Abu Dhabi, Nov 16th, 2009 (WAM) -- The Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD), is showcasing its role in planning and managing medical resources for large scale emergencies and crisis at the Geographical Information System (GIS) day to be held here at ADNEC on 18th of this month.
The HAAD 24-7 Operations Center for Medical coordination of Major Incidents and Disasters will be highlighting at booth no. 14 in the AD-SDI pavilion, the use of GIS in supporting front line emergency service providers in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, coordination of resources during routine operations and guidance and collaboration with the Emergency Services during times of major incidents and crises situations. Zaid Al Siksek, CEO of HAAD, said: "If disasters happen, or when faced with situations where local medical resources threaten to be overwhelmed, lives are at stake and the medical services have to be coordinated to ensure that the right patient gets to the right healthcare facility at the right time."The Geographical Information System (GIS) captures, stores, analyzes, manages, and presents data that is linked to location. Technically, a GIS is a system which includes mapping software and its application to remote sensing, land surveying, aerial photography, mathematics, photogrammetric, geography, and tools that can be implemented with GIS software. Obaid Ghassb Al Ameri, Section Head, Emergency Management and Operations Centre, said: "HAAD uses GIS applications like mapping of incidents as they occur. The mapping system includes information of healthcare facility locations, road and utility networks, buildings, schools, landmarks etc. and helps identify both resources and hazards. This information helps to tailor the medical response specifically for the area and type of incident, with its identified surrounding risks taken into account. GIS Day provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems (GIS) technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in our society.Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2009.
