Andr Laflamme and Roger J. Percy

Environment Canada, Dartmouth, NS. andre.laflamme@ec.gc.ca, roger.percy@ec.gc.ca

Abstract

During emergencies, the ready availability of information on the location and vulnerability of resources at risk is crucial to a successful response and in preventing or minimizing further environmental impacts.

Environment Canada–Atlantic Region has developed over a number of years a computer-based geographic information system (GIS) mapping system for managing and analyzing environmental information. This stand-alone, user-friendly mapping application has recently moved to the Web, allowing broader access by federal, provincial and industry partners in the spill response field. Enhancements have been made that facilitate better coordination and exchange of data among partners. It incorporates a unique shoreline classification system that can be viewed in concert with biological, human use and logistical data. It includes a spill logging function to manage situation reports, maps, resource summaries, photographs and trajectory model outputs. The system allows thematic layers to be displayed on either topographic maps or hydrographic charts and possesses links to other sites that allow real-time display of weather and ocean current data useful in a response. With an open architecture concept the Web mapping system is readily modified; partners are able to digitize on-line and to update their own databases shared on the system. Mapped data for the northeastern United States are also included in the package to facilitate joint response to trans-boundary pollution incidents.

Although this paper will highlight the unique features of the Web mapping application for planning and responding to environmental emergencies, other partners are using the system for conducting environmental assessments, inland management projects, or planning for nuclear emergencies around the globe.

Introduction

In the early 1990s, the government of Canada undertook a nation-wide review of its capacity for responding to environmental incidents. This review gave the government an opportunity to assess, but also create, a national committee that would provide information on biological/human-use resource information and protection priorities during environmental incidents. In order to achieve this goal, a national committee was formed to discuss and to implement a computerized sensitivity mapping application. Environment Canada–Atlantic Region was tasked to lead this project and was assigned the responsibility to gather and to manage appropriate data sets from various agencies while providing the standards and frameworks that would lead to the implementation of a National Sensitivity Mapping Program. In subsequent years, a lack of funding and resources allocated for this initiative has forced each region to manage and develop their own system. Fortunately, the Atlantic Region remained determined to achieve the development of a state-of-the-art mapping application by focusing on data collection and the creation of a unique computer interface that would be used by environmental responders across the Atlantic region. To date, the Atlantic Region Sensitivity Mapping Program is the most comprehensive, up-to-date and complete information system with more than 120 different layers of information. With its user-friendly interface, minimal training is required in order to operate the system (see Figure 1).

A team of two persons was necessary to develop, create and maintain the mapping application. Efforts were first placed on collecting and acquiring various data sets from a wide range of government and private organizations. Once all of this information was collected, it was necessary to structure all the layers of information to fit the mapping system. The stand-alone system in use in the Atlantic Region has evolved to a point where no more structuring is necessary; a new interface has been developed using an “open architecture” technology. As soon as a layer of information becomes available for update, the database is copied to a specific location on the hard drive and automatically integrated in the mapping application.

In early 2002, Environment Canada–Atlantic Region launched a unique Web mapping system featuring all the concepts of the original stand-alone version, taking advantage of new Web programming technologies.

The objectives of developing and maintaining the best possible sensitivity mapping system is to provide planners and managers with the full range of information that they require as part of pre-spill activities as well as resource protection recommendations at the time of a spill. The data and information are based on consistent sets of terms and definitions that describe the shore-zone character, the objectives and strategies for a specific response, and the methods by which those objectives may be achieved. The data are linked with other resource information in a GIS-based system.

Standard or accepted terms and definitions and shoreline segmentation procedures are already in place for describing the shore-zone character and shore zone oiling conditions. In this program, a set of standardized objectives and strategy statements have been developed that can be entered easily into a database; these provide a better level of consistency than do phrases or sentences constructed by different recorders or evaluators. The suggested protection and treatment objectives and strategies are intended for consideration by the spill response management team.

The actual type and volume of spilled oil, plus local environmental conditions, and local priorities would be brought to bear on the decision process at the time of a spill. The suggested objectives and strategies provide a starting point and a framework for decision-makers and planning and operations managers to discuss objectives and priorities. The concept of management by objectives provides a framework for decision-makers to set the goals of an operation at both the regional and a segment by-segment level (Percy et al. 1997).

