A system and method for characterizing a building's (or building complex's) components, including all important entrances, egresses, and stairwells, collecting demographic information associated with locating people in a building, evacuating the building, and rescuing people still left in the building, etc., linking the building's components and demographic information to each other, and providing this information to authenticated users. The data can be made available through an internet connection, through a hand-held device, etc. Emergency workers and others can easily perform tasks such as directing building evacuation, dispatching other workers such as utility workers, and notifying neighbors, because the building's location, floor plan, emergency contacts, etc. are electronically interrelated.