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

A Study of Disaster Management System with View of Manet Application

In the modern era, Disaster Management has become an important field of study. With the advent of telecommunication system and their possible integration with the existing disaster management system, it is possible to minimize the after effects of disaster. In this paper we present a study of available and possible disaster management system based on wireless mobile telecommunication. In order to use such a system in the actual world security requirements such as availability, accountability, integrity and confidentiality must be ensured by the disaster management system

Present and future resilience research driven by science and technology

Community resilience against major disasters is a multidisciplinary research field that garners an ever-increasing interest worldwide. This paper provides summaries of the discussions held on the subject matter and the research outcomes presented during the Second Resilience Workshop in Nanjing and Shanghai. It, thus, offers a community view of present work and future research directions identified by the workshop participants who hail from Asia – including China, Japan and Korea; Europe and the Americas

A smart mechatronic base isolation system using earthquake early warning

Earthquake is one of the most devastating natural disasters. In the last few decades, many seismic mitigation techniques have been developed. They include passive, semi-active and active control which have been proven their effectiveness in events of earthquakes. Among them, base isolation has been regarded as a mature technology and commercialisation is common in earthquake-prone countries. This technology decouples the main structure from its foundation and effectively lengthens the natural period of vibration, away from resonance vibration. However, the lateral stiffness of base isolation devices is generally too low to resist serviceability lateral forces such as wind and flood which may cause unacceptable lateral movements of the structure. Added lateral stiffness and/or damping is usually required. On the other hand, the Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system which uses different arrival time of seismic P and S waves is readily available in Japan, Taiwan, parts of China and Europe. This technology offers more possibilities for improvement of earthquake mitigation technique. This project develops a smart mechatronic base isolation system which can be triggered by the EEW system. It uses the earthquake early warning signals and nearby monitoring signals to determine the situation and automatically switches to the appropriate anti-seismic mode. In the first phase of research, a one-dimensional system is developed and tested on an electrical shake table. A prototype smart mechatronic base isolation system is developed. In this prototype design, electromagnetic shear keys which lock the base isolator are released either by simulated EEW signals or on-site accelerometers. The advantage of this design gives the main structure a very strong stiffness under in-service condition (i.e. when there is no ground motion) while maximizing the effectiveness of base isolation when ground motion is anticipated. The system is fully automated, and the main structure is re-entered once ground motion ceases. In the second stage, a two-dimensional base isolation, created by low-friction linear bearings is developed and activation of base isolation is carried out by linear actuators. In the third stage, the system is developed further. Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensors are added to monitor position of base isolator in real-time, an active control strategy is added into the microcontroller and actuation is carried out by stepper motors. Using the feedbacks provided by the sensor the active base-isolation system re-position the main structure in real-time. The research presented in this thesis opens up new opportunities in future seismic risk mitigation of civil structures. By connecting the EEWS and mechatronic devices, the performance of traditional base isolation system can be enhanced

IoT and semantic web technologies for event detection in natural disasters

This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.Natural disasters cannot be predicted well in advance, but it is still possible to decrease the loss of life and mitigate the damages, exploiting some peculiarities that distinguish them. Smart collection, integration, and analysis of data produced by distributed sensors and services are key elements for understanding the context and supporting decision making process for disaster prevention and management. In this paper, we demonstrate how Internet of Things and Semantic Web technologies can be effectively used for abnormal event detection in the contest of an earthquake. In our proposal, a prototype system, which retrieves the data streams from IoT sensors and web services, is presented. In order to contextualize and give a meaning to the data, semantic web technologies are applied for data annotation. We evaluate our system performances by measuring the response time and other parameters that are important in a disaster detection scenario.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

An Assessment of PIER Electric Grid Research 2003-2014 White Paper

This white paper describes the circumstances in California around the turn of the 21st century that led the California Energy Commission (CEC) to direct additional Public Interest Energy Research funds to address critical electric grid issues, especially those arising from integrating high penetrations of variable renewable generation with the electric grid. It contains an assessment of the beneficial science and technology advances of the resultant portfolio of electric grid research projects administered under the direction of the CEC by a competitively selected contractor, the University of California’s California Institute for Energy and the Environment, from 2003-2014

Innovations in earthquake risk reduction for resilience: Recent advances and challenges

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR) highlights the importance of scientific research, supporting the ‘availability and application of science and technology to decision making’ in disaster risk reduction (DRR). Science and technology can play a crucial role in the world’s ability to reduce casualties, physical damage, and interruption to critical infrastructure due to natural hazards and their complex interactions. The SFDRR encourages better access to technological innovations combined with increased DRR investments in developing cost-effective approaches and tackling global challenges. To this aim, it is essential to link multi- and interdisciplinary research and technological innovations with policy and engineering/DRR practice. To share knowledge and promote discussion on recent advances, challenges, and future directions on ‘Innovations in Earthquake Risk Reduction for Resilience’, a group of experts from academia and industry met in London, UK, in July 2019. The workshop focused on both cutting-edge ‘soft’ (e.g., novel modelling methods/frameworks, early warning systems, disaster financing and parametric insurance) and ‘hard’ (e.g., novel structural systems/devices for new structures and retrofitting of existing structures, sensors) risk-reduction strategies for the enhancement of structural and infrastructural earthquake safety and resilience. The workshop highlighted emerging trends and lessons from recent earthquake events and pinpointed critical issues for future research and policy interventions. This paper summarises some of the key aspects identified and discussed during the workshop to inform other researchers worldwide and extend the conversation to a broader audience, with the ultimate aim of driving change in how seismic risk is quantified and mitigated