National Conference on Architecturing Future IT Systems (NCAFIS’08)
Role of Information and Technologies in Disaster Management
Dr. Shalini Singh Mr. Gautam Mr. Ritesh Kumar Mr. V. K. Sharma
CDAC, NOIDA Perotsystems CDAC, NOIDA CDAC, NOIDA
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Abstract shall also come from the modern upcoming
technologies.
A disaster is an event or an accident either caused Advancement in Information Technology in the
by human factors or Natural Processes. Although they form of Geographic Information Systems, Remote
occur rarely but aggravate natural Environmental Sensing, Satellite Communication, Global Positioning
processes to cause disaster for human society leading Systems, Internet, etc. has greatly enhanced the power
to catastrophic losses of property, income and lives of scientist, administrators, managers, planners,
resulting in permanent changes to human societies, volunteers/NGO’s and communities to take effective
ecosystems and environment. Disaster management measures on the way of making policies for disaster
poses significant challenges for data collection, data management, disaster emergency program preparation,
management, discovery, translation, integration, mitigation and planning. The role and activities of each
visualization and communication. Geo-information sector is important and complementary as well as
technologies, space technologies, remote sensing and supplementary to each other. The success of disaster
other upcoming technologies offer a variety of management and mitigation programme greatly relies
opportunities to aid management and recovery in the on coordination between government agencies
aftermath of industrial accidents, road collisions, scientific communities and field agencies involved in
complex emergencies, earthquakes, fires, floods and it. [9]
similar catastrophes. The disaster management There is no full proof method or technology to
organization has not fully exploited many of today’s prevent a natural disaster, but the integration of space
technology opportunities as yet. This paper conveys the technologies, information systems and awareness
importance of information and the upcoming among masses can greatly strengthen the disaster
technologies in Disaster Management and Mitigation. management systems and help in reducing the impact
The flow of information throughout the disaster cycle is of disasters in much effective manner.
crucial for effective humanitarian operation. The right
kind of information leads to a deeper understanding of 2. Disaster and its Types
the situation and thus leads to better response
decisions. The Environmental processes that bring disaster to
human society can be broadly categorized into: (i)
Keywords: Disaster Management, Information Major natural disasters: Flood, Cyclone, Drought,
Technology, Space Technology, Geographic Earthquake Landslides, volcanic eruption etc. and
Information System, Remote Sensing. (ii) Minor natural disasters: Cold wave,
Thunderstorms, Heat waves, Storm, etc.
1. Introduction Hazards are taken to be the processes that cause an
extreme event where as disaster is a sudden, calamitous
The rapid advancement in science and technology event bringing great damage, loss, destruction and
has definitely improved our living standards but it has devastation to life and property.
destroyed the harmonious relationship between the Hazards are a source of potential or actual harm.
humans and the natural environment. This has greatly Hazards may be:
increased the frequency of occurrence of natural (I) Natural Hazards like floods, hurricanes,
catastrophes/disasters causing enormous destruction to earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados and so on.
property, lives and income producing negative impacts (II) Technological Hazards that includes Industrial
on national economy as well completely disrupts the accidents and other human-made sources of potential
normal day to day life of the human beings. As the harm. Bhopal and Chernobyl are examples.
advancement and sustainable development should go (III) Willful Hazards includes Terrorist attacks such as
hand in hand, the answer to all these natural calamities those on September 11, 2001, and the bombing in
Oklahoma City are examples of willful hazards.
School of Computer Science & Information Technology, Devi Ahilya University, Indore
National Conference on Architecturing Future IT Systems (NCAFIS’08)
3. Disaster Management and Mitigation Software Defined Radios, etc. Information bestows
power. As well as saving lives, information reduces
Disaster management is nothing but a skilled suffering in the wake of disaster. Thus Information
method of controlling, planning and responding to any technology (IT), Space Technology, Electronic Media
disaster including both pre and post disaster activities. and Telecommunication has the potential to play a
It refers to the management of both the risk and the critical role in managing natural and human made
consequences of disaster. [2] disasters. [8]
Planning and management are the continuous The use of Remote Sensing and Geographic
process and are based on a generic problem solving Information Systems along with Global Positioning
sequence which starts with problem identification, Systems (GPS) has emerged as an integrated, well-
involves various forms of analyses which also might developed and successful tool in disaster management.
include data simulation and modeling and mostly The ability of remote sensing in identifying the disaster
involves the evaluation of available alternative solution prone zone and GIS in spatial analyses of the area for
to the problem. forecasting can greatly increase the power of Disaster
Economic status of the country also plays an Manager to take adequate preventive and planning
important role in developing the disaster management measures both the technologies being combined
techniques or methods as it involves certain amount of together. [4]
investment also. So there should be a balancing act
between the cost of reducing the risk of a disaster and 4.1. Space Technology
the benefits arising from the amount of risk reduced.
