Damage Assessment Mapping Module: Difference between revisions

'''The Damage Assessment Mapping Module (DAMM)''' for Portland NET is a mobile device-based tool to document and map impacts of a disaster, and electronically transmit that information to the [[Portland Emergency Coordination Center (ECC)]]. It is powered by [https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-survey123/overview Survey123] for ArcGIS. It is, essentially, an electronic version of [[NET Form 1]] for damage assessment. As a key operational tool for NET, the DAMM serves two important functions:

# <span style="background:#FFFF00">'''It will send actionable and detailed data to the ECC in the aftermath of an earthquake; and,'''</span>

# <span style="background:#FFFF00">'''Frequent drills with the DAMM during [[blue skies]] will prompt NET volunteers to become more familiar with their neighborhoods and develop the muscle memory needed to gather data.'''</span>

'''Volunteers can document assessments with the DAMM even in the absence of internet service,''' though internet service is required to transmit the reports completed by a user. Every NET volunteer and [[ATV]] with a smartphone should download the software onto their device and know how to use it in the field.

Observations inputted to the DAMM via the Survey123 app are relayed to an Operational Dashboard (fig. 1) displayed to emergency response planners in Portland’s Emergency Coordination Center (ECC). In turn, ECC personnel will use the data to assemble a highly detailed situational awareness picture and allocate response resources accordingly and (where possible) expeditiously. Data inputted to the DAMM will also be critical for applying for federal relief aid and other resources in the aftermath of a major disaster.

The DAMM is set up for volunteers to perform a site-to-site assessment, with one survey submitted per site. While this assessment method is labor intensive, it is highly accurate and used when a higher degree of confidence in the information is required. PBEM recommends that planned use of the DAMM appear in all [[NET Operations Plans]] with a [[Team Leader]] assigning at least one or two volunteers to begin making reports with it after the acute phase of disaster response has passed (probably 24 hours after an earthquake, for example). Volunteers using the DAMM assess each property site in their neighborhood, site by site, and reports should include undamaged property (in the survey, there is an option to indicate up front that a volunteer observes no damage).