Province Provides Mapping Data to Improve Emergency Services

Paramedics will have an easier time finding addresses in emergencies thanks to a new Nova Scotia road atlas being distributed to ambulance fleets in the province.

The province has partnered with Emergency Health Services (EHS) to develop an easy-to-use Nova Scotia road atlas. The booklet will help paramedics easily locate patients, hospitals, and heli-pad sites in emergency situations. It will act as a practical hard-copy reference point to support existing electronic mapping technologies in ambulances. Currently, there is no similar product available that displays the level of detailed building location information as the atlas.

"The province has made a commitment to creating accurate geographic information and making it readily available," said Barry Barnet, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. "This type of information is critical, particularly to the safety of Nova Scotians during emergency situations."

To assist in the development of this tool, the department has provided user-friendly topographic mapping data to EHS. The information includes contents from the Nova Scotia topographic database and the Nova Scotia civic address file, a centralized graphical database that is updated daily.

"We are very pleased to be able to deliver this road atlas to field paramedics," said Tim Coolen, vice president of business development and IT services for EHS. "We trust that this new tool will help support our long-term vision for providing accurate map details to paramedics throughout the province."

"This road atlas is a backup to our existing mapping technologies, to make certain that the paramedic has an extra layer of information available when responding to a call," said Deborah MacKay, EHS director of communications and dispatch services. "The ultimate goal is for Nova Scotians to be assured that help will arrive as quickly as possible when an emergency occurs."

The province creates, maintains and distributes geographic information through its GeoNova program. For more information visit the website at www.geonova.ca .