[aprssig] FEMA Fusion center/wildland fire information ?

[Chris Kantarjiev]

This was a new term to me, mentioned tonight in passing at a presentation about 
  mapping technology for crisis management. In particular, what caught my 
attention was an anecdote about information passing in some wildfire situation: 
firefighters on the ground were giving voice reports, retired firefighters in 
the Fusion Center were interpreting the voice reports and drawing on a map, and 
that information was being relayed back out to the field by voice.

I was dumbstruck. We on this list know that there is better technology (APRS), 
even if there isn't a nice package for this particular application. With all 
the money that DHS is throwing around, why hasn't an APRS-like system appeared 
for this kind of situation?

In-building location is ridiculously hard, I know. But this doesn't require 
anything better than GPS provides, and VHF comms - possibly to a flying digipeater?

Just thinking out loud, dumbfounded.

73 de chris K6DBG