State of the art techniques for nuclear emergency planning population analysis

Nuclear emergency planning activities rely heavily upon computer-based decision support tools to gather and analyze extensive data. In many cases, much of this data has a distinctive relationship to a geographic location. Geographical information systems (GIS) provide a means to visualize, explore, and analyze geographically linked data, often revealing patterns, relationships, and trends that are not apparent in database or spreadsheet formats. This paper outlines the basic steps necessary for estimating the emergency planning zone (EPZ) evacuation time. Additionally, the paper illustrates the importance of understanding the underlying assumptions in the development of a GIS-based application.