Bangor High seniors give city satellite-based maps

BANGOR – Bangor High School seniors have combined technology with learning to come up with a public service project intended to aid the city in times of emergency and need.

The 13 students in the BHS Senior Seminar this week presented the city with maps containing the locations of important structures and other locations they developed using Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, satellite-based technology that allows highly accurate readings of locations.

With help from University of Maine graduate students and classroom teachers, the students learned about GIS and then applied it. The project was funded through the National Science Foundation.

In their spare time over the winter, they took measurements of locations around the city, from emergency shelter areas to buildings where potentially hazardous chemicals are stored.

The computer maps they produced are aimed at allowing emergency personnel to identify quickly potential risks and resources available during an emergency, such as a natural disaster or a terrorist attack.

The students presented fire and police department officials with copies of the maps, both on disk and a paper printout, during a meeting Tuesday of the City Council’s Government Operations Committee.

Stephen Godsoe, a Bangor High School mathematics teacher, said eventually pictures of the homes or buildings could be linked to the locations, as well as specific information about the structures and the best routes to get there.

“This really is a great entry into it,” Godsoe told the committee.

Councilors were impressed by the work done and the potential the mapping system offered.

Councilor Richard Greene also saw the project as an example of how beneficial cooperation can be between municipal and educational institutions.

“This is definitely a win-win situation,” Greene said.