Case Study: Collin County achieves rapid tornado damage assessment and coordinated disaster recovery with Esri ArcGIS Pro

Texas Tornado Damage Assessment Maps Made in ArcGIS Pro

Collin County faced a major disaster response challenge after nine tornadoes ripped through northern Texas on December 26, 2015, damaging at least 1,000 homes and buildings and killing 11 people. The Collin County GIS department used ESRI’s ArcGIS Pro (and ArcGIS Online) to collect, access, and visualize field data, tornado ratings, and paths to support emergency response and recovery planning.

Using ESRI’s ArcGIS Pro, GIS manager Tim Nolan produced a suite of maps that consolidated field-collected data and illustrated recovery efforts; he found ArcGIS Pro intuitive and efficient for creating the needed products. The maps—shared via ArcGIS Online—were used by Collin County Homeland Security, the Fire Marshal’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, Central Appraisal District, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas DPS, Texas Division of Emergency Management, National Weather Service, Collin County Public Works, and non-profits (including the American Red Cross and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief) to coordinate and accelerate disaster recovery.

Collin County

Tim Nolan

GIS manager