same page,” he said.

A license for Depiction costs $200 and covers two computers, according to Brust. During the Thursday, Dec. 2, board meeting, trustees will determine how many licenses would be needed for the village. There also will be a decision on whether the village wants to purchase the system outright and how much that would cost.