The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI), the Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and the city of Cincinnati Fire Department (CFD) teamed up to develop a regional map-based program designed to enhance situational awareness in times of disaster, and thus prevent problems like the ones experienced during Hurricane Ike from reoccurring. The team started with a highly customizable version of Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping software created by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), the private GIS vendor. It overlaid the map with numerous components created from data gathered on critical local infrastructure like chemical facilities, fire stations, hospitals, and schools. Since then, RAVEN911 has proven to be a useful and multifaceted tool in handling an array of emergency situations like extreme weather events, bomb threats, crowd control, and more.