440 research outputs found
Multi Hazard Scenarios in the Mendoza/San Juan Provinces, Cuyo Region Argentina
This paper exposes major natural hazards inventory encountered in the two San Juan and Mendoza provinces, such as climatic, seismic, gravitational, and social/anthropic ones. The contrast between the high altitude of the region and low one is addressed in order to manage the inhomogeneity of prevention plans. The international road to Chile is greatly affected by gravitational hazards that proceed in out of run period and commercial traffic interruption, and large economic waste more than people vulnerability, as the urban areas are more affected by seismicity scenarios. But as gravitational hazard is affected by the seismicity it is proposed to analyze some co-hazard effect in a multi-scenarios approach from geology geography and mechanical modelling of events to explore the co-effects on the scenarios. Moreover, some similarities with the Rhone-Alpes region of France are evocated and may be of interest.Fil: Daudon, Dominique. University Grenoble Alpes; FranciaFil: Moreiras, Stella Maris. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de NivologĂa, GlaciologĂa y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de NivologĂa, GlaciologĂa y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de NivologĂa, GlaciologĂa y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Beck, Elise. University Grenoble Alpes; Franci
Multi Hazard scenarios in the Mendoza/San Juan provinces, Cuyo Region Argentina
International audienceThis paper exposes major natural hazards inventory encountered in the two San Juan and Mendoza provinces, such as climatic, seismic, gravitational, and social/anthropic ones. The contrast between the high altitude of the region and low one is addressed in order to manage the inhomogeneity of prevention plans. The international road to Chile is greatly affected by gravitational hazards that proceed in out of run period and commercial traffic interruption, and large economic waste more than people vulnerability, as the urban areas are more affected by seismicity scenarios. But as gravitational hazard is affected by the seismicity it is proposed to analyze some co-hazard effect in a multi-scenarios approach from geology geography and mechanical modelling of events to explore the co-effects on the scenarios. Moreover, some similarities with the Rhone-Alpes region of France are evocated and may be of interest
The role of space-time activity patterns in the exposure assessment of residents
International audienceIndustrial development can generate hazardous situations – in particular, when there is a need to deal with dangerous substances, such as those in chemical or petrochemical plants. Too often, these industries are located in the heart of urbanized areas with high-density populations, as urbanization intrudes on the hazardous sites (originally established outside of cities). Protecting civil populations from these risks – either through precautionary measures or special crisis management plans, if a catastrophe occurs – is a key issue. To better protect citizens, identifying the risks to which they are exposed and also how they perceive the risks in their area can help authorities and stakeholders better understand the risks (Glatron & Beck, 2008). Adequate knowledge of these risks can also dissuade populations from settling in certain zones and thus lower their vulnerability. Finally, authorities need to assess the exposure of populations to hazards – through modelling – to set up appropriate and efficient risk management plans based on land planning. The present chapter – founded on responses to a questionnaire-based investigation (see the Annex) carried out in the Milazzo–Valle del Mela area of Sicily, in 2008 – explores two main aspects of exposure assessment: space-time-pattern methodological challenges and results of individual space-time activity data extracted from the investigation in the Milazzo–Valle del Mela area
A multi-agent system approach in evaluating human spatio-temporal vulnerability to seismic risk using social attachment
International audienceSocial attachment theory states that individuals seek the proximity of attachment figures (e.g. family members, friends, colleagues, familiar places or objects) when faced with threat. During disasters, this means that family members may seek each other before evacuating, gather personal property before heading to familiar exits and places, or follow groups/crowds, etc. This hard-wired human tendency should be considered in the assessment of risk and the creation of disaster management plans. Doing so may result in more realistic evacuation procedures and may minimise the number of casualties and injuries. In this context, a dynamic spatio-temporal analysis of seismic risk is presented using SOLACE, a multi-agent model of pedestrian behaviour based on social attachment theory implemented using the Belief-Desire-Intention approach. The model focuses on the influence of human, social, physical and temporal factors on successful evacuation. Human factors considered include perception and mobility defined by age. Social factors are defined by attachment bonds, social groups, population distribution, and cultural norms. Physical factors refer to the location of the epicentre of the earthquake, spatial distribution/layout and attributes of environmental objects such as buildings, roads, barriers (cars), placement of safe areas, evacuation routes, and the resulting debris/damage from the earthquake. Experiments tested the influence of time of the day, presence of disabled persons and earthquake intensity. Initial results show that factors that influence arrivals in safe areas include (a) human factors (age, disability, speed), (b) pre-evacuation behaviours, (c) perception distance (social attachment, time of day), (d) social interaction during evacuation, and (e) physical and spatial aspects, such as limitations imposed by debris (damage), and the distance to safe areas. To validate the results, scenarios will be designed with stakeholders, who will also take part in the definition of a serious game. The recommendation of this research is that both social and physical aspects should be considered when defining vulnerability in the analysis of risk
