Emergency Response
Decision System
Supporting real-time coordination and allocation of emergency resources at statewide scale
Context
At the onset of COVID-19, there was no centralized system for coordinating decision-making across the state.
-
No common operating picture
-
Limited data sharing between agencies
-
Weak data governance structures
-
Fragmented visibility into hospital capacity, staffing, and resource needs
State agencies operated with incomplete and inconsistent information, making coordinated response planning difficult.
Intervention
Developed and deployed a real-time geospatial decision system within the first week of the pandemic.
-
Built an ArcGIS dashboard over a single weekend
-
Structured data pipelines across multiple agencies
-
Coordinated inputs from health systems, emergency management, and military operations
The system rapidly became the primary decision interface for National Guard leadership.
Used almost hourly for over 300 days to support ongoing response operations
System Design
Real-Time Decision Interface
Centralized dashboard integrating case data, hospital capacity, resource availability, and operational status.
Multi-Agency Data Integration
Connected data from:
-
SC National Guard
-
Emergency Management Division (EMD)
-
Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC)
-
Hospital systems (MUSC, Prisma, Hospital Association)
Predictive Analysis
-
Vulnerability analysis
-
Space-time pattern analysis
-
Identification of emerging hotspots and resource needs
Operational Support Tools
Developed applications supporting:
-
Testing and vaccination site selection
-
Resource allocation planning
-
Engineering and logistics coordination
Outcomes
-
Established a statewide common operating picture for COVID-19 response
-
Enabled coordinated decision-making across multiple agencies and jurisdictions
-
Supported:
-
Testing site selection
-
Vaccination site planning
-
Hospital support operations
-
PPE distribution and shortage tracking
-
-
Provided forward-looking analysis used to:
-
anticipate resource requests
-
prepare operational response plans
-
guide troop and asset deployment
-
-
Directly informed:
-
movement of personnel and resources
-
prioritization of support to hospitals
-
justification for federal funding allocations
-
Impact
The system became a core component of the state’s COVID-19 response.
Leadership relied on it continuously to:
-
understand evolving conditions
-
anticipate emerging needs
-
coordinate statewide operations
Without it:
-
there would have been no unified view of the situation
-
resource allocation would have been slower and less precise
-
justification for response funding would have been significantly weaker
The system enabled faster, more coordinated, and more defensible decision-making during a high-stakes, rapidly evolving emergency.
External reference:
ESRI: South Carolina Guard Guides COVID-19 Missions
Related systems
Spatial Data Infrastructure
Governance & Access Model