GIS Live 2004
"Crossing Boundaries with GIS"

Sessions Previews

Autumn Breeze -- Hurricane Zeus Scenario
Andy Goretti, Land Use & Environmental Services Agency
E. Winters Mabry, M.D.
County Public Health & Homeland Security Director

Holmes High School teachers and students in Edenton, NC
East Columbus Magnet Academy teachers and students
in Columbus, Ga

Description:

Here is the challenge:

The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for North Carolina. Hurricane Zeus, a very late season hurricane, is off the coast of the Bahamas and is expected to come ashore as a Category 3. The hurricane has wobbled in a loop in the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to make landfall in about 72 hours. The current size of the storm is 200 miles across with sustained winds around the eye of 110 miles per hour. It may pack rains of 4 to 10 inches as the storm moves through. We don’t know whether its’ direct path will hit Wilmington, the Outer Banks, or Charlotte.

What could be the possible problems in your area if Hurricane Zeus comes your way? Think of how NC OneMap and GIS can help you prepare for this Hurricane event. How would you use NC OneMap and GIS to solve problems a Hurricane Zeus presents to your community?

Join teachers and high school students as they present their solutions to the Hurricane Zeus problem question. How would you solve this problem in your community? Join this Team Challenge and become a part of the unfolding story!

Preparing for the Session:

K

Have you ever experienced a hurricane? What do you remember about it? How do you think GIS might have been used to respond to this situation?

W

What have you learned about how GIS and NC OneMap can be used to help the state of North Carolina solve future problems?

L

How could you use NC OneMap and GIS? What type of problem questions could you investigate using these tools? What would be your community's response to Hurricane Zeus?