The Emergency Management Association of Texas (EMAT) honored the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) with the Technology and Innovation Award at its annual symposium held virtually this week.
Mark Sloan, Emergency Management Coordinator, Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Brian Murray, Public Information Officer, Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
HCOHSEM is one of many entities that have faced the unprecedented challenge of locally managing the COVID-19. As the emergency management agency for the third largest county in the nation, HCOHSEM created the COVID-19 StoryMap to create awareness and educate the public on the origins of coronavirus and its effect on public health.
Updated regularly, the timeline shows how the COVID-19 has quickly transformed public health at each participating country from an epidemic to a pandemic worldwide. StoryMap is fed information and case data from around the world and provides a quick glance into the continuous spread of Covid-19.
“I am extremely proud of the work the HCOHSEM has done to keep the public informed, “said Mark Sloan, Harris County Emergency Management Coordinator. “I want to thank everyone at our office for the hard work and dedication it takes to elevate our community to this level of industry recognition.”
As a part of the COVID-19 global response, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) provides a technology platform and interface. The StoryMap takes information from ESRI and offers data visualization on current COVID-19 cases, background information, and links to additional resources making it able to view the complex and changing COVID-19 data in a map and chart which are updated daily.
Disseminating reliable information and data is a critical component of an effective risk communication and community engagement strategy to fighting a pandemic. The development of the COVID19 StoryMap provided an avenue for Harris County to educate residents about the spread and impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the community. With access to this information, residents, employers and other organizations can make better decisions about risks involved with travel and other activities that can impact public health locally and around the world.
Link to StoryMap is provided below