Building resilient future: information technology and disaster management - a Malaysian perspective

The recent evets of flooding, earthquakes, uncontrolled wildfires, hurricanes, and deadly storms in world has considered a serious threat to mankind and preparing for devastating disasters has never been more critical and urgent. Emergency Events Database suggests that by year 2050 the damages to flood related incidents to coastal cities will cost near to US$1 trillion. Risk from acts of nature cannot be fully prevented but needs to minimize and safe the innocent lives and property by utilizing disaster management technique to mitigate the losses. This paper presents Information Technologies applications in disaster management phases such as Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing, mobile technology, drone, and satellite imagery and MOBILISE analytic platform considered as effective and efficient ways of strengthening resilience when disaster strikes and tremendously helpful for coordinating responses and accelerating the recovery of individuals and communities in the aftermath of recent natural disasters

A review on the application of remote sensing and geographic information system in flood crisis management

Flood is considered as one of the most devastating hazards around the globe and emerged as an important issue among all the stakeholder to manage. Every year when the flood occurs, it has a terrible impact on human lives and demolishes billions of dollars property and infrastructure as well. The flood catastrophe and its losses can be reduced and prevented by flood inundation maps which provides a reliable and accurate information to the public. The principle objective of this paper is to review the application of Geographical information system (GIS) and technology of Remote sensing (RS) in geospatial skills and expertise in sciences, the integration and utilization of spatial and information technology effectively and more prominence is on using non-structure approaches based on remote sensing and geographic information system in flood crisis management. The advantages of solving complex logistics operations, accuracy with high speed which provides a reliable change, improved communication, monitoring capability, modeling, estimation of flood risk, promoted a cost saving mechanism with greater efficiency/friendly adaptability with the environment of theses digitize systems purposes to using more and more spatial application in flood crisis management. Geospatial information and remote sensing utilization serves as bridge between the flooding security measures and early prediction system. The paper encompasses the advantages of RS & GIS which acts as a tool in monitoring and improving before, during and after the flood crisis management in Malaysia

Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) Applications in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Malaysia

In a world today that is highly dependent on information technologies, Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) has become one of advancement in spatial technologies that had been used to tackle the issue of an uncertain world. Primarily functioned with specialized capabilities in manipulating, analyzing, and visualizing the massive data from multiagencies, has opened new avenues for these technologies to be adopted in disaster management. Taking this into consideration, it leads to achieving disaster management objectives in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) which to reduce or minimize the exposure to hazards, lessened vulnerability of people and property, wise emergency preparation, and enhanced preparedness for an unfavourable situation. This paper aims to make a systematic review of literature in highlighting the significant potential of the GIS and remote sensing, integrating the aspect relevant to disasters socially and physically that helps in forming a comprehensive disaster management operations to reduce the vulnerability and strengthen the resilience to disaster. Accordingly, the paper has presented the outcomes and review of several researchers concerning the implementation of GIS and remote sensing in disaster management, specifically on disaster risk reduction. &nbsp

Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) Applications in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Malaysia

In a world today that is highly dependent on information technologies, Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) has become one of advancement in spatial technologies that had been used to tackle the issue of an uncertain world. Primarily functioned with specialized capabilities in manipulating, analyzing, and visualizing the massive data from multiagencies, has opened new avenues for these technologies to be adopted in disaster management. Taking this into consideration, it leads to achieving disaster management objectives in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) which to reduce or minimize the exposure to hazards, lessened vulnerability of people and property, wise emergency preparation, and enhanced preparedness for an unfavourable situation. This paper aims to make a systematic review of literature in highlighting the significant potential of the GIS and remote sensing, integrating the aspect relevant to disasters socially and physically that helps in forming a comprehensive disaster management operations to reduce the vulnerability and strengthen the resilience to disaster. Accordingly, the paper has presented the outcomes and review of several researchers concerning the implementation of GIS and remote sensing in disaster management, specifically on disaster risk reduction. &nbsp

Toward an integrated disaster management approach: How artificial intelligence can boost disaster management

Technical and methodological enhancement of hazards and disaster research is identified as a critical question in disaster management. Artificial intelligence (AI) applications, such as tracking and mapping, geospatial analysis, remote sensing techniques, robotics, drone technology, machine learning, telecom and network services, accident and hot spot analysis, smart city urban planning, transportation planning, and environmental impact analysis, are the technological components of societal change, having significant implications for research on the societal response to hazards and disasters. Social science researchers have used various technologies and methods to examine hazards and disasters through disciplinary, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary lenses. They have employed both quantitative and qualitative data collection and data analysis strategies. This study provides an overview of the current applications of AI in disaster management during its four phases and how AI is vital to all disaster management phases, leading to a faster, more concise, equipped response. Integrating a geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) into disaster management enables higher planning, analysis, situational awareness, and recovery operations. GIS and RS are commonly recognized as key support tools for disaster management. Visualization capabilities, satellite images, and artificial intelligence analysis can assist governments in making quick decisions after natural disasters

