Mapping of risk web-platforms and risk data: collection of good practices

A successful DRR results from the combination of top-down, strategies, with bottom-up, methodological approaches. The top–down approach refers more to administrative directives, organizations, and operational skills linked with the management of the risk and reflects more the policy component. The bottom-up approach is linked to the analyse of the causal factors of disasters, including exposure to hazards, vulnerability, coping capacity, and reflects more the practice component. In the context of disaster science, policy and practice are often disconnected. This is evident in the dominant top-down DRM strategies utilizing global actions on one hand and the context specific nature of the bottom-up approach based on local action and knowledge. A way to bridge the gap between practice and policy is to develop a spatial data infrastructure of the type of GIS web-platforms based on risk mapping. It is a way of linking data information and decision support system (DSS) on a common ground that becomes a “battlefield of knowledge and actions”. This report presents the results of an overview of the risk web-platforms and related risk data used in risk assessment at the level of EU-28. It allows the discovery of the current advancement for risk web infrastructures and capabilities in order to establish a pool of good practices and detection of needs. The outcome of the overview shows the needs in risk web platform developments and tries to recommend capacities that should be prioritized in order to strengthen the link between risk data information and decision support system (DSS). The assessment is based on web search and outcome of diverse disaster risk workshops and conference.JRC.E.1-Disaster Risk Managemen

NRPT: Improve Preparedness for Storm Events and Nuisance Flooding in the Norfolk Region

On June 18-20th, 2019, the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) and NOAA’s Disaster Preparedness Program (DPP) co-sponsored a NOAA Regional Preparedness Training (NRPT) Workshop at Old Dominion University Tri-Cities Higher Education Center (Portsmouth, VA). The workshop, titled “Improve Preparedness for Storm Events and Nuisance Flooding in the Norfolk Region”, focused on preparedness, planning and response to extreme weather events and nuisance flooding. This was the fifth workshop in a series of DPP NRPTs. The overall goal of the Norfolk workshop was to provide focused discussion regarding lessons learned from local partners during the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season and build a common understanding of how storm events and nuisance flooding will be addressed when they threaten mission personnel, infrastructure or natural resources. The specific objectives were to: Establish networks with local partners to improve preparedness. Identify gaps and ways to improve regional preparedness. Increase coordination among participants to bolster regional preparedness. Determine ways to provide adequate information and communicate knowledge, so that (1) the public and response community will make informed decisions relative to personal protection and safety, and (2) responders and natural resource managers more effectively mitigate regional disaster impacts. A one-day Tools Café was held prior to the workshop, with presentations and subsequent hands-on demonstrations of national and regionally-specific preparedness and response tools that are currently available to responders or the public. The two-day workshop included plenary presentations from local and federal emergency responders outlining their day-to-day operations, continuity of operations during an emergency, tools used to make decisions, and lessons learned from previous events

Data management and GIS in the Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM): from integrated spatial data to the mapping of risk

International audienceThe project "Risk Map Germany" of the Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM) aims at the examination of existing and the development of new approaches for integrated risk assessment as well as the realisation of risk analyses for selected threats and regions. Hazard, vulnerability and risk maps display the results and provide valuable information for planning, insurances, emergency management, science and the public. This article describes the development of the basic information infrastructure for CEDIM and the "Risk Map Germany" providing components for the networking of participating institutions, for common data management, data dissemination and publication. While a web based project platform offers information and communication facilities for all the project members and also the presentation of CEDIM to the public, an integrated data base is prepared as foundation for cross-discipline but common risk assessment. It is made available by the spatial data service "CEDIM Data Center" which allows the project members to inform themselves about the characteristics of existing data and its applicability for their specific tasks by exploring GIS functionalities. Suitable data can be downloaded and further processed in their own work environment. The components' alignment with the principles of Spatial Data Infrastructures is required to accomplish the suppositions for long-term availability and accessibility of data, information and services

Tsunami-Related Data: A Review of Available Repositories Used in Scientific Literature

Various organizations and institutions store large volumes of tsunami-related data, whose availability and quality should benefit society, as it improves decision making before the tsunami occurrence, during the tsunami impact, and when coping with the aftermath. However, the existing digital ecosystem surrounding tsunami research prevents us from extracting the maximum benefit from our research investments. The main objective of this study is to explore the field of data repositories providing secondary data associated with tsunami research and analyze the current situation. We analyze the mutual interconnections of references in scientific studies published in the Web of Science database, governmental bodies, commercial organizations, and research agencies. A set of criteria was used to evaluate content and searchability. We identified 60 data repositories with records used in tsunami research. The heterogeneity of data formats, deactivated or nonfunctional web pages, the generality of data repositories, or poor dataset arrangement represent the most significant weak points. We outline the potential contribution of ontology engineering as an example of computer science methods that enable improvements in tsunami-related data management

NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review

Research and Development projects in automation for the Space Station are discussed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based automation technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics. AI technology will also be developed for the servicing of satellites at the Space Station, system monitoring and diagnosis, space manufacturing, and the assembly of large space structures

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