RESCUE MANAGEMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF STRUCTURAL DAMAGE BY UAV IN POST-SEISMIC EMERGENCY

Abstract. The increasing frequency of emergencies urges the need for a detailed and thorough knowledge of the landscape. The first hours after a disaster are not only chaotic and problematic, but also decisive to successfully save lives and reduce damage to the building stock. One of the most important factors in any emergency response is to get an adequate awareness of the real situation, what is only possible after a thorough analysis of all the available information obtained through the Italian protocol Topography Applied to Rescue. To this purpose geomatic tools are perfectly suited to create, manage and dynamically enrich an organized archive of data to have a quick and functional access to information useful for several types of analysis, helping to develop solutions to manage the emergency and improving the success of rescue operations. Moreover, during an emergency like an earthquake, the conventional inspection to assess the damage status of buildings requires special tools and a lot of time. Therefore, given the large number of buildings requiring safety measures and rehabilitation, efficient use of limited resources such as time and equipment, as well as the safety of the involved personnel are important aspects. The applications shown in the paper are intended to underline how the above-mentioned objective, in particular the rehabilitation interventions of the built heritage, can be achieved through the use of data acquired from UAV platform integrated with geographic data stored in GIS platforms

Spectral 3D Computer Vision -- A Review

Spectral 3D computer vision examines both the geometric and spectral properties of objects. It provides a deeper understanding of an object's physical properties by providing information from narrow bands in various regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Mapping the spectral information onto the 3D model reveals changes in the spectra-structure space or enhances 3D representations with properties such as reflectance, chromatic aberration, and varying defocus blur. This emerging paradigm advances traditional computer vision and opens new avenues of research in 3D structure, depth estimation, motion analysis, and more. It has found applications in areas such as smart agriculture, environment monitoring, building inspection, geological exploration, and digital cultural heritage records. This survey offers a comprehensive overview of spectral 3D computer vision, including a unified taxonomy of methods, key application areas, and future challenges and prospects

Training of Crisis Mappers and Map Production from Multi-sensor Data: Vernazza Case Study (Cinque Terre National Park, Italy)

This aim of paper is to presents the development of a multidisciplinary project carried out by the cooperation between Politecnico di Torino and ITHACA (Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action). The goal of the project was the training in geospatial data acquiring and processing for students attending Architecture and Engineering Courses, in order to start up a team of "volunteer mappers". Indeed, the project is aimed to document the environmental and built heritage subject to disaster; the purpose is to improve the capabilities of the actors involved in the activities connected in geospatial data collection, integration and sharing. The proposed area for testing the training activities is the Cinque Terre National Park, registered in the World Heritage List since 1997. The area was affected by flood on the 25th of October 2011. According to other international experiences, the group is expected to be active after emergencies in order to upgrade maps, using data acquired by typical geomatic methods and techniques such as terrestrial and aerial Lidar, close-range and aerial photogrammetry, topographic and GNSS instruments etc.; or by non conventional systems and instruments such us UAV, mobile mapping etc. The ultimate goal is to implement a WebGIS platform to share all the data collected with local authorities and the Civil Protectio

With renewables for energy security

Taking into account the possible future exhaustion of fossil energy sources, the actual and near danger of climate change, the drastic increase of the greenhouse gases in the last 200 years, as well as the growing need for sustainable development, consumption and liveable environment, the increasing necessity of renewable energy sources becomes clear. Utilization of these energy sources have to acquire a bigger role in the field of energy supply, in order to enhance the energy security of Hungary, to decline the energy import dependence, to reduce the negative environmental impacts, and to recover the economy. The world’s hunger for energy is growing exponentially; this is why it is crucial to establish feasibility scenarios in the next decades, which are able to meet these expectations, and to increase the safety of the energy supply

Space assets and technology for bushfire management

The financial, emotional, and ecological impacts of bushfires can be devastating. This report was prepared by the participants of the Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program 2021 in response to the topic: “How space assets and technologies can be applied to better predict and mitigate bushfires and their impacts.” To effectively reach the diverse set of stakeholders impacted by bushfires, Communication was identified as a key enabler central to any examination of the topic. The three pillars “predict”, “mitigate” and “communicate” were identified to frame the task at hand. Combining the diverse skills and experience of the class participants with the interdisciplinary knowledge gained from the seminars, distinguished lectures, and workshops during the SHSSP21 program, conducted a literature review With specific reference to the 2019-20 Australian fire season, we looked at the current state of the art, key challenges, and how bushfires can be better predicted and mitigated in the future. Comparing this to the future desired state, we identified gaps for each of the three domains, and worked across teams to reach consensus on a list of recommendations. Several of these recommendations were derived independently by two or more of the three groups, highlighting the importance of a holistic and collaborative approach. The report details a number of recommendations arising from this Where applicable, we also aligned our discussion with the experience and lessons from other countries and agencies to consider,learn from and respond to the international context, as others develop systems using space technology to tackle similar wildfire issues

With renewables for energy security

Taking into account the possible future exhaustion of fossil energy sources, the actual and near danger of climate change, the drastic increase of the greenhouse gases in the last 200 years, as well as the growing need for sustainable development, consumption and liveable environment, the increasing necessity of renewable energy sources becomes clear. Utilization of these energy sources have to acquire a bigger role in the field of energy supply, in order to enhance the energy security of Hungary, to decline the energy import dependence, to reduce the negative environmental impacts, and to recover the economy. The world’s hunger for energy is growing exponentially; this is why it is crucial to establish feasibility scenarios in the next decades, which are able to meet these expectations, and to increase the safety of the energy supply

US Army in the Iraq War Volume 2 Surge and Withdrawal

https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1932/thumbnail.jp

The U.S. Army in the Iraq War – Volume 2: Surge and Withdrawal, 2007-2011

The Iraq War has been the costliest U.S. conflict since the Vietnam War. To date, few official studies have been conducted to review what happened, why it happened, and what lessons should be drawn. The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the Army\u27s initial operational level analysis of this conflict, written in narrative format, with assessments and lessons embedded throughout the work. This study reviews the conflict from a Landpower perspective and includes the contributions of coalition allies, the U.S. Marine Corps, and special operations forces. Presented principally from the point of view of the commanders in Baghdad, the narrative examines the interaction of the operational and strategic levels, as well as the creation of theater level strategy and its implementation at the tactical level. Volume 1 begins in the truce tent at Safwan Airfield in southern Iraq at the end of Operation DESERT STORM and briefly examines actions by U.S. and Iraqi forces during the interwar years. The narrative continues by examining the road to war, the initially successful invasion, and the rise of Iraqi insurgent groups before exploring the country\u27s slide toward civil war. This volume concludes with a review of the decision by the George W. Bush administration to “surge” additional forces to Iraq, and reviews the conduct of the “surge” and its aftermath. This study was constructed over a span of 4 years and relied on nearly 30,000 pages of handpicked declassified documents, hundreds of hours of original interviews, and thousands of hours of previously unavailable interviews. Original interviews conducted by the team included President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretaries of Defense Leon Panetta and Robert Gates, Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and every theater commander for the war, among many others. With its release, this publication, The U.S. Army in the Iraq War, represents the U.S. Government\u27s longest and most detailed study of the Iraq conflict thus far.https://digitalcommons.usmalibrary.org/books/1019/thumbnail.jp