Empowering rapid, informed decision-making and community engagement to enhance emergency response

GIS Framework for Resiliency

In February 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle devastated Central Hawke’s Bay, damaging roads and bridges across the district’s 1,300-kilometre (808-mile) rural network. With poor mobile coverage and widespread damage and closures of roads and bridges, the Central Hawke’s Bay District Council faced major challenges in communicating real-time infrastructure updates, such as slip locations, to the community.

Initially reliant on manual, paper-based data collection in the cyclone’s immediate aftermath, the Council struggled with delays and inefficiencies. The method was cumbersome and while the sticky note system was practical at the time, it was challenging to track changes, such as roads reopening. To address this, we helped them implement a geographic information systems (GIS) based field data system using Survey and ArcGIS Experience Builder. Custom digital forms enabled consistent, GPS-tagged data collection—even offline—with live updates syncing to a central web map once connectivity resumed.

Our solution included digitized inspection forms for bridges, landslides, rivers, and more and also created real-time dashboards for Civil Defence and Council use. We supported integration with the Council’s Road Assessment and Maintenance Management database for streamlined reporting and contractor dispatch. Additionally, we provided public-facing road status updates via the Council website. Our agile deployment and collaboration with Land Information New Zealand and New Zealand Geotechnical Database allowed the solution to evolve with the dynamic post-disaster environment.

The Council’s new system empowered rapid, informed decision-making and community engagement, with residents contributing to recovery priorities and enhancing the emergency response.