The Polis Center at IUPUI plays a critical role in solving complex community-centered problems, using spatial data, with a focus on supporting disaster mitigation and responsiveness to climate change and its repercussions.

Our strengths are in developing multi-hazard mitigation plans (MHMP); developing FEMA Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning (Risk MAP) compliant flood data, maps, and documents; modeling the economic and social effects of natural disasters and planning activities to mitigate them; collaborating with local experts to understand and apply results for place-based community solutions; performing spatial analysis; and creating ArcGIS Online dashboards, story maps, and applications to effectively communicate with stakeholders.

Polis also collaborates with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, with which we are a federally recognized Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP), to address ways to understand and mitigate the risk of flooding and to develop required mitigation plans in a number of Indiana counties.

Polis is a leader in disaster mitigation for greater resiliency and responsiveness to the impact of climate change.

Our services include:

Spatial Analysis

• Assess physical vulnerabilities and social and economic impacts of natural disasters.
• Help organizations and communities define, measure, and increase their sustainability and effectiveness.
• Create mitigation plans that lead to more resilient communities and eligibility to apply for federal mitigation grants.
• Perform analysis to support better decision-making about community resilience, health, and well-being.
• Offer professional training in GIS and other geospatial technologies used in disaster risk assessment and mitigation planning.

Create Actionable Information

• Develop information that empowers and transforms communities through applied
  research, analysis, modeling, strategic planning, and evaluation.
• Apply spatial analysis and statistical methods to model communities in creative ways.
• Help organizations plan for their future and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of their programs.

Develop Knowledge Platforms

• Create information systems to explore the interconnectedness of people, places, infrastructure, and events and reveal trends and patterns about important community challenges.
• Develop data warehouses, portals, and dashboards to integrate, analyze, manage, and share data in easy-to-use formats such as maps and other meaningful visualizations.