june 20, 2007 national hazus-mh user conference 1 optimizing your use of hazus through hazus user...

June 20, 2007June 20, 2007National HAZUS-MH User National HAZUS-MH User

ConferenceConference 11

Optimizing Your Use of Optimizing Your Use of HAZUS through HAZUS User HAZUS through HAZUS User

Groups and HAZUS.orgGroups and HAZUS.orgModerator: Jamie Caplan, Jamie Caplan ConsultingModerator: Jamie Caplan, Jamie Caplan Consulting

Speakers:Speakers:

Rich Davies, Western Disaster CenterRich Davies, Western Disaster Center

Tom Gates, Calvin, Giordano & AssociatesTom Gates, Calvin, Giordano & Associates

Kevin Mickey, The Polis CenterKevin Mickey, The Polis Center



Myths, Realities and Solutions

HAZUS is free HAZUS default data is sufficient HAZUS training is all you need

Data developers GIS Professionals Data Users Decision Makers



Tools to assist use of HAZUS

HAZUS User Groups

www.hazus.org

Supporting the HAZUS user community across the

country, the ultimate on-line resource for everything

HAZUS ...



HAZUS User Groups

The growing network of HAZUS User groups has proved to be a valuable mechanism for creating partnerships between public and private sector organizations and industry in which mutually beneficial alliances are formed, goals and objectives developed, and projects identified and executed. User groups throughout the country have found enormous benefits and opportunities to develop successful projects through collaboration, combining resources and the sharing of information, data, and tips on software usage.

Kevin Mickey

The Polis CenterChair, Central HAZUS User

Group (CHUG)



CHUG History

The CHUG (Central HAZUS Users The CHUG (Central HAZUS Users Group) was started in 2005 Group) was started in 2005

CHUG was originally designed to CHUG was originally designed to have regular regional meetings with have regular regional meetings with interim coordination by a strategic interim coordination by a strategic committee.committee. Impractical due to participant travel Impractical due to participant travel

limitations and lack of a funded limitations and lack of a funded logistical teamlogistical team



Current CompositionCurrent Composition

Strategic Strategic committee committee currently made up currently made up of 25 individuals of 25 individuals from each of the from each of the states in FEMA states in FEMA Region V.Region V.

Committee meets Committee meets monthly by phone monthly by phone conference.conference.

Strategic Committee Responsibilities

Maintain awareness of how HAZUS-Maintain awareness of how HAZUS-MH is being used within the region MH is being used within the region

Encourage use of HAZUS-MH with in Encourage use of HAZUS-MH with in the region among all user sectorsthe region among all user sectors

Create opportunities for HAZUS-MH Create opportunities for HAZUS-MH users to learn about HAZUS-MH thru users to learn about HAZUS-MH thru a website, training, and other means.a website, training, and other means.

Strategic Committee Responsibilities

Serve as the liaison between CHUG users Serve as the liaison between CHUG users and FEMAand FEMA Report major concerns about HAZUS-MH Report major concerns about HAZUS-MH

releases expressed by usersreleases expressed by users Identify suggested improvements to Identify suggested improvements to

HAZUS-MHHAZUS-MH Convey information about HAZUS-MH Convey information about HAZUS-MH

projects occurring within the regionprojects occurring within the region The CHUG works closely with FEMA Region The CHUG works closely with FEMA Region

V which is represented on the Strategic V which is represented on the Strategic CommitteeCommittee

Strategic Committee Member Responsibilities

Report on activities occurring in their states

Promote the agenda of the strategic committee

Serve as the liaison between local participants and the CHUG strategic committee



Key AccomplishmentsKey Accomplishments

User group kickoff meeting – User group kickoff meeting – Indianapolis 2004 (100+ Indianapolis 2004 (100+ participants)participants)

CHUG Conference – Chicago 2005 CHUG Conference – Chicago 2005 (25+ participants)(25+ participants)

TrainingTraining State sponsored State sponsored FEMA sponsoredFEMA sponsored

CHUG WebsiteCHUG Website

Key Accomplishments

HAZUS Project Documentation Guidelines (metadata with a HAZUS-MH focus) Goal is help users increase the credibility of

their work with HAZUS-MH by creating proper documentation.