The pre-spill database is integrated with the actual Sensitivity Mapping Program, which is capable of displaying natural, cultural and man-made features vulnerable to oil spills. The computerized mapping system facilitates quick access and management of multiple data sets. A user-friendly interface allows queries and statistical analysis of data and display of graphical outputs. The system provides both planning and response tools; information can be accessed or modified using a laptop computer and real-time spill information or trajectory model outputs incorporated using a spill/incident log function (Figure 2).

A hard copy atlas is also available for the Atlantic Region. Made using 11x17 paper format, it includes a thematic layer showing the coastal geomorphology (mid/upper intertidal zone) and the most up-to-date human-use and biological information. A series of large maps (36x54 inches) has also been produced. The maps are very useful when planning response for large areas or for media briefings during incidents.

Partnerships

Following the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, the government of Canada realized the need for having a system where sensitivity data could be accessible for planning and response purposes. The Green Plan of the early 1990s provided initial funding to develop, create and maintain a sensitivity mapping system to support environmental responders during marine spill incidents. Because of its mandate, Environment Canada has environmental emergencies officers who are on duty on a 24/7 basis. Therefore, available information must be accessible quickly in order to mitigate potential impacts on marine and coastal resources.

Partnerships are crucial in order for environmental emergency responders to locate, identify and protect sensitive resources present at a spill site, especially for the first few hours/days of an incident. Environment Canada involves other federal, provincial, municipal agencies, private industry, and local communities through the Regional Environmental Emergencies Team (REET) to ensure environmental data are accessible. Most of the organizations involved during a spill incident are part of REET.

Many organizations are using the Atlantic Region mapping system. Among them are the Eastern Canada Response Corporation (Atlantic Division), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Scotia-Fundy Region), Environment Canada’s Shellfish Sanitation Program, and Environment Canada’s Office of Enforcement. Other groups that have expressed interest in using the system include the Ship Source Pollution Fund (SSOPF), Health Canada–Nuclear Emergency Response Division, the response organization ALERT (Atlantic Emergency Response Team), and the government of New Brunswick.

Geographic Application

The main coastal areas covered by the Atlantic Region Sensitivity Mapping Program encompass the four Atlantic Provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Approximately 12,500 unique shoreline segments covering more than 40,000 kilometers of coastline have been identified in Atlantic Canada. Labrador is the only area not presently covered by the shoreline classification. However, growing federal interest and activities in Labrador will likely require the completion of the pre-spill database for this area in the near future. Portions of the province of Quebec have been included in the mapping system, including Chaleur Bay (north shore) and Magdalen Islands, since these areas would likely be impacted by spills in the Atlantic Region or require joint response. For potential trans-boundary spill incidents in the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy, all digital maps for the entire State of Maine have also been added to the mapping program. Despite the coastal applications of the mapping system, it also has the flexibility to cover the inland part of the Atlantic Provinces. Environmental data has been collected for the State of Maine and New Brunswick border. The Atlantic Region Sensitivity Mapping Program in conjunction with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection have agreed to exchange cross-border information on coastal areas that can be used for planning and response during marine incidents that could impact both countries. As the information becomes available for inland areas, the mapping system will integrate the information in a format that is compatible with the existing data sets.

Shoreline Classification and Pre-Spill Database

The objective of the pre-spill database is to collate data and information that would be required and used by the spill response management team in the development of planning, priority and operations decisions. This database plays a fundamental role in the definition of resource protection priorities, and constitutes an introduction to the Shoreline Clean-up and Assessment Techniques (SCAT) process. The database involves an initial segmentation of the shoreline and data templates then are completed for each segment. This process involves the use of various tools such as low-altitude videotape survey data, aerial photography, and pre-existing mapping material to define sections of shoreline that have a uniform alongshore character. In Atlantic Canada, each segment has a unique two-letter prefix code followed by a sequential number (Figure 3). The two-letter prefix is unique to one coastal area in Atlantic Canada that makes each code different (e.g., Halifax Harbour has the following segment codes: HX-01 to HX-75).

