Catastrophic Coastal Hazards Geographic Information System

The Oregon coast is subject to catastrophic hazards including earthquakes, and earthquake-induced landsliding, liquefaction, subsidence, as well as tsunami. A prototype coast-wide GIS has been developed to support decision-making pertaining to these catastrophic hazards. The GIS consists of a series of countywide `templated' physical and cultural map/attribute layers. Examples of specific map/attribute layers include tsunami inundation lines, tsunami evacuation lines, schools, hospitals, and police and fire stations. The focus of the prototype GIS was to facilitate tsunami evacuation route planning in coastal communities. To this end, maps made from the GIS and reviewed by stakeholders were used to develop evacuation brochures for several coastal communities. The benefit of using a GIS to support such efforts is that relevant information is easily accessed, readily updated, and consistently displayed on a coast-wide basis. It is anticipated that the prototype will form the basis for a larger GIS that can be used to support planning for all catastrophic hazards.