Managing the natural disasters from space technology inputs

Natural disasters, whether of meteorological origin such as Cyclones, Floods, Tornadoes and Droughts or of having geological nature such as earthquakes and volcanoes, are well known for their devastating impacts on human life, economy and environment. With tropical climate and unstable land forms, coupled with high population density, poverty, illiteracy and lack of infrastructure development, developing countries are more vulnerable to suffer from the damaging potential of such disasters. Though it is almost impossible to completely neutralise the damage due to these disasters, it is, however possible to (i) minimise the potential risks by developing disaster early warning strategies (ii) prepare developmental plans to provide resilience to such disasters, (iii) mobilize resources including communication and telemedicinal services and (iv) to help in rehabilitation and post-disaster reconstruction. Space borne platforms have demonstrated their capability in efficient disaster management. While communication satellites help in disaster warning, relief mobilisation and telemedicinal support, Earth observation satellites provide the basic support in pre-disaster preparedness programmes, in-disaster response and monitoring activities, and post-disaster reconstruction. The paper examines the information requirements for disaster risk management, assess developing country capabilities for building the necessary decision support systems, and evaluate the role of satellite remote sensing. It describes several examples of initiatives from developing countries in their attempt to evolve a suitable strategy for disaster preparedness and operational framework for the disaster management Using remote sensing data in conjunction with other collateral information. It concludes with suggestions and recommendations to establish a worldwide network of necessary space and ground segments towards strengthening the technological capabilities for disaster management and mitigation

Applications of Drone Technology in the Management of Disaster and Risk Associated with COVID-19 Pandemic in the Built Environment: The Nigerian Experience

The world has of recent being faced by the effects and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and it has had major tolls on the conditions of living, the live expectancy of building occupants, and thus affecting their expected contributions to the national economy. To provide adequate services and measures to fight the pandemic, various institutional measures are evolving daily across the globe. Amidst the measures initiated by both governmental and non-governmental formations are the provisions of medical services and the decontamination of infected buildings and areas occupied by people in order to fight the pandemic amongst the populace. However, the inability to plan, remoteness, and accessibility challenges of buildings and settlements in major parts of the country has made the delivery of relief materials, fumigation of buildings, and the rendering of other services associated with the management of both disaster and risk linked to the COVID-19 difficult. This paper, therefore, focuses on the emerging intervention initiated by an Imperial Majesty in Nigeria, the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Osun State through the adoption and supply of drones to states across the country to decontaminate likely contaminated or uncontaminated buildings and settlements occupied by people. Given the enormous benefits derivable from the adoption of the use of drone technology in the management of disaster-related issues in the built environment in the country, this paper recommends that its use should be vigorously deepened, being an emerging intervention or device through appropriate institutional supports to complement efforts of stakeholders in making the country’s built environment safe and healthy for all

Applications of Drone Technology in the Management of Disaster and Risk Associated with COVID-19 Pandemic in the Built Environment: The Nigerian Experience

The world has of recent being faced by the effects and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and it has had major tolls on the conditions of living, the live expectancy of building occupants, and thus affecting their expected contributions to the national economy. To provide adequate services and measures to fight the pandemic, various institutional measures are evolving daily across the globe. Amidst the measures initiated by both governmental and non-governmental formations are the provisions of medical services and the decontamination of infected buildings and areas occupied by people in order to fight the pandemic amongst the populace. However, the inability to plan, remoteness, and accessibility challenges of buildings and settlements in major parts of the country has made the delivery of relief materials, fumigation of buildings, and the rendering of other services associated with the management of both disaster and risk linked to the COVID-19 difficult. This paper, therefore, focuses on the emerging intervention initiated by an Imperial Majesty in Nigeria, the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Osun State through the adoption and supply of drones to states across the country to decontaminate likely contaminated or uncontaminated buildings and settlements occupied by people. Given the enormous benefits derivable from the adoption of the use of drone technology in the management of disaster-related issues in the built environment in the country, this paper recommends that its use should be vigorously deepened, being an emerging intervention or device through appropriate institutional supports to complement efforts of stakeholders in making the country’s built environment safe and healthy for all

