Geoinformation for Disaster and Risk Management - ISPRS

22
Data Details Relevance to disaster management
Elevation and
slope
SRTM global elevation data at 90m
resolution are available and generally
useful for risk mapping. Medium
resolution DEM at 30m resolution are
available from ASTER. Highresolution
DEMs can be obtained
from high-resolution satellite and
aerial data or simply derived from
contour maps. Slopes can be derived
using elevation data.
Land use Various levels of land use maps are
available based on the resolution of
remote sensing images used for land
use mapping. Land use depicts
details about agriculture, forests,
wastelands, barren lands,
settlements, water bodies etc.
Forestry Forest types and additional attributes
such as data on composition of
forests, biodiversity, biomass etc.
Geology Rocks, minerals and geological
features, faults, lineaments etc.
Elevation is the most essential information for
defining hazard zones and the utility of elevation data
depends on its resolution or scale at which it is
derived. For mitigation purposes, high resolution
DEM can be obtained from other sources.
A land use map is a valuable input in assessing
agricultural and other natural resources at stake in
case of a disaster. It also provides inputs for scientific
modelling for risk assessment and to identify riskmanagement
measures.
Forests are one of the important environmental
parameters, especially in controlling flood, coastal
process etc. Detailed forest maps can provide
valuable inputs in risk assessment.
These maps provide inputs for the assessment of a
variety of hazards such as landslides, earthquakes,
and to some extent floods. Such maps are used for
preparedness planning. They also provide input for
mitigation for critical facilities.
Soil Soil type, texture, depth etc. Soil maps can provide important input for deriving
potential landslides zones and other types of mass
movements.
River and
drainage
network
Water bodies, rivers, drainage
network
These maps are used to elaborate hazard maps
related to floods, as well as during response and post
disaster stages.
Geomorphology Landforms Information on landforms is useful in land-use
planning, soil conservation, design of dams, canals
and other structures. It is also used to elaborate
hazard maps related to landslides and other types of
mass movements.
Watersheds Watersheds are derivatives of
drainage and slope information.
Table 3: Thematic data on terrain and natural resources for risk mapping
Watersheds are basic development unit in most
countries. Sustainable development based on the
concepts of watershed development contributes to
disaster risk reduction.
Thematic data on natural resources and terrain
Satellite data, combined with topographical maps,
provide an excellent source for preparing thematic
maps related to terrain parameters and natural
resources. Some data layers, such as land use and
forests, are dynamic in nature and need to be
updated frequently, depending on the pace of
development in the area. Data layers such as soils,
geology, and hydro-geomorphology are static in
nature and therefore remain valid for long periods of
time. Thematic maps derived from satellite images
are important scientific inputs for mapping a range
of hazards including flood, erosion, landslide, fire,
storm, cyclones, drought. These data layers can be
integrated with baseline data for predicting risks
related to the natural and manmade disasters. (Table
3)
Near real-time satellite data for disaster
management
Near real-time coverage from satellite images helps
to provide information on the area impacted by the
disaster. These maps should be able to be integrated
with the spatial data layers described above. The use
of the maps derived from satellite images is well
demonstrated in mapping the impact of floods,
earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, cyclones and
droughts. Usefulness of information depends upon
the type of the disaster and the resolution of satellite
data. Table 4 provides specific examples where near
real-time satellite data can be used for early warning
and risk management.