Defining a national standard for symbology for incident management systems
Within the Australasian scene, there is currently no common standard for map symbols used to represent features relevant to emergency managers. Many events, especially large scale incidents, cross jurisdictional and geographic boundaries. Often in these circumstances, personnel from different agencies and jurisdictions are brought together into a single command structure. It is important for these people to be able to absorb information quickly. Increased efficiency and safety will follow from use of standard symbol sets that are readily understood by all emergency management personnel at all levels of the incident management framework.
The All Hazards Symbology Working Group, working through the Inter-Governmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM), is undertaking a project to formalise the symbology used within the emergency management community. As part of this project, an audit of map symbols used by key emergency service organisations was undertaken. This audit involved over 45 agencies across Australia and New Zealand covering all aspects of the emergency management spectrum.
This paper outlines the outcomes of the national symbology audit, the characteristics of the recommended symbology catalogue and challenges to adoption across the emergency management community. In addition, the paper discusses other emerging international standards related to emergency management symbology.