SAR City Keynote Address Highlights Yosemite Challenges
Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 17:42 Tom Patterson Almost 300 participants at the 38th annual SAR City rescue conference were treated to a stellar presentation by Ranger Paul Doherty, Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) GIS Specialist. Paul is unique in the National Park Service as being the only full-time dedicated GIS Specialist and Law Enforcement Ranger specifically hired to map search and rescue operations. He gave a wonderful overview of one of the most unforgiving areas in the country, where a mistake can prove to be deadly. YOSAR received a Special Achievement in GIS award during the recent ESRI International Users Conference held in San Diego last July for their innovative use of geospatial technologies to help save lives. This is the first time that a SAR team has been honored with that distinction. The SAR City audience was quite impressed how YOSAR's digital mapping capabilities is making a difference. Perhaps this will spark an interest to better utilize our own Mobile Mapping Unit whenever there is a need.