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Acces to ArcGIS Online Resources in Emergency Situations

deleted-user-t3dSviijg-m9

Hello... I am quite familiar with the majority of ESRI's software, but now am venturing into a somewhat unfamiliar territory that is Emergency Operations. My biggest question I suppose is, how are other municipalities that utilize ArcGIS Online and Emergency Response Solutions accessing the resources provided by ESRI during a major natural disaster, such as a hurricane.

We are in Florida, and hurricanes are unfortunately a regular occurrence between July-October. If we lose internet capabilities, our internal network will be fine and operational; But if we are utilizing some of the solutions provided, we rely on access to ArcGIS Online, as well as the Javascript API that the applications are constructed upon, which is hosted by ESRI. If we go "black" so to speak, and are disconnected from the outside world, wouldn't that render a lot of these solutions useless, unless you have a contingency plan such as cellular data or possible satellite data as a back-up mode of communication to ESRI's servers?

I know you can host your ArcGIS Online apps locally, but those HTML/Javascript/and CSS3 files will still be referencing ArcGIS Online web maps, and the Javascript API's used to construct those apps. Does anyone have any suggestions or remarks on how their organization handles this situation?

Thanks!

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JoeBorgione

Interesting question. Many years ago I was part of a State Emergency Response team; at that time I was one a few people using ArcInfo, and working in the Dam Safety section it was a natural fit. I wrote a few AMLs that performed some spatial analyses based on earthquake epicenter and magnitude. One of the fulltime emergency planner guys asked me what he could expect of me if a 7.2 magnitude hit our locality. I told him the first thing I was going to do is make sure my family was okay, and if that were the case I would try to get to the office. I told him the first thing I would do at the office is wade through the rubble, pick my computer off the floor and see if I could log on.

I was imediately labeled a smart-a$$ and relieved of my duties for the team....

Now all these years later we still face the same basic problem as you have described and I'm still something of a smart-a$$ : do your cellular plans have unlimited data?

All seriousness aside, in a large scale disaster, will you be able to count on a cellular network as your contingency plan? I don't know about hurricanes but in here earthquake country, I wouldn't count on it being reliable. Are locally installed lightweight apps and data an option or (gasp!) paper maps?

Best of luck!

deleted-user-t3dSviijg-m9

Hey Joe - To answer your questions.... yes we do have unlimited data. But the caveat to that is, the last major hurricane my area received, a hurricane that didn't just have major rain and flooding, but severe damage to critical infrastructure as well as 80% of all homes experiencing damage, the entire city was completely without power for 2 weeks.

I can't speak much for cellular service because at this time I was in high school and smart phones hadn't existed yet. We were still using those old Nokia phones. But I'm fairly certain cellular data and internet were non-existent for those 2 weeks as well.

So obviously when a very serious hurricane hits, all bets are off and you have to rely on paper maps, or like you said lightweight, locally hosted apps. I haven't dove too deeply into 3rd party lightweight apps. I could probably create an HTML viewer that would allow some of our reporters to record public relief calls, which would be consuming the REST endpoints of our ArcGIS Server. Host the app internally, download ArcGIS Javascript API and host internally for the app to use. It's feasible. We have very serious redundancy plans in these events for our power and data restores, but when it comes to communicating to the outside world, we are limited to whatever damage may or may not have hit FPL or Comcast fiber lines.

It's definitely an interesting subject, one that I am not too familiar with, but am quickly emerging myself in. Seems like you would need essentially 3 plans.

1. Minor Hurricane - minor damage, flooding, internet connectivity or cellular is still functional

- In this situation you could use your primary response applications driven by ArcGIS Online

2. Medium sized Hurricane - Average damage, flooding, some damage to critical infrastructure (pump houses, sub stations, bridges, etc), inter-mitten power outages, as well as intermitten internet capabilities/cellular.

-In this situation, I suppose you could start with the basic internal HTML viewer that was created as it doesn't rely on anything other than your internal network, and as power/internet/cellular is restored, migrate the ArcGIS Online applications, which will be consuming the same REST endpoints as the viewer, so when we go back online, ArcGIS Online will get a dump of all edits and updates we've been making internally so we don't lose a step in the recovery and response process.

3. Large Hurricane - This is where things get interesting. You can't rely on cellular service. You can't rely on internet. You can't even guarantee that our Diesel back-up generator on the roof didn't sustain major damage and isn't functional for a few days, or didn't get completely blown off when it got hit by a boat that got picked up out of the harbor. In this situation, it would very obviously be paper maps until power comes back up. Once power comes back up, data and our IT infrastructure will be restored which means our internal network will be operational. We could migrate to the internal application. As infrastructure is repaired, continue to utilize functionality of Application until connectivity with ArcGIS Online can be restored. Then migrate to ArcGIS Online like in the second process.

I think I may have just thought through my beginning proposal for damage recovery in this response hahaha

If you have any suggestions to those three situations, I would really appreciate the feedback.

Thanks Joe

JoeBorgione

I think I may have just thought through my beginning proposal for damage recovery in this response

I think you have too! Your community is lucky to have you on board.

deleted-user-t3dSviijg-m9

Thanks Joe!

DavidDenham

Have you looked at using Portal for ArcGIS? It has a lot of the features that ArcGIS Online offers, but it is locally hosted. We have been using it for applications that we do not want to put on Arc GIS Online.

deleted-user-t3dSviijg-m9

I have, but not extensively. I thought that it still referenced ESRI Javascript API which is hosted on their server. Does it have the option to download the API and host internally, then point all "web-maps" and "web-apps" to utilize the locally hosted API?

evtguy

I think you're touching the dark, dirty secret of ESRI's world. They want you to live by the web map but it's soooooo easy to die by it as well. Portal is a locally hosted version of AGOL but, yes, it would still draw upon ESRI's various basemap options for any web maps/apps. Your organization can always look into developing your own basemaps using your local data. This is *A LOT* of work (primarily labelling) but you then have a local basemap that you can still use as long as you have network connectivity within your organization.