[1] The ability of Remote Sensing technology to
Figure illustrates the phases of the disaster provide comprehensive, synoptic, uninterrupted and
management cycle: multi temporal coverage of large areas at frequent
intervals helps in continuous monitoring of
atmospheric as well as surface parameters related to
Mitigation hazards by means of sensors operating in several
spectral bands ranging from visible to microwaves and
‘thus’– provide tremendous potential in monitoring and
assessment of disasters by contributing both in pre as
Recover well as post disaster management planning phases. Of
y
Prevention these, disaster prevention, disaster mitigation and
disaster preparedness constitute the pre-disaster
planning phase and response, relief, rehabilitation and
Disaster recovery remains with managing course after disaster.
[6]
The vast spectrum of spectral bands ranging from
VIS (visible), NIR (near infrared), IR (infrared), SWIR
(short wave infrared) to TIR (thermal infrared) and
microwave with the help of variety of sensors are very
Response
informative for observing natural hazards and help
Preparedness experts to monitor the situation, simulate the
complicated natural phenomenon as accurately as
possible so as to come up with better prediction
Figure 1: Disaster Management Cycle
models, suggest appropriate contingency plans and
prepare spatial databases. [10]
4. Role of Technologies
4.2. GIS (Geographic Information System)
Any natural phenomenon escalating into disaster
and its frequency depends on certain factors like
Geographic Information System emerged out of
population density, lack of awareness among
the need to evaluate the different aspects of the earth’s
masses/community, degree of vulnerability, preventive
surface in an integrated and multidisciplinary way
measures implementation, etc. Today’s information
realizing that they do not function independently of
technology can help aid agencies gather and store huge
each other. Geographic Information System is regarded
amount of information for easy dissemination by using
as a special class of information systems because it
space technology (Remote Sensing), Geographic
keeps track not only of the events, activities and things
Information System, Mass Media like Television and
but also of where these events, activities and things
School of Computer Science & Information Technology, Devi Ahilya University, Indore
National Conference on Architecturing Future IT Systems (NCAFIS’08)
happen or exist. This characteristic of Geographic among public safety and emergency management
Information Systems (GIS) distinguishes it from other organizations. It can be done through redundant and
information systems. resilient infrastructure, make robust improvement in
Accessibility and availability of data at right time cellular infrastructure like satellite communications
is prime factor to make any management system links could be integrated with cellular system to enable
successful for all those who are concerned with quickly deployable communication systems for use in
management issues. The disaster management is of disasters. [3]
multi-disciplinary endeavor, which require data of
various aspects from different departments so the 5. Opportunities to Better Apply a
exchange of information between the departments who
Maturing Technology: Commercial
are involved in disaster management activities is very
essential. GIS gives an easy and conducive Cellular Technology
environment for data sharing as well. [5]
As Disaster Management requires both spatial as Cell phone technology has several salient features
well as non spatial data so both GIS and Remote today for communications in a disaster. Cellular
Sensing (RS) has proved to be a well developed and technology provides communication that is logically
successful tool in disaster management because of its defined. Cellular communication interconnects with
capability to integrate both spatial and non spatial data many different cellular radio technologies, with
from various sources, analyze and present it in a logical traditional landline phones, and with Internet-based
and reliable manner. [8] phones.
Software Defined Radio (SDR) technologies
4.3 Role of Media provide software-controlled configurability of radios
and their incorporation into networks which promise of
The media have the definitive opportunity to play flexibility, easy incorporation across heterogeneous
a leadership role in the transition in thinking and action organizations and applications, and life-cycle cost
away from post-disaster relief and toward preparedness reductions through high volume.
and hazard mitigation. They can convey credible, non- Current communication systems that depend on
sensational but valuable message to the public. The point-to-point links are vulnerable to disruptions. Delay
electronic and print media could embark on a two-step Tolerant Networking incorporates distributed systems,
process to enhance the quality of its hazard-related which are inherently more robust because they can
services. reroute traffic as needed.
The first step is to foster still-closer linkages with
the hazard-mitigation community and share their vast 5.1. Examples of Uses of Information
information-gathering and transmission resources, Technology in Disaster Management
when appropriate and available, with disaster-
mitigation organizations. By 1912 radio was recognized as critical to
The second step is building links with the news disaster response with the enactment of a law, in
organizations and the one that hazard specialists response to the Titanic disaster on April 14 of that year,
believe has the greater humanitarian potential to more which required all ships to have radios with two
effectively link the media into an intensified effort in operators and auxiliary power and licensed
hazard mitigation, including such activities as: Risk transmitters.
