UVA Wise Student Maps Campus Buildings to Strengthen 911 Emergency Response
A University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA Wise) student is helping bring a new level of detail to emergency response in Wise County by mapping multi-story buildings so 911 dispatchers can more quickly identify where help is needed.
Eli Crum, an environmental science major with a minor in public health, is working on an enhanced 911 data project through an internship with the Wise County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department.
Crum is using a GPS and laser-based setup to create three-dimensional maps of buildings with two or more floors. The goal is to add building height and floor level information to the county’s emergency response data.
“When you call 911, operators can see the exact floor you are on,” Crum said in describing the purpose of the project.
The work was conducted on the UVA Wise campus this semester, with students collecting data on buildings including the Slemp Student Center and Smiddy Hall. Mapping work occurred during Professor Teresa Brown’s geology research class period on Wednesdays through November.
Crum said the project is supported by fellow UVA Wise students Sam Howell and Alex Counts, along with Landon Curry, a student at Mountain Empire Community College. Together, Crum and Curry mapped 72 buildings in Wise County this year.
The internship is also part of a broader partnership between Wise County and the University of Virginia (UVA) focused on flood resilience, emergency preparedness and strengthening local technical capacity.
Majid Shafiee-Jood, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at UVA, has been collaborating with Wise County on initiatives to strengthen flood resilience and emergency preparedness. He sees workforce development as an important component of this collaboration.
“One of the challenges we have identified through our work with Wise County is the need to strengthen local technical capacity for flood resilience and emergency preparedness. Developing plans and identifying projects is important, but communities also need people with the skills and knowledge to implement those plans and sustain these efforts over time. We see student internships and applied research opportunities as an important part of addressing that need,” says Shafiee-Jood.
Crum’s internship began as a summer undergraduate research opportunity supported by Shafiee-Jood’s research group, with Crum working directly with Wise County Emergency Management and GIS Coordinator Jessica Swinney. The collaboration has continued into the academic year and is helping lay the groundwork for a more formal internship and research program.
“Eli’s experience has been a great example of what we hope to accomplish,” Shafiee-Jood said. “We are now working toward establishing a more formal program that would connect students from UVA Wise with Wise County offices, while also creating opportunities for collaboration with graduate students in civil and environmental engineering at UVA.”
Crum’s project also illustrates how student research can contribute directly to local government operations. Rather than being limited to classroom exercises, the mapping work is producing geographic information intended for practical use by the county.
Swinney supervised Crum’s work throughout the internship and sees the collaboration as beneficial for both the county and the students involved.
“Having Eli work directly with our GIS department has been a tremendous benefit,” Swinney said. “He has contributed to projects that address real needs for the county while gaining hands-on experience with local government operations. We are excited that Eli is presenting his work to the Wise County Board of Supervisors this week. This is a great example of how partnerships with local colleges and universities can benefit our communities while providing students with valuable professional experience.”
For a project that begins with GPS measurements and laser scans, the intended result is straightforward: better information when seconds matter.