Using a Tabletop Exercise to Evaluate Emergency Management GIS Needs in Ghana Brady Scribner GEOG596A – Fall Advisor: Anthony Robinson

National Guard State Partnership Program North Dakota National Guard Disaster Planning and Preparedness Program National Disaster Management Organisation of Ghana (NADMO)

Formed in 1996 Ghanaian version of FEMA Comprised of: 10 regions 243 districts Over 900 local offices Past disasters: Disease outbreaks Floods Invasive pests Civil unrest One of the first national EOCs in Africa National Guard State Partnership Program North Dakota National Guard Disaster Planning and Preparedness Program NADMO

Development of emergency management GIS in NADMO September 2013 mission to Accra, Ghana to meet DP3 goals Mission goals: GIS training Develop partner relationships Obtain national data National Guard State Partnership Program North Dakota National Guard DP3NADMO

Problem Dimensions NADMO GIS capacity in disaster situations requires further development, but we lack knowledge about what the most critical needs are, and to know which stakeholders should be involved in capacity building. Furthermore, NADMO staff should be exposed to a simulated disaster to drive home the need for GIS development. Problem Statement:

Fits NADMO needs and interests Access to supporting resources GIS & Floods Flooding Disaster Tabletop Exercise

Discussion-based Facilitates dialogue Goals: Staff orientation Plan development Policy review Includes: Seminars Workshops Tabletops Vary based on level of participant interaction Operations-based Reaction is required Goals: Plan functionality Response tools Partnerships Includes: Drills Functional Full-scale Vary based on exercise scope and level of response Tabletop Exercise Options

Tabletop Exercise Scenario Realistic Current Injects Progression Discussion Open No-fault Output Responses Reports Reveals gaps and capabilities Builds relationships Trains staff Generates a list of tasks

Collect Information Develop an Outline Establish Objectives City of FargoNADMOCity of FargoNADMO Facilitate geospatial collaboration Identify various gaps Expose staff to emergency GIS tasks Initiate policy, procedure, agreement development Tabletop Exercise Design

Monitoring and Adaptation Training Evaluation/Validation Test responses during an emergency Educate staff on emergency plans Test responses and discover alternatives Scenario exposure to elicit basic knowledge low maturity high maturity Stewart and Wan’s levels of exercise maturity Discovery

NADMO staff and partners are not likely to have participated in a tabletop exercise Do not want to overwhelm participants and hamper discussion Discovery Level Exercise Maturity Emergency operations plans that incorporate GIS likely do not exist Other design aspects to consider Exercise evaluation requirements and methods Exercise documentation Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) training

The exercise will not be designed as an educational tool for those simply interested in emergency management GIS Exercise audience will probably be recruited from participants from the September training Audience will be NADMO and partner agency staff Request will be made to accompany NDNG members during the next Ghana mission Exercise will be held at NADMO headquarters Exercise will ideally be facilitated in person Remote facilitation will be difficult and the full effect of the exercise will not be achieved Skype is well used by NADMO staff though Adobe Connect through PSU would be preferred Remote facilitation is an option but is not ideal Tabletop Exercise Delivery

Timeline of project activities (+ brief statement about 596B presentation venue) Exercise Presentation – 1 day Discussion based around scenario injects Record discussion – notes, video Exercise hotwash Prepare Discussion Points – 1 day Review and organize discussion notes Create a presentation for participants Evaluation of Exercise Results – 1 day Present and review discussion items with participants Create an outline with participants that will be used to produce an After Action Report (AAR)

Method for evaluating results from exercise Exercise Evaluation Allow participants to evaluate the exercise and components Determines if exercise objectives were met First step towards improvement Exercise Evaluation Summarizes exercise discussion After Action Report Corrective actions for prioritized AAR items Improvement Plan Evaluation Process Participant review of discussion presentation Discuss strengths/gaps of each inject response Summarizes scenario Summarizes inject responses and provides observations Determines if core capabilities were met by responses Decision makers review and approve report

Timeline of project activities (+ brief statement about 596B presentati on venue) Exercise Presentation – 1 day Discussion based around scenario injects Record discussion – notes, video Prepare Discussion Points – 1 day Organize discussion notes Create a presentation for participants Evaluation of Exercise Results – 1 day Present and review discussion items with participants Create an outline with participants that will be used to produce an After Action Report (AAR) and Improvement Plan (IP) Improvement Plan Prioritize AAR gaps, develop corrective actions Produce an Improvement Plan

Putting results into practice (after action brief, etc…) First step towards improvement Exercise Evaluation Summarizes exercise discussion After Action Report Corrective actions for prioritized AAR items Improvement Plan Prioritizes AAR items Proposes corrective actions for identified gaps Actions should be realistic, timely, and measurable Decision makers review and approve plan Improvement Plan Serves as a guide to address identified critical issues Is the ultimate goal of the tabletop exercise Improvement Plan Process Participants review AAR and discuss corrective actions Improvement Plan is created with input/review from participants

Timeline of project activities (+ brief statement about 596B presentation venue) December HSEEP training – exercise design and evaluation Collect past flood information from NADMO and City of Fargo January Develop an outline of typical flood response focused on GIS tasks Create exercise scenario and injects February Review scenario with Fargo staff – make revisions Edit and organize HSEEP documentation March Conduct exercise in Ghana – return to U.S. or facilitate remotely Produce final HSEEP documentation and submit for review Some other month Present at a conference somewhere

Significance of this project, Limitations of this project Significance GIS is the focus of the tabletop and not an accessory Prepares a developing organization in a flourishing nation for future disasters Reveals critical gaps of geospatial analysis in emergency response efforts in Ghana Will be the catalyst for several improvements within the organization Limitations Success hinges upon level of discussion The Improvement Plan must be acted on to achieve any long term benefit for NADMO The exercise can only address a single emergency amongst a list of likely events Project outcomes will be specific to NADMO and will be difficult to generalize for use by other organizations

Wrap-up, thoughts on ongoing challenges for this project Conclusion Multiple benefits can be achieved from a single tabletop exercise NADMO staff and partners will be able to integrate GIS in emergency management A roadmap to improvement will be provided in the form of the AAR/IP NADMO staff and partners must work to improve the GIS capabilities of the organization This exercise will hopefully be the beginning of an ongoing exercise program for NADMO Ultimately, NADMO will be better equipped to handle the geospatial aspects of disasters