Dynamic GIS Case Studies: Wildfire Evacuation and Volunteered Geographic Information

Incorporating the temporal element into traditional GIS is a challenge that has been researched for many years and has many proposed solutions. The implemented system “Extended Dynamic GIS” or EDGIS is based on the “geo-atom” and Space Time Point (STP). EDGIS provides a platform for spatiotemporal data representation, storage, and query in order to address the need for a dynamic GIS to manage complex geographic data types. The system has the capability of executing spatiotemporal object interaction queries (OIQs) such as crossing and coincidence of field-objects and object-fields. In this article existing dynamic GIS analysis techniques are further improved and enhanced through exploration of more in-depth case studies. Further examined here are applications to wildfire evacuation modeling and travel scenarios of urban environments with individuals providing volunteered geographic information (VGI). The EDGIS platform provides a means for interacting with a range of dynamic geographic phenomena. The areas of transportation, location based services (LBS), hazards, and geo-sensor networks provide challenges intertwined with the above applications as well as additional challenges pertinent to the ongoing GIScience research topic of spatiotemporal GIS. Using EDGIS to explore the described case studies of wildfire evacuation as well as VGI provides the advancements described above and demonstrates implemented uses for dynamic GIS. Address for correspondence: Edward Pultar, Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1832 Ellison Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4060, USA. E-mail: Edward@ EdwardPultar.com Transactions in GIS, 2009, 13(s1): 85–104 © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9671.2009.01157.x