My organization is trying to also have local RAID drives of our various datasets & orthos so we can still function should we lose total network connectivity. I guess a take home would be yes- go ahead and utilize ESRI's tools/apps for Emergency Management but also have a backup in the way of offline local copies of your data along with MXD map templates that address what concerns you may face,

Steve

DavidDenham

I am not certain, but I believe that is the way that we have our Portal configured. We participate in the Community base map program and as a benefit they send us a copy of our data that ESRI uses to create the topographic base map. We use that to create a local cache for our server. That way we have a consistent look for our applications no matter which source Portal or AGO.

deleted-user-t3dSviijg-m9

That's really nice for the basemaps. I'm curious though, if you guys completely lost internet connectivity to the outside world (but maintained internal network), would your applications continue to work? I feel like it would be a bit of an undertaking to create all the web-maps, then create all the web-apps that consume them, then access the source code for every map and every app, and redirect it to look to a local copy of the Javascript API. As well as any other ESRi specific items in the source code like AppID and webmap ID. I'm sure there is a way, but I'm curious if in the situation I oultlined (losing complete connectivity to the outside world), would your Portal apps and maps still function as is? Have you tested that?

deleted-user-t3dSviijg-m9

We use all of our own basemaps, namely a simple basemap like the the open streets basemap, as well as several image services that are cached aerials that we host internally and serve up through our ArcGIS Server. So if we lost connectivity to the outside world, we still could consume aerial basemaps through our ArcGIS Server.

I'm wondering if, when Portal is installed.... underneath the web maps and web apps, isn't the driving factor still ESRI's javascript API? Yes Portal is an internal AGOL, but because it is internal, doesn't mean it isn't accessing and consuming ESRI resources such as the API used to construct the internal applications. I don't know if I'm explaining my thought process clearly or not.

Basically, if I have Portal, and everything is from my ArcGIS Server. If we lose complete internet connectivity to the outside world, would all of those maps and apps fail to work because they need a connection to the Javascript API on ESRI's servers that was used to build/configure them? Or does Portal somehow come with a local copy of the API and all maps and apps reference that API, which gets updated automatically, so when internet connectivity gets lost, the maps and apps are still being driven by an internal API, and are thus.... fully functional.

DavidDenham

We use a similar strategy here. We have backup servers set up in case one or more gets damaged, but I still maintain local backups in various locations. It may not be as impressive as the applications that we can make now, but worst case scenario we can still perform analysis and print hard copies.

ChristopherMcClain

If you are worried about dependence on Esri's online basemaps for your apps you could always look at their Data Appliance for ArcGIS it lets you bring Esri's data on premises. Most of the mobile apps do have offline capabilities that let you work disconnected so maybe a good idea to download key data and application to disconnect mode prior to impending storm. I would also think given emergency responders need to communicate and utilize mobile equipment data that the re[air or establishment of temporary cellular networks will be high priority and as long as your organization is considered provide vital services you should be given access to these even if the public is not.

deleted-user-t3dSviijg-m9

Yes, we actually server up our own basemaps as image services on our ArcGIS Server so i'm not to concerned about basemaps, as I am the underlying Javascript and HTML files created when you make a "web-app". The whole driving factor behind those files that create the application is ESRI's Javascript API, which is hosted on ESRI Servers. So I was wondering if you use portal. Although the services are local, the web map is local, the web app is local, I think the underlying files that make that app and web map still referencing external sources (ESRI's API).

evtguy

I'm afraid that I don't know the answer to those questions. I'm on the end user side of the equation so I don't know the details of what's happening under the hood. We haven't really quite jumped in with AGOL or Portal just yet. I've never been much of a fan of AGOL since we pay for an enterprise license of Server so why pay more for something we can (technically) host ourselves with Portal?

I've also become quite jaded about webmaps because the Flood Warning Application I developed using the Javascript API has been a failure when it's been needed most. The problem has not been with the code; it's been the hardware & infrastructure we have around it. We simply cannot support a high demand application and I don't have much hope that we will make the changes that are needed. From the perspective of failure, I'm now much more an advocate of being prepared to work in an offline environment.

ChristopherMcClain

I am pretty sure everything you need is on the appliance, the concept is you can put everything onsite and behind your firewall and need no external connection. It was developed for 3 letter government agencies who cannot be connected to external networks.

deleted-user-t3dSviijg-m9

If that is the case, I might launch a Portal specifically for our EOC environment. I'm going to do some digging, and may even call ESRI for confirmation, because if that is true, that eliminates a lot of my concern. I'll get back to you after I've done some more digging to confirm. Thanks

GISSupport3

Get the ArcGIS API for JavaScript | Guide | ArcGIS API for JavaScript 3.19

deleted-user-t3dSviijg-m9

I plan to download the API and reference it in a lightweight viewer with editing capabilities for when we have intermitten to sever internet connectivity issues. I might go the full Portal route referencing the API internally further down the road, but I don't know if I have the time or man-power to push out a full Portal install and configuration right now.

At least using a lightweight html viewer for intermittent connectivity, then once connectivity is restored, migrating to our applications that reference web maps in our ArcGIS Online account.

Then maybe for next year in-between hurricane seasons we can put together a plan for migrating to a full Portal initiative for our EOC.

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