Case Studies
Assessment, Design, and Implementation
Epic Group is partnering with communities in the Carolinas to recover from disasters and build resilience.
Introductuion
FDACS is one of Florida’s largest state agencies. Within FDACS, Emergency Support Function (ESF) 11 is responsible for coordinating food, water, and ice during disasters. FDACS engaged EPIC to evaluate the existing ESF 11 projection process and deliver an automated, GIS‑enabled web application to more accurately project needs and streamline reporting.
Following requirements analysis and leadership reviews, EPIC designed, built, and deployed the ESF 11 Damage Protection Tool—a powerful yet easy‑to‑use solution that enables rapid scenario planning, demand estimation, and instant report generation.
Challenge
During disaster response, ESF 11 must rapidly answer critical questions: What communities are impacted? How much food, water, and ice will be needed today—and over the next several days? How do estimates compare to actual distributions? The incumbent approach lacked automation, location‑aware analytics, and a smooth workflow, creating bottlenecks when information was changing by the hour. FDACS needed a solution that:
- Centralizes disaster scenarios, areas of concern (AOCs), and inventory in one system
- Uses GIS to define and update impact zones with demographic thresholds
- Automatically projects day‑one and multi‑day needs as conditions evolve
- Tracks projected vs. actual distribution/consumption
- Generates exportable, shareable reports in a few clicks for decision‑makers and partners
Solution
EPIC delivered a multi‑step workflow application that automates end‑to‑end ESF 11 planning and reporting.
Key Capabilities
- Scenario & Disaster Management: Create/manage disasters and per‑disaster scenario estimations
- Inventory Management: Maintain inventories of distributable goods (food, water, ice, etc.)
- GIS‑Driven AOCs: Draw/edit Areas of Concern on an interactive map; assign demographic thresholds per AOC
- Automated Projections: Immediate (day‑one) and multi‑day needs are calculated automatically as AOCs and parameters change
- Variance Tracking: Monitor projected vs. actual distribution to refine estimates
- Reporting & Exports: Generate well‑formatted reports and export tables/worksheets; PDF outputs for sharing
Workflow Automation: Pre‑configured demographic and operational parameters accelerate setup of new scenarios. As disaster updates arrive, users adjust AOCs and the system instantly recalculates day‑one and multi‑day needs—reducing manual steps and enabling faster, more accurate mobilization decisions.
Solution highlights
- AI
- Cloud
- Human-centered design
- Scaled Agile
- Open source
Insights
50–70%
Manual effort reduction
90–100%
of events leverage automated day‑one and multi‑day projections (vs. manual spreadsheets).
≥ 80–90%
of authorized ESF 11 users engage with the tool (scenario edits, AOC updates, reports).
Results
- Operationalized for real events: Implemented in 2020 and used successfully during the 2020 hurricane season
- Faster, data‑driven decisions: Automated projections and GIS‑based AOCs enabled quicker updates as conditions changed
- Improved coordination: Shareable, well‑formatted reports simplified communication with responding agencies and partners
- Continuous improvement: Tracking projected vs. actual informs parameter tuning, increasing accuracy over time
- Scalable foundation: Configurable scenarios, inventories, and AOCs support diverse disaster types and geographies
Polk County Utilities
EPIC conducted thorough needs analysis and process mapping, always eager to troubleshoot, provide solutions, and collaborate effectively with all stakeholders.
Seminole County Environmental Services Division
Our partnership with EPIC Engineering & Consulting Group has modernized Seminole County Environmental Services, improving efficiency, data integrity, and project workflows.
City of Orlando
EPIC has been a trusted partner in our digital transformation. With Simplify i3, we eliminated duplicate data, reduced spreadsheets, and streamlined operations in a cloud-based system.
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