Geospatial Analysis in Responding to a Nuclear Detonation Scenario in NYC: The Gotham Shield Exercise

Abstract

In April 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) participated in the Gotham Shield Exercise, led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and in collaboration with other federal agencies to test the federal, state and local government’s ability to respond to an improvised nuclear device (IND). With active engagement from CDC leadership, 266 scientific and support staff from across the agency participated in the Gotham Shield exercise. The scenario involved a 10-kiloton detonation near the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey. This nuclear detonation scenario provided CDC with the opportunity to test some of the all-hazards tools the agency uses during response to other national or international emergencies, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mapping tools, and apply these tools to a nuclear emergency. Geospatial analysis associated with real time data can provide near real time information for individuals and entities associated with response and recovery activities. This type of analysis can provide timely data in regard to maps and information used to properly place staging areas for Community Reception Centers (CRC), mass care locations, and other medical care and countermeasure related services. Maps showing locations of power loss, such as locations of lost or inoperable main electrical grid and substations, combined with real time data on where power is available provides valuable information for first responders and emergency managers as well as responders engaged in communicating critical public messages to affected populations in these areas. By using real-time information, response officials can direct the response, allocate scarce resources, aid in coordination efforts, and provide a more efficient means of providing critical public health and medical services. The results of the exercise highlight the importance of using geospatial analysis for response planning and effect mitigation before, during, and after a public health event of this magnitude, and the value they represent in informed decision making.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Participation in Cobalt Magnet National-Level Radiological Exercise

“…The current CDC IMS plans for a nuclear/radiological response would house all the agency’s health physicists in a consolidated Health Physics Cell (HPC). This was a similar approach the agency used in the previous national-level exercise 4 and proved to be an effective method to leverage the limited number of health physicists at the agency. There is a declining number and shortage of health physicists nationwide across federal, state, and local agencies.…”

Changes in the Scientific Information Environment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Importance of Scientific Situational Awareness in Responding to the Infodemic

“…In public health emergency response, situational awareness typically comprises public health surveillance and laboratory testing data, but also includes information on relevant health or public health infrastructure, population data, and environmental exposure data that may be analyzed and displayed spatiotemporally. 2 A general definition of scientific situational awareness, or awareness of the scientific information environment, may include monitoring citation databases and newer repositories such as preprint servers for publication of new findings and sharing relevant references within organizations or emergency response structures. 3 …”

Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Qualitative Analysis of After-Action Reports

“…), 2 infectious disease outbreaks (Hepatitis A and 2014 Ebola), and 4 full-scale exercises (Pills to Polar Bears [anthrax], Big Sky Push [Pandemic Influenza], Vigilant Guard [plague and earthquake], 2019 Health and Human Services [HHS] Crimson Contagion Functional Exercise). 10,11 Inductive coding was used to identify cross-cutting themes across all events and the 15 PHEP capabilities. The co-authors divided into 2 teams of 2 reviewed and coded each AAR.…”