DHS
DHS/FEMA/MMI
The vision of FEMA's Mutihazard Mapping Initiative is to maintain a living atlas of hazards data and map services for advisory purposes supplied from a network of hazard and base map providers. The initiative is an implementation of Section 203(k) of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, which calls for the creation of Multihazard Advisory Maps, or maps "on which hazard data concerning each type of natural disaster is identified simultaneously for the purpose of showing areas of hazard overlap." The goals of the initiative are to -Foster the exchange and collection of geospatial hazards data -Increase hazard awareness by providing a multihazard mapping capability on the Internet for advisory purposes -Encourage data providers to establish standards based services that facilitate access and distribution of their data for the creating of these maps. -The initiative is compatible with and shares the goals of FEMA's E-Government Initiative -Department of Interior's E-Government Initiative: Geospatial One-Stop The USGS National Map -Specific objectives of the initiative with respect to data interoperability include -Implementing relevant interoperability specifications of the Open GIS Consortium and other organizations -Making the FEMA holdings of the Multihazard Map server available as a Web Map Service -Multihazard Map server utilization of specific external Web Map services for relevant available base and hazards data -Reviewing and testing relevant specifications to further the goals of the Multihazard Mapping Initiative and Geospatial One-Stop Website: "http://www.hazardmaps.gov/atlas.php" [Summary provided by FEMA]