The description of the shore zone and the development of appropriate response strategies are presented in a systematic format based on four distinct templates: 1) Shore Zone Character, 2) Shoreline Protection, 3) Shoreline Treatment, and 4) Summary of Response and Requirements. These templates contain a total of 143 different attributes that are unique for each shoreline segment. The Shore Zone Character template describes information such as shoreline material/type, nearshore environment, longshore current, oil traps, and potential behaviour, and resources at risk.

The shoreline material/type is further subdivided into five distinct categories: lower inter-tidal material, lower inter-tidal form, shoreline type (area located between the high and low tide mark), backshore material, and backshore form (Figure 4).

The Shoreline Protection and Treatment/Cleanup templates offer a variety of shoreline data, including treatment and protection methods, objectives, strategies, and operational considerations. The last template is known as Summary of Response Requirements. It is a summary of the protection and treatment templates and includes a response priority code (L = low, M = medium. H = high, VH = very high). The response priority code is defined based on the information available at the time of collection of the pre-spill database. Although it is a starting point in defining priorities, Environment Canada’s Sensitivity Mapping Program is now in the process of incorporating other data sets in order to define a response priority code that will better reflect the actual resource inventory for a specific shoreline segment.

These templates use a knowledge-based concept, as data and recommendations are entered, in part, from knowledge and experience rather than from an objective analysis. Owens and Dewis (1995) describe the templates in more detail. The shoreline protection and treatment or cleanup techniques that are recommended for each segment are derived from the Environment Canada Field Guide for the Protection and Cleanup of Oiled Shorelines (Owens 1996).

The shoreline type is a description of that area of the shore zone where oil is most likely to be stranded, and the coastal character is described since this is the area in which backshore operations will stage and deploy resources. The description also includes identification of features that are likely to affect the behaviour of persistent oil, such as along-shore traps, potential boulder, or riprap reservoirs.

Areas outside Canada where the same shoreline classification approach has been applied include Hawaii (Honolulu-Waikiki), Russia (Sakhalin Island), and Alaska (Port Valdez). A number of countries have shown keen interest in the Atlantic Region Sensitivity Mapping Program, including Bangladesh, Brazil, Spain, Israel, Chile, France and New Zealand.

Sensitivity Web Mapping System

All computerized Web mapping systems require base-map layers. In the past, Environment Canada has purchased National Topograhic Data Base (NTDB) topographic digital maps from the Natural Resources Canada Centre in Sherbrooke, Qubec. Three different scale were purchased: 1:50,000, 1:250,000 and 1:1,000,000. All are used to represent specific information sets.

As mentioned earlier in this document, the shoreline classification along with the pre-spill database, constitutes one of the most important components in the Web mapping system (Figure 5). It relates the physical aspect of the shoreline and provides useful information on protection and clean-up methods. For each individual segment, a shoreline video is available. By selecting a shoreline segment, it is possible to view the video for that specific portion of coastline. The shoreline videos generated for the Atlantic region comes from the Geological Survey of Canada. In addition, the Web mapping system allows the display of various databases such as birds, fish, shellfish, aquaculture sites, parks, and archaeological sites. With all the information available, the Web mapping system is able to provide a detailed report for any given area.

The user has the option of defining a buffer zone that can be used to determine the sensitive resources within an area, to calculate features such as length of shoreline or area affected, or to display data in a graphical form. The information can be displayed in the form of bar graphs or pie charts, and a detailed written report on the affected resources may also be generated. The report contains information on various species or human-use resources, their sensitivity to oil spills, and their seasonal vulnerability. A complete database of photographs related to sensitive birds, fish, shellfish, vegetation, and human use structures such as aerial photographs of small craft harbour can also be viewed or printed. In addition to the Natural Resources digital base maps, the system can also display information on digital hydrographic charts or digital elevation models.