Examples of information collected Who created project? What inventory data was modified and how? What local hazard data was integrated and how

was it derived? Were any parameters modified when running

the analysis? Applicable for all HAZUS-MH users



Future PlansFuture Plans

ChallengesChallenges Ensuring that the strategic committee Ensuring that the strategic committee

remain an activity oriented groupremain an activity oriented group Ensuring that strategic committee Ensuring that strategic committee

members actively promote the goals of members actively promote the goals of the CHUG within their statesthe CHUG within their states

CHUG is all volunteer. We need to CHUG is all volunteer. We need to identify logistical support to facilitate identify logistical support to facilitate the goals of the CHUG across the the goals of the CHUG across the region.region.

OpportunitieOpportunitiess

New flood model features in HAZUS-MH MR3 are expected to significantly increase use of the model across the region.

Opportunities

Identification and promotion of expert resources in the region

Development of additional guidelines Inventory data collection and

dissemination Hazard recommendations

Tom Gates

Calvin, Giordano & AssociatesFlorida HAZUS User Group

(FLHUG)



Florida HAZUS User GroupFlorida HAZUS User Group

Overview of Florida HUG and sub Overview of Florida HUG and sub chapters such as the Southeast chapters such as the Southeast Florida HUGFlorida HUG



Southeast Florida HUG



Similarities / DifferencesSimilarities / Differences



Why more than a single Why more than a single Florida HUG?Florida HUG?



When, Why, Who and How the SEHUG was formed



SW Florida Pilot project SW Florida Pilot project 20042004

Lessons learned / White Paper Available @ Lessons learned / White Paper Available @ A Consortium and repository for State data A Consortium and repository for State data

updatesupdates Ensure data standards are enforcedEnsure data standards are enforced Local & County government data sharing Local & County government data sharing

agreementsagreements



Supporting User community Supporting User community / enhancing HAZUS / enhancing HAZUS

KnowledgeKnowledge End users / Clients; End users / Clients;

Educate to understand abilities and Educate to understand abilities and limitations, at a minimum enough to ask for limitations, at a minimum enough to ask for what they need or wantwhat they need or want



Our officers, partners & users

Open to all & made up of a core of advanced HAZUS Modelers / Power users from both public & Private sector

Offering Diversity of Knowledge & Experience not just with HAZUS but GIS & Planning as well



Florida HUG Goals & Objectives

FEMA / NIBS / Developers / ContractorsFEMA / NIBS / Developers / Contractors FLHUG works closely with these players, to bring FLHUG works closely with these players, to bring

the user community greater understanding of the the user community greater understanding of the models and planned enhancementsmodels and planned enhancements



Bridging HAZUS and GIS Bridging HAZUS and GIS with the Planner & with the Planner &

Responder communityResponder community Mitigation; Cost benefitMitigation; Cost benefit Operations; Debris Management, Response; Operations; Debris Management, Response;

Overlay National grid for search and Overlay National grid for search and rescue / recoveryrescue / recovery



Training Opportunities

State funded regional EMI HAZUS curriculumState funded regional EMI HAZUS curriculum Vision to transfer some HAZUS training to Vision to transfer some HAZUS training to

local academialocal academia



If we work together, we can get it done!

A single person working alone can not accomplish A single person working alone can not accomplish this challengethis challenge

A single person’s effort’s in concert with other A single person’s effort’s in concert with other like minded people working on a common goal is like minded people working on a common goal is an unstoppable force.an unstoppable force.

That is FLHUG!!!That is FLHUG!!!

Rich Davies

Western Disaster CenterBAHUG and www.hazus.org



Bay Area HAZUS User Group

History Current State



www.hazus.org

History Current and Future



Key Resources

june 20, 2007 national hazus-mh user conference 1 optimizing your use of hazus through hazus user...

Documents

hazusmh users

use of hazus hazus user

hazusmh releases

solutions hazus

hazus user community

sufficient hazus training

chug central hazus users

free hazus default data