ABSTRACT
High rise buildings (Multilevel structures) in urban areas pose some significant issues for emergency response largely due to their location, density of occupants, and inaccessibility for some types of emergency equipment. This paper focuses on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies and methods to facilitate quick emergency response to terrorist attacks on multi-level structures in urban areas, targets of choice for the recent terrorist attacks in the United States. It draws upon several research areas in geography’s analytical tradition and recent developments in geographical information science that can be used in responding to disaster situations. Finally, the paper explores the development of real-time GIS-based Intelligent Emergency Response Systems (GIERS) as one contribution in reducing human vulnerability to disasters.
