A fundamental component of security to safeguard academic institutions is geographic information
KARACHI: Our nation’s academic institutions should be safe ports for teaching and learning, free of crime, external attacks and any sort of violence. Any event of crime or violence at school, college or university not only affects the individuals, but also may disrupt the educational process and affect bystanders, the school itself, and the surrounding community. Issues of school security have increased in importance in recent times, as events such as APS and the more recent attack at Bacha Khan University have left school administrators struggling to develop the most effective systems to protect the safety of students and staff. The government and school managements need to take urgent decisions in order to secure the future generations of the country.
A fundamental component of security is geographic information. An important and powerful characteristic about buildings, schools, malls, bridges, tunnels, airports, railroads and highways is that they exist in identifiable locations that can be revealed on a map. In addition, all of this geographic-based data can easily be stored and displayed in computerised geographic information systems, or GIS. GIS databases can be used to help organisations collect and analyse data to make better decisions about security. These can also be used for consequence assessment and developing an emergency response plan by integrating data on the location of schools, neighbourhoods, key infrastructures and emergency personnel. Analysis of data provided by GIS can help identify transportation choke points near bridges or overpasses. GIS can help city and emergency managers plan for different scenarios and types of events and create the action plans needed to deploy personnel, vehicles, heavy equipment, fencing and other important materials or resources. It can also help manage data in real time, allowing emergency managers to make important decisions regarding the location of police stations, hospitals and so on.
The land use and cover assessment along schools, colleges and universities of the country should be carried out for the enhancement of security. There is no better time to employ this practice than now.
Dr Umair bin Zamir
Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2016.
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