Using a Tabletop Exercise to Evaluate Emergency Management GIS Needs in Ghana

Brady ScribnerGEOG596A – Fall 2 2013

Advisor: Anthony Robinson

National Guard State

Partnership

Program

North Dakota

National Guard

Disaster Planning

and Prepared

ness Program

National Disaster Manage

ment Organisation of Ghana

(NADMO)

Formed in 1996

Ghanaian version of FEMA

Comprised of:• 10 regions• 243 districts• Over 900 local offices

Past disasters:• Disease outbreaks• Floods• Invasive pests• Civil unrest

One of the first national EOCs in Africa

National Guard State Partnership

Program

North Dakota National

Guard

Disaster Planning and Preparedness

Program

NADMO

Development of emergency management GIS in NADMO

September 2013 mission to Accra, Ghana to meet DP3 goals

Mission goals:• GIS training• Develop partner relationships• Obtain national data

National Guard State Partnership

Program

North Dakota National

GuardDP3 NADMO

GIS skills will diminish with disuse

Partnerships should be strengthened

New partnerships should be developed

Collected data should be improved

Additional data should be collected

Personnel lack exposure to emergency management GIS utilization

Problem Dimensions

NADMO GIS capacity in disaster situations requires further development, but we lack knowledge about what the most critical needs are, and to know which stakeholders should be involved in capacity building. Furthermore, NADMO staff should be exposed to a simulated disaster to drive home the need for GIS development.

Problem Statement:

Staff Exposure

•Plans and procedures•Staff training•Feedback about actions

Critical Gaps

•GIS skills•Data•Partners

Documentation

•Job action sheets•EOPs, policies, agreements

Simulation

•Cost-effective•Efficient

Tabletop Exercise

Fits NADMO needs and interests

Access to supporting resources

Mitigation

Preparedness

Response

RecoveryGIS&

Floods

Flooding Disaster Tabletop Exercise

Discussion-based

Facilitates dialogue

Goals:•Staff orientation•Plan development•Policy review

Includes:•Seminars•Workshops•Tabletops

Vary based on level of participant interaction

Tabletop Exercise Options

Tabletop Exercise

Tabletop Exercise

Scenario• Realistic• Current

Injects• Progression• Discussion

Discussion• Open• No-faultOutput

• Responses• Reports

• Reveals gaps and capabilities• Builds relationships• Trains staff• Generates a list of tasks

Expose NADMO and partners to realistic

emergency management geospatial activities

Evaluate participants on their ability to respond to an emergency at the time

of the exercise

Emphasize the need to accomplish a number of

geospatial tasks to prepare for the next

emergency

Tabletop Exercise Goals

Collect Information

Develop an Outline

Establish Objectives

City of Fargo NADMO

City of Fargo NADMO

Facilitate geospatial

collaboration

Identify various gaps

Expose staff to emergency

GIS tasks

Initiate policy, procedure, agreement

development

Tabletop Exercise Design

Monitoring and Adaptation

Training

Evaluation/Validation

Test responses during an emergency

Educate staff on emergency plans

Test responses and discover alternatives

Scenario exposure to elicit basic knowledge

low maturity

high maturity Stewart and Wan’s levels of exercise maturity

Discovery

NADMO staff and partners are not likely to have participated in a tabletop exercise

Do not want to overwhelm participants and hamper discussion

Discovery Level

Exercise Maturity

Emergency operations plans that

incorporate GIS likely do

not exist

Other design aspects to consider• Exercise evaluation requirements and methods• Exercise documentation• Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) training

Audience will be NADMO and partner agency staff

• The exercise will not be designed as an educational tool for those simply interested in emergency management GIS• Exercise audience will probably be recruited from participants from the September training

Exercise will ideally be facilitated in person

• Request will be made to accompany NDNG members during the next Ghana mission• Exercise will be held at NADMO headquarters

Remote facilitation is an option but is not ideal

• Remote facilitation will be difficult and the full effect of the exercise will not be achieved• Skype is well used by NADMO staff though Adobe Connect through PSU would be preferred

Tabletop Exercise Delivery

Evaluation of Exercise Results – 1 day• P

resent and review discussion items with participants

• Create an outline with participants that will be used to produce an After Action Report (AAR)

Exercise Evaluation• Allow participants to evaluate

the exercise and components• Determines if exercise

objectives were met

• First step towards improvement

Exercise Evaluati

on

• Summarizes exercise discussion

After Action Report

• Corrective actions for prioritized AAR items

Improvement Plan

Evaluation Process• Participant review of

discussion presentation• Discuss strengths/gaps of

each inject response

Summarizes scenario

Summarizes inject responses and provides observations

Determines if core capabilities were met by responses

Decision makers review and approve report

Timeline of project activities (+ brief statement about 596B presentation venue)

Improvement Plan• P

rioritize AAR gaps, develop corrective actions

• Produce an Improvement Plan

• First step towards improvement

Exercise Evaluati

on

• Summarizes exercise discussion

After Action Report

• Corrective actions for prioritized AAR items

Improvement Plan

Prioritizes AAR items

Proposes corrective actions for identified gaps

Actions should be realistic, timely, and measurable

Decision makers review and approve plan

Improvement Plan• Serves as a guide to address

identified critical issues• Is the ultimate goal of the

tabletop exercise

Improvement Plan Process• Participants review AAR and

discuss corrective actions• Improvement Plan is created with

input/review from participants

Some other month• P

resent at a conference somewhere

Significance of this project, Limitations of this project

Significance

GIS is the focus of the tabletop and not an accessory

Prepares a developing organization in a flourishing nation for future disasters

Reveals critical gaps of geospatial analysis in emergency response efforts in Ghana

Will be the catalyst for several improvements within the organization

Wrap-up, thoughts on ongoing challenges for this project

Conclusion

Multiple benefits can be achieved from a

single tabletop exercise

NADMO staff and partners will be able to

integrate GIS in emergency

management

A roadmap to improvement will be provided in the form

of the AAR/IP

NADMO staff and partners must work to

improve the GIS capabilities of the

organization

This exercise will hopefully be the beginning of an

ongoing exercise program for NADMO

Ultimately, NADMO will be better

equipped to handle the geospatial aspects

of disasters