Project Title: Forensic Engineering/ Disaster Mitigation

Client: National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism

Platform: ArcView 3.x and ArcGIS 3D Analyst

Summary: On April 19, 1995 the most catastrophic terrorist bombing on U.S. soil occurred. The Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was bombed resulting in the partial collapse of the building, 167 deaths, and 759 people injured.

In the aftermath of the bombing, the State of Oklahoma's Department of Health began an extensive data gathering and analysis program as part of a descriptive epidemiologic study of people injured by the blast, or at risk of injury. It included people in the Murrah building, as well as those from several adjacent buildings.

A major outcome of the study has been the creation of the Oklahoma City Bombing Injury Study (OBIS), a suite of applications built on ArcView 3.x and ArcGIS 3D Analyst. Using OBIS epidemiologists can query, analyze, and visualize their data.

The State of Oklahoma's epidemiologists made an extensive study of the effects on people in the immediate vicinity of the blast, and on those indirectly affected by it also. GIS allows architectural information to be combined with patient attribute data so the effect of the bombing can be analyzed. Researchers can model such things as the blast radii to examine the effects of the explosion's force along with factors that contributed to injury, such as proximity to windows and flying debris, and the effects of percussive waves from the blast.

Although most of the data associated with the Oklahoma bombing was derived from analysis of the Murrah building, those working on the project recognized that more generic tools could be developed that would improve emergency response. One of the greatest challenges in responding to disasters is managing the information associated with it. Quickly establishing a command center where information can be disseminated to rescue, medical, and public safety workers is crucial.

Result: GIS enables architectural information to be combined with patient attribute data so the effect of the bombing can be analyzed. Researchers can model such things as the blast radii to examine the effects of the explosion's force along with factors that contributed to injury, such as proximity to windows and flying debris, and the effects of percussive waves from the blast. Furthermore, the use of GIS technology enabled the centralization of information associated with the Oklahoma Citybombing so that it was easily accessible to rescue, medical, and public safety workers.