News - Rapid Response for the Cape Metropolitan Council

In order to cope with the rapid pace of urbanisation in Southern Africa and the problems associated with this, organisations like the City of Cape Town have had to implement rapid response solutions to mapping. Informal settlements have mushroomed all over Cape Town. These buildings (shacks) are built very close together and are often constructed from flimsy materials, which are quickly destroyed by fires, flooding and other disasters. When devastating fires, which often occur, destroy these informal settlements, the Council needs to respond quickly and effectively in order to provide shelter, food and assistance.

Geosense (South Africa) based in Bellville, Cape Town offer a rapid response service by providing the Council with accurate, GIS-ready, 10cm ortho-rectified imagery within 48 hours. The photographs are taken with a medium format, handheld Hasselblatt camera using a 80mm lens from a helicopter. The helicopter 'hovers' at an altitude of between 1000 and 4000 feet depending on the conditions while the operator takes the photographs with the necessary overlaps.

"This rapid response to disaster situations is invaluable to the Council," says Geoff Dekker of the Cape Town Geomatics Services Department. "It allows us, within a very short timeframe, to assess the extent of the fire or flood damage, and to make decisions quickly and effectively." Further, the photography is also used as a tool to assist in the planning, redevelopment and formalisation of these settlements to prevent future re-occurrences. The process is also used for monitoring the growth of such informal areas. Normally the City of Cape Town will fly the areas every 4 years, however due to the rapid growth and change in informal settlements more frequent updates are now necessary.

For further details contact Matt Murphy at matt@geosense.co.za