Developing a model of evacuation after an earthquake in Lebanon
This article describes the development of an agent-based model (AMEL,
Agent-based Model for Earthquake evacuation in Lebanon) that aims at simulating
the movement of pedestrians shortly after an earthquake. The GAMA platform was
chosen to implement the model. AMEL is applied to a real case study, a district
of the city of Beirut, Lebanon, which potentially could be stricken by a M7
earthquake. The objective of the model is to reproduce real life mobility
behaviours that have been gathered through a survey in Beirut and to test
different future scenarios, which may help the local authorities to target
information campaigns.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figures, ISCRAM Vietnam Conference, November 201
Mapping and Describing Geospatial Data to Generalize Complex Models: The Case of LittoSIM-GEN
For some scientific questions, empirical data are essential to develop reliable simulation models. These data usually come from different sources with diverse and heterogeneous formats. The design of complex data-driven models is often shaped by the structure of the data available in research projects. Hence, applying such models to other case studies requires either to get similar data or to transform new data to fit the model inputs. It is the case of agent-based models (ABMs) that use advanced data structures such as Geographic Information Systems data. We faced this problem in the LittoSIM-GEN project when generalizing our participatory flooding model (LittoSIM) to new territories. From this experience, we provide a mapping approach to structure, describe, and automatize the integration of geospatial data into ABMs
Agent-based simulation of pedestrians' earthquake evacuation; application to Beirut, Lebanon
Most seismic risk assessment methods focus on estimating the damages to the
built environment and the consequent socioeconomic losses without fully taking
into account the social aspect of risk. Yet, human behaviour is a key element
in predicting the human impact of an earthquake, therefore, it is important to
include it in quantitative risk assessment studies. In this study, an
interdisciplinary approach simulating pedestrians' evacuation during
earthquakes at the city scale is developed using an agent-based model. The
model integrates the seismic hazard, the physical vulnerability as well as
individuals' behaviours and mobility. The simulator is applied to the case of
Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanon is at the heart of the Levant fault system that has
generated several Mw>7 earthquakes, the latest being in 1759. It is one of the
countries with the highest seismic risk in the Mediterranean region. This is
due to the high seismic vulnerability of the buildings due to the absence of
mandatory seismic regulation until 2012, the high level of urbanization, and
the lack of adequate spatial planning and risk prevention policies. Beirut as
the main residential, economic and institutional hub of Lebanon is densely
populated. To accommodate the growing need for urban development, constructions
have almost taken over all of the green areas of the city; squares and gardens
are disappearing to give place to skyscrapers. However, open spaces are safe
places to shelter, away from debris, and therefore play an essential role in
earthquake evacuation. Despite the massive urbanization, there are a few open
spaces but locked gates and other types of anthropogenic barriers often limit
their access. To simulate this complex context, pedestrians' evacuation
simulations are run in a highly realistic spatial environment implemented in
GAMA [1]. Previous data concerning soil and buildings in Beirut [2, 3] are
complemented by new geographic data extracted from high-resolution Pleiades
satellite images. The seismic loading is defined as a peak ground acceleration
of 0.3g, as stated in Lebanese seismic regulations. Building damages are
estimated using an artificial neural network trained to predict the mean damage
[4] based on the seismic loading as well as the soil and building vibrational
properties [5]. Moreover, the quantity and the footprint of the generated
debris around each building are also estimated and included in the model. We
simulate how topography, buildings, debris, and access to open spaces, affect
individuals' mobility. Two city configurations are implemented: 1. Open spaces
are accessible without any barriers; 2. Access to some open spaces is blocked.
The first simulation results show that while 52% of the population is able to
arrive to an open space within 5 minutes after an earthquake, this number is
reduced to 39% when one of the open spaces is locked. These results show that
the presence of accessible open spaces in a city and their proximity to the
residential buildings is a crucial factor for ensuring people's safety when an
earthquake occurs
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