Ordnance Survey Helps With Response to Yorkshire Flooding
Ordnance Survey has delivered urgently needed support for emergency planners managing the evacuation of hundreds of people from homes at risk of flooding in South Yorkshire. The national mapping agency's Mapping for Emergencies team responded to a request from local authorities and other agencies deciding whether to move residents living close to the Ulley dam near Rotherham.
Help was needed so planners could gauge the potential extent of flooding over the surrounding area, dependent on the height of properties above sea level. Parts of Treeton, Catcliffe, Canklow and Whiston were all thought to be at risk, especially given fears over the dam bursting.
Ordnance Survey staff used highly detailed spatial address and digital height data to identify properties within specific height bands, offering the planners a sound basis for determining risk and priorities. Address data and mapping were supplied direct to the planners within three hours of the request, building a useful context for action.
Under the Mapping for Emergencies scheme, Ordnance Survey aims to provide an immediate combination of mapping and expertise in response to emergencies such as floods, fires, contamination leaks, disease outbreaks and in searches for missing people. Ordnance Survey co-ordinators and volunteers work closely with emergency services and other agencies to ensure the most appropriate data is delivered as quickly as possible. The scheme has helped with the response to various high-profile events recently, including the access arrangements on the Dorset coast following the Napoli shipwreck.