Urban and river flooding: Comparison of flood risk management approaches in the UK and China and an assessment of future knowledge needs

Increased urbanisation, economic growth, and long-term climate variability have made both the UK and China more susceptible to urban and river flooding, putting people and property at increased risk. This paper presents a review of the current flooding challenges that are affecting the UK and China and the actions that each country is undertaking to tackle these problems. Particular emphases in this paper are laid on (1) learning from previous flooding events in the UK and China, and (2) which management methodologies are commonly used to reduce flood risk. The paper concludes with a strategic research plan suggested by the authors, together with proposed ways to overcome identified knowledge gaps in flood management. Recommendations briefly comprise the engagement of all stakeholders to ensure a proactive approach to land use planning, early warning systems, and water-sensitive urban design or redesign through more effective policy, multi-level flood models, and data driven models of water quantity and quality

Multi-source Multimodal Data and Deep Learning for Disaster Response: A Systematic Review.

Mechanisms for sharing information in a disaster situation have drastically changed due to new technological innovations throughout the world. The use of social media applications and collaborative technologies for information sharing have become increasingly popular. With these advancements, the amount of data collected increases daily in different modalities, such as text, audio, video, and images. However, to date, practical Disaster Response (DR) activities are mostly depended on textual information, such as situation reports and email content, and the benefit of other media is often not realised. Deep Learning (DL) algorithms have recently demonstrated promising results in extracting knowledge from multiple modalities of data, but the use of DL approaches for DR tasks has thus far mostly been pursued in an academic context. This paper conducts a systematic review of 83 articles to identify the successes, current and future challenges, and opportunities in using DL for DR tasks. Our analysis is centred around the components of learning, a set of aspects that govern the application of Machine learning (ML) for a given problem domain. A flowchart and guidance for future research are developed as an outcome of the analysis to ensure the benefits of DL for DR activities are utilized.Publishe

Challenges of Humanitarian Logistics on disaster management: The experience of Corona Pandemic in Tanzania

Despite the government of Tanzania's multiple measures to combat the coronavirus epidemic, there is still a lot of misery and human death that is recorded from time to time. The goal of this research was to determine the role of coordination, transportation, and information and communication technology in the performance of humanitarian operations during the coronavirus pandemic and to give recommendations for how to improve it. The data was collected via a questionnaire from a sample of six referral hospitals in Dar es Salaam and the Coastal Region using quantitative methodologies and an explanatory research methodology. Using descriptive data analysis, the mean and standard deviation of the findings were computed, and the data were then summarized using frequency distribution tables before being analyzed using a multiple regression model. All independent factors demonstrated a significant positive relationship with humanitarian relief performance, including coordination, transportation, and information communication technology (p0.05). For better humanitarian relief operation performance, the study recommended that referral hospitals management ensure that there are adequate facilities for distribution of relief requirements, the required materials/ facilities arrive on time and adequate ICT facilities for coordination of all stakeholders in the relief operation

Land Use Planning for Natural Hazards

Natural hazard events are able to significantly affect the natural and artificial environment. In this context, changes in landforms due to natural disasters have the potential to affect and, in some cases, even restrict human interaction with the ecosystem. In order to minimize fatalities and reduce the economic impact that accompanies their occurrence, proper planning is crucial. Land use planning can play an important role in reducing current and future risks related to natural hazards. Land use changes can lead to natural hazards and vice versa: natural hazards affect land uses. Therefore, planners may take into account areas that are susceptible to natural hazards when selecting favorable locations for land use development. Appropriate land use planning can lead to the determination of safe and non-safe areas for urban activities. This Special Issue focuses on land use planning for natural hazards. In this context, various types of natural hazards, such as land degradation and desertification, coastal hazard, floods, and landslides, as well as their interactions with human activities, are presented

Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen Activity Report 2002.

Abstract not availableJRC.G-Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen (Ispra

Desertification

IPCC SPECIAL REPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND LAND (SRCCL) Chapter 3: Climate Change and Land: An IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystem