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NGA assists U.S., Government of Brazil effort to keep Olympics safe for athletes, spectators

 Aug. 8, 2016

 Jessica Daues
 NGA Office of Corporate Communications

This month, millions of Americans will tune into Olympic coverage to watch U.S. athletes compete in track, swimming, gymnastics and more.
 
But while most Americans enjoy the spectacle at home, NGA analysts deployed to Rio de Janeiro will be hard at work, joining forces with a range of different U.S. government agencies as well as the Government of Brazil, to ensure the safety of athletes, world leaders, spectators and workers at the 2016 Olympic Games.

At the request of the State Department, the United States’ lead federal agency for Olympic security, analysts with NGA’s Disaster Analysis and Domestic Support team have spent the past two years studying and mapping locations of Olympic venues and hotels; the surrounding areas; and transportation infrastructure in Rio.

Those same analysts are travelling to Rio to work in the Joint Operations Center, or JOC, a 24/7 unclassified operations center led by the State Department. Various U.S. Government agencies will have representatives at the JOC monitoring operations and developments that could affect U.S. citizens.  In a crisis, the JOC will act as the central hub to receive, verify, and distribute information to inform U.S. Government agencies and citizens. 

Members of the Disaster Analysis and Domestic Support team also created informational materials at the request of that State Department to help security personnel coordinate VIP visits and transport athletes safely around Rio for the games.

These products include both digital and hardcopy:

     - An interactive, online map of Rio de Janeiro with venue locations and a time slider that shows the schedule of Olympic events.
     - An interactive, online map of Rio de Janeiro that allows users to zoom in and see ground-level views.
     - A printed regional atlas of Rio de Janeiro that provides a 2- by 2-kilometer grid of the entire city.
     - Large-scale, 36- by 44-inch overview maps of Rio de Janeiro to be posted in the JOC and the U.S. Consulate in Rio.
     - Two 6- by 9-feet large wall maps mounted at the U.S. Consulate.