Abstract:
CAMEO is a system of software applications used widely to plan for and respond
to chemical emergencies. It is one of the tools developed by EPA's Chemical
Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO) and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration Office of Response and Restoration (NOAA), to
assist front-line chemical emergency planners and responders. They can use
CAMEO to access, store, and evaluate information critical for developing
emergency plans. In addition, CAMEO supports regulatory compliance by helping
users meet the chemical inventory reporting requirements of the Emergency
Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA, also known as SARA Title III).
CAMEO also can be used with a separate software application called LandView to
display EPA environmental databases and demographic/economic information to
support analysis of environmental justice issues.
The CAMEO system integrates a chemical database and a method to manage the
data, an air dispersion model, and a mapping capability. All modules work
interactively to share and display critical information in a timely fashion.
The CAMEO system is available in Macintosh and Windows formats.
The system of software applications are:
CAMEO, MARPLOT, and ALOHA
CAMEO - The Database and Information Management
The original application, called CAMEO, contains a chemical database of over
6,000 hazardous chemicals, 80,000 synonyms, and product trade names. CAMEO
provides a powerful search engine that allows users to find chemicals
instantly. Each one is linked to chemical-specific information on fire and
explosive hazards, health hazards, firefighting techniques, cleanup procedures,
and protective clothing. CAMEO also contains basic information on facilities
that store chemicals, on the inventory of chemicals at the facility (Tier II)
and on emergency planning resources. Additionally, there are templates where
users can store EPCRA information. CAMEO connects the planner or emergency
responder with critical information to identify unknown substances during an
incident.
MARPLOT - Mapping Applications for Response, Planning, and Local Operational
Tasks
MARPLOT is the mapping application. It allows users to "see" their data (e.g.,
roads, facilities, schools, response assets), display this information on
computer maps, and print the information on area maps. The areas contaminated
by potential or actual chemical release scenarios also can be overlaid on the
maps to determine potential impacts. The maps are created from the U.S. Bureau
of Census TIGER/Line files and can be manipulated quickly to show possible
hazard areas.
ALOHA - Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres
ALOHA is an atmospheric dispersion model used for evaluating releases of
hazardous chemical vapors. ALOHA allows the user to estimate the downwind
dispersion of a chemical cloud based on the toxicological/physical
characteristics of the released chemical, atmospheric conditions, and specific
circumstances of the release. Graphical outputs include a "cloud footprint"
that can be plotted on maps with MARPLOT to display the location of other
facilities storing hazardous materials and vulnerable locations, such as
hospitals and schools. Specific information about these locations can be
extracted from CAMEO information modules to help make decisions about the
degree of hazard posed.
"http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/cameo/what.htm"
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