The Atlantic Web Mapping application uses the latest technologies to facilitate and enhance its various mapping applications. Designed using a MapInfoCorporation technology called MapXtreme, it brings a new dimension to how people create, edit and manage geographical information. Portions of the Web mapping uses Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) technology which is a new graphics file format and Web development language based on XML. SVG enables Web developers and designers to create dynamically generated, high-quality graphics from real-time data, with precise structural and visual control. With this new tool, users can now create and edit geographical information on-line, modify a database, and share information with other people with the use of only a Web browser. The architecture of this interactive mapping application provides many advantages:

• Very user friendly (Web interface);

• All data resides on the server (maps and databases);

• All of the processing work is done on the server that returns information to clients through their browsers (MS Internet Explorer, Netscape). There is no need to have a powerful workstation to run the application;

• No software is required on the client side (only browser, IE or Netscape);

• Data updates are easy since only the copy of the data (on the server) needs to be changed;

• The structure of the system allows easy addition of resource information to the application;

• Links to other sites (EC) or other organizations can be easily be implemented;

• Password protected for enhanced security;

• Ability to share your own database with whoever you want.

The Web Mapping application is located at http://www.e-map.gc.ca.

Summary

The Atlantic Region Sensitivity Web Mapping Program’s main focus is to provide Environment Canada and its partners with a widely accessible mapping tool for emergency planning and response applications. The Web mapping, with its real-time capabilities, will certainly bring a new dimension to responding to environmental emergencies. Consistency is also crucial if personnel are to be brought in from different regions during a drill or spill, as they are immediately comfortable with the application, process and terminology. The same sets of standard terms and conditions are applied to pre-spill data base development, sensitivity and pre-spill mapping, SCAT data generation, and the response management decision process. Although the use of standard terms and definitions is essential for the description of oiled shorelines, the value of standardization extends into the decision process with regard to shoreline protection and treatment recommendations. This concept is very powerful, as it provides a consistent terminology through the entire range of pre-spill planning and response activities.

Web-based sensitivity mapping often has been viewed as an isolated activity in spill planning. Although the identification of resources at risk is a study that can stand alone, the application of that information into the response decision process involves a broader perspective. The integrated approach for spill response in Canada uses sensitivity information as one part of a larger body of relevant information that can, and should be, used by the decision team in the formulation of an appropriate response. For example, the pre-spill database includes information for each shoreline segment that describes potential oil traps or oil behaviour considerations, possible operational constraints, as well as the resources that are at risk.

Future developments for Environment Canada’s mapping program include the integration of the Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Techniques form into a handheld device such as Pocket PC. The portable application called Pocket SCAT would allow field users to remotely enter coastal information in order to assess the oiling condition of a given stretch of coast. MapX Mobile is used to link the Atlantic Region mapping system to the field unit. With communication devices such as cellular or satellite phones, information gathered during a field trip can be transferred without having to connect to a land-line (Figures 6 and 7).

References

Owens, E. H. and W. S. Dewis. 1995. A Pre-spill Shoreline Protection and Shoreline Treatment Data

base for Atlantic Canada. Proceedings 18th Arctic and Marine Oil Spill Programme (AMOP) Tech

nical Seminar, Environment Canada, Edmonton, AB.

Owens, E. H. 1996. Field Guide for the Protection and Cleanup of Oiled Shorelines (2nd Edition). Environment Canada, Atlantic Region, Dartmouth, NS.

Percy, R. J., R. S. Leblanc, and E. H. Owens. 1997. An Integrated Approach to Shoreline Mapping for

Spill Response Planning in Canada. Proceedings 20th Arctic and Marine Oil Spill Programme

(AMOP) Technical Seminar, Environment Canada, Edmonton, AB.

Figure 1. Screen shot of the stand-alone mapping system

Figure 2. Spill/Incident Log function stores information produced during an incident; also useful for retrieving information on previous incidents

Figure 3. An example of the shoreline segmentation of the Northwest Arm area, Halifax, NS Figure 4. Shore Zone Character template for a given segment of shoreline

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Figure 6. Shoreline Clean-Up Assessment Technique forms transmitted from the field to a given operation centre, saving time and effort while improving response and decision-making process

Figure 7. Screen shots from the upcoming Pocket SCAT application for Pocket PC and handheld devices