Sep 05, 2017 Visualizing Fire Station Response Times Within Populated Areas of Salt Lake County, UT

The Map of the Week for September 4th is dedicated to firefighters around the world working hard to protect individuals from the hazards fire poses by examining the critical role time plays utilizing a Network Analyst tool for visualizing and understanding emergency response times within Salt Lake County, UT. #MapMonday

Visualizing Fire Station Response Times Within Populated Areas of Salt Lake County, UT

With the goal of saving life, property and the environment, firefighters stand ready to protect individuals from the hazards posed by fire. In additional to educating about the importance of fire prevention and safety, it is equally important to understand the critical role time plays when responding to an emergency call.

The Network Analyst tool of ArcGIS provides a method for analyzing network models for purposes including: route planning, drive-time calculations, facility locations and other complex network related problems. For the purposes of this map, the Network Analyst tool, along with fire station locations for Salt Lake County, generated a drive-time boundary layer extending from each station location which visualized response times in 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10-minute intervals. Incorporating the results of the visual analysis into a geospatial representation depicted that the majority of populated areas within Salt Lake County, UT were within a 6-minute (or less) response time of an established fire station. For additional viewer interaction, the mapping application offers search functions for determining response times of particular locations while providing links to educational resources distributed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

About Map of the Weeks from GIS Services:

Throughout the semester, GIS Services will continue releasing bi-weekly maps on a variety of topics for the purposes of demonstrating ideas and uses for incorporating geospatial technology into research and projects you are developing. To view our collection of maps, projects or to learn about the geospatial services offered through the Marriott Library, please visit the GIS Services website @ www.lib.utah.edu/services/geospatial

Happy Mapping!

Justin Sorensen | GIS Specialist
Creativity & Innovation Services / GIS Services
justin.sorensen@utah.edu