Measuring environmental resilience using Q-methods: a Malaysian perspective

© 2022 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214749Communities increasingly need tools that can help them assess the environmental risks they face to understand better their capacities in mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Environmental resilience (ER) is a crucial feature of community resilience that is not adequately covered in the literature. This paper proposes an inclusive, participatory approach to achieve stakeholder engagement on the definitions, objectives, and indicators for measuring ER at the community level. This study uses a 5-step approach utilising Q-methods to contextualise a resilience index for Environmental Resilience (ER). An initial set of 57 indicators from 13 frameworks from the literature was reduced to 25 by combining the indicators of similar type, format and terminology. A total of 10 participants from two groups (academics and practitioners) took part in the interviews and Q-sort workshops in Malaysia in this study. Both stakeholder groups identified Ecosystem monitoring as one of the most critical indicators to understand ER, closely followed by rapid damage assessments and an effective communication system. The exercise also revealed marked differences between them regarding the importance of fair access to basic needs and services for citizens, a priority for academics, and the value of building green infrastructure, a priority for practitioners, with the most significant difference between the two groups on the importance of measuring the natural defences of a community. The Environmental Resilience Capacity Assessment Tool (ER-CAT), proposed in this paper, can be used by local governments and communities for engagement, discussion and consensus building to select the resilience indicators that are most relevant to them in their contexts.The authors express their gratitude to the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for the financial support under the International Grant, EP/PO28543/1, entitled “A Collaborative Multi-Agency Platform for Building Resilient Communities” for the work reported in this paper. This work was also supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) under the Grant ES/T003219/1 entitled “Technology Enhanced Stakeholder Collaboration for Supporting Risk-Sensitive Sustainable Urban Development”.Published onlin

Measuring Environmental Resilience Using Q-Methods: A Malaysian Perspective

first_pagesettingsOrder Article ReprintsOpen AccessArticleMeasuring Environmental Resilience Using Q-Methods: A Malaysian Perspectiveby Hisham Tariq 1,*ORCID,Chaminda Pathirage 2ORCID,Terrence Fernando 1ORCID,Noralfishah Sulaiman 3,Umber Nazir 3,Siti Kursiah Kamalia Abdul Latib 3 andHaidaliza Masram 31School of Science, Engineering & Environment, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK2School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY, UK3KANZU Research, Resilient Built Environment (RBE), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Johor 86400, Malaysia*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14749; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214749Received: 9 October 2022 / Revised: 31 October 2022 / Accepted: 1 November 2022 / Published: 9 November 2022(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Building for Urban Development: Common Practices, Ethical Issues, Technologies, and Global Perspectives)Download Browse Figures Review Reports Versions NotesAbstractCommunities increasingly need tools that can help them assess the environmental risks they face to understand better their capacities in mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Environmental resilience (ER) is a crucial feature of community resilience that is not adequately covered in the literature. This paper proposes an inclusive, participatory approach to achieve stakeholder engagement on the definitions, objectives, and indicators for measuring ER at the community level. This study uses a 5-step approach utilising Q-methods to contextualise a resilience index for Environmental Resilience (ER). An initial set of 57 indicators from 13 frameworks from the literature was reduced to 25 by combining the indicators of similar type, format and terminology. A total of 10 participants from two groups (academics and practitioners) took part in the interviews and Q-sort workshops in Malaysia in this study. Both stakeholder groups identified Ecosystem monitoring as one of the most critical indicators to understand ER, closely followed by rapid damage assessments and an effective communication system. The exercise also revealed marked differences between them regarding the importance of fair access to basic needs and services for citizens, a priority for academics, and the value of building green infrastructure, a priority for practitioners, with the most significant difference between the two groups on the importance of measuring the natural defences of a community. The Environmental Resilience Capacity Assessment Tool (ER-CAT), proposed in this paper, can be used by local governments and communities for engagement, discussion and consensus building to select the resilience indicators that are most relevant to them in their contexts

Toward an Integrated Disaster Management Approach: How Artificial Intelligence Can Boost Disaster Management

Technical and methodological enhancement of hazards and disaster research is identified as a critical question in disaster management. Artificial intelligence (AI) applications, such as tracking and mapping, geospatial analysis, remote sensing techniques, robotics, drone technology, machine learning, telecom and network services, accident and hot spot analysis, smart city urban planning, transportation planning, and environmental impact analysis, are the technological components of societal change, having significant implications for research on the societal response to hazards and disasters. Social science researchers have used various technologies and methods to examine hazards and disasters through disciplinary, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary lenses. They have employed both quantitative and qualitative data collection and data analysis strategies. This study provides an overview of the current applications of AI in disaster management during its four phases and how AI is vital to all disaster management phases, leading to a faster, more concise, equipped response. Integrating a geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) into disaster management enables higher planning, analysis, situational awareness, and recovery operations. GIS and RS are commonly recognized as key support tools for disaster management. Visualization capabilities, satellite images, and artificial intelligence analysis can assist governments in making quick decisions after natural disasters

MOBILISE-UTHM Resilient Tracker (RITTER) for resilient educational communities in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic

Coronavirus disease has caused a pandemic across the globe and it is now representing a significant threat to global health. Certainly, managing COVID-19 as compared to other types of disasters comes with a lot of unique challenges to many sectors including the educational sector, especially to higher education institutions(HEI). Since the announcement of movement control orders by the government of Malaysia, most of the Malaysia HEI students, including UTHM, have left their campuses, but the problems wrought by COVID-19 have not. UTHM employees from academic and supporting staff are also worried about their future for not continuously working as usual. The aim of the paper is to propose a disaster decision support system by combining UTHM Tracker and MOBILISE Digital System named MOBILISE-UTHM Resilient Tracker (RITTER) for UTHM students to build resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak and further to provide real-time intelligence for rapid disaster response combining UTHM Tracker and MOBILISE system for UTHM students during the COVID-19 outbreak in UTHM