Assessment, Avoidance Measures, Early Warning and In case of Remote Sensing, networks of sensors
Evacuation, Public Awareness and Education; and are used in many ways, such as providing data for
Organization for self-help and effective response to weather prediction and earthquake detection, to
risk. mitigate the impact of and to prepare for many natural
disasters. Sensors are also extensively used to prevent
4.4 Role of Telecommunications or control human-made disasters. Doppler radar is used
to identify and track hurricanes, tornados, and other
Exploitation of cellular, wireless networking, and weather phenomena. Satellite imagery is used to map
Internet Protocol (IP)-based technology, all available and plan operations in major wild land fires. LIDAR
commercially can be applied more systematically in technology and other optical methods can also be used
disaster management practice to improve to remotely measure chemical composition of air
communications resilience by adding redundancy and masses to track toxic materials.
standards-based interoperability. Effective use of these Siren systems have been used for over 100 years
technologies requires enhancing operational procedures as a means to alert as many people as possible as
quickly as possible. One familiar IT-based warning
School of Computer Science & Information Technology, Devi Ahilya University, Indore
National Conference on Architecturing Future IT Systems (NCAFIS’08)
system is the Emergency Alert System (EAS) compared with the opportunity presented by the
established by the Federal Communications commercial market for these technologies today.
Commission (FCC) in November 1994. Recent years In most agencies with disaster management
have seen efforts to extend warning systems to newer responsibilities, there is no one who is charged
IT such as cell-phone and Internet-delivered text specifically with tracking IT technology, identifying
messages. [7] promising technologies, integrating them into
An example of open-standards-style development operations, or interacting with IT vendors to make sure
in support of disaster management is the Common that needs are addressed. Long intervals occur between
Alerting Protocol (CAP). This international data acquisitions, with the result that any institutional
standard for alerting and warning messages was learning that does occur is likely to be lost in the
initially developed by an ad hoc group and interim.
subsequently attracted the attention of two non-profit Disaster management is concerned with
organizations (the Com CARE Alliance and the environments that are intrinsically uncertain and
Partnership for Public Warning). Later, the CAP unstable. This contrasts with the typical IT acquisition
standard was adopted by the international Organization environment, where development, deployment,
for the Advancement of Structured Information operation, and maintenance take place in fairly well
Standards (OASIS) standards body and by a number of understood and stable environments and where
federal agencies (including Department of Homeland requirements are better understood.
Security, Department of Defense, National Oceanic Important sources of funds are typically only
and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Geological available once a disaster has been declared and must
Survey), and state and local organizations began to use also be spent in a short window of time. Experienced
CAP in a variety of emergency alerting and notification emergency managers are well aware of this recurrent
applications. [7] Ultimately, the international OASIS “window of opportunity” effect, and many of them
standards group partnered with U.S. and international keep IT and communications projects in draft, ready to
disaster response programs to formalize CAP and an proceed as soon as a disaster redirects attention and
associated family of Emergency Data Exchange money to their needs. However, these purchases are
Language (EDXL) standards for disaster management. naturally driven by immediate concerns rather than
[3] longer-term considerations.
6. Challenges and Conclusions: 7. References
Cellular technology is, of course, exploited for [1] Adnan M Qureshi, Moazzam Butt, Omar Masood Khan,
“The Role of GIS and Public Awareness for Disaster
commercial purposes by cellular service providers. The
Management”.
area of coverage and capacity continues to grow [2] Balaji. D, Sankar. R, Karthi. S, “GIS approach for disaster
steadily, along with the growth of subscribers and the management through awareness - an overview” Map India
types of services to which they subscribe. Building 2002.
parallel infrastructure for emergency services is clearly [3] Board on Natural Disasters, National Research Council,
cost-prohibitive. Yet, both public safety Reducing Disaster Losses Through Better Information,
communications officials and cellular infrastructure National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1999, pp. 13,
owners have valid concerns about piggybacking 16-17.
disaster communications on existing commercial [4] Dr. Alok Gupta, “Information Technology and Natural
Disaster Management in India” ACRS 2000.
infrastructure.
[5] Dr. R.D. Gupta “GIS Based DSS for Natural Disaster
Disaster management organizations often lack the Management: A Case Study of Allahabad District” Map
resources to acquire valuable capabilities. World Forum 2007.
Responsibility for disaster management is widely [6] D.P.Rao ”Disaster Management” Map India 2000.
distributed among agencies and organizations at all [7] Laura Olson, “Public Safety Best Practices: Talking Siren
levels of government— with resources and operational Technology: An Evaluation of U.S. Implementation of Early
responsibilities mainly concentrated at the local level. Warning Systems”, Metropolitan Washington Council of
Moreover, many of the organizations are small and Governments, Washington, D.C., July 7, 2005.
have very constrained budgets for IT. Most [8] Samir Kumar Banger, “Remote Sensing and Geographical
Information System for Natural Disaster Management” Map
acquisitioned resources are focused on capabilities to
India 2002
improve day-to-day operations, whereas disaster [9] www.environmentandpeople.org
management is, by definition, not a routine activity. [10] http://www.mainaksworld.com
Both the development and the deployment of
many promising technologies are risky and costly
School of Computer Science & Information Technology, Devi Ahilya University, Indore
