GOHSEP Elected_Officials_Manual_2015

• Zip codes.
• Governmental units (fire districts, legislative
districts, voting precincts).
• Real-time weather feeds.
There are currently over 3,500 registered Virtual LA
users. Some of the most frequent users include:
• Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and
Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP)
• Louisiana National Guard (LANG)
• Parish Offices of Homeland Security and
Emergency Preparedness (OHSEP) Directors
• Parish Presidents
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA)
• Sheriff’s offices statewide
• Louisiana State Police (LSP)
Virtual LA in Action
• During Hurricane Isaac, Virtual LA was an
important decision-making tool. Sharing
access to information between local, State
and Federal agencies, Virtual LA facilitated
immediate and early decision making.
Utilizing the high-resolution imagery, GOHSEP
Geographic Information System (GIS) analysts
were able to develop before and after scenes
of impacted areas to determine where search
and rescue missions may be critical and where
potential damages occurred.
• Data layers from Virtual LA were used to create
a “what-if” scenario for the Tangipahoa Dam
concerns. Creating a quick demographic
profile took minutes so that evacuations could
be put in place in a timely manner.
• The Assumption Parish sinkhole was
monitored immediately with daily updates
integrated into Virtual LA to show sinkhole
growth and status. Participating agencies
joined with daily photographs, seismic activity,
drilling status, well locations, salt dome
information and other vital data.
• Virtual LA was also used during the Hurricane
Gustav response, Mississippi River flooding
and the BP Oil Spill.
Usage reports show that during the month of
September 2012 alone, there were more than 22
million “hits” or page visits, to the Virtual LA site,
demonstrating wide acceptance of this technology.
Virtual Louisiana provides
image + mapping data –
FREE – to approved users.
RESOURCES
state
Virtual Louisiana (GOHSEP website)
virtualla.la.gov/
Virtual Louisiana FACT SHEET
gohsep.la.gov/publications.aspx
7.1 Virtual LA Page 2 of 2
Publication Date: April 2, 2013