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Geospatial Information Technologies
for
Community Multi-Hazards Planning
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Conference:
American Planning Association's 2007 Annual Conference
(Philadelphia, April 14-18, 2007)
Full Session Title: Improving Multi-Hazards Planning for
Communities
with
Geospatial Information Technologies
Keywords: GIS, HAZUS-MH, visualization, modeling, disaster,
preparedness, CommunityViz, mitigation
Session Date and Time: April 15, 2007 (12:45PM to 1:45PM)
Session Number: #29904
Session Organizer: Jason Levy, Western Washington University, and Water Resources Research Center,
University of Hawaii at Manoa
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Learning Objectives:
- Enhance the quality of community natural hazards planning and management
- Planning for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction
- Understand adaptation of web-based data sources and navigating in 3D
- Tailoring technology-based communications and resource allocation to local emergency
management needs
Session Summary:
Learn how to harness advances in geospatial information
technologies to improve natural hazard mitigation and planning. Ways to enhance
the quality of community disaster planning and recovery using
computer-based modeling are discussed. The use of 3D computer-based
visualization is emphasized in order to help communities cope
with, respond
to, and recover from the impacts of natural disasters.
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Session Content Description:
Communities are routinely threatened by wildfire, floods,
hurricanes, or earthquakes. They can be better prepared to withstand the impact
of these hazards and to rebuild afterwards by using Geospatial Information
Technologies to promote hazard mitigation and post-disaster
redevelopment as part of an ongoing, comprehensive planning process. This session,
featuring speakers from both Canada and USA will show how, using
the latest advances in GIS for multi-hazard modeling and visualization.
This workshop avoids techno-wizardry and stresses the role of the community in local technology
development choices.
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The use of 3D computer-based visualization and adaptation of web-based data sources
is emphasized in order to empower
communities to become involved in the planning process and to overcome
disaster recovery obstacles. We will also discuss the latest release of
FEMA's HAZUS-MR2 to improve planning for hazard mitigation, response,
recovery, and risk management. HAZUS supports disaster preparedness planning by creating plausible disaster scenarios,
mapping pre-designated facilities and areas, predicting the "coping
capabilities" of potentially impacted populations, and estimating the
distribution of vulnerable households. The nationwide databases in HAZUS-MR2 include datasets on
demographics, building stock, essential facilities, transportation, utilities, and high-potential loss
facilities.
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3D Visualization by
Donley & Assoc.
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Participants will explore
realistic disaster scenarios and learn how geospatial information technologies have
been used in examples from across Canada and the USA. This will help
community leaders to understand the potential losses that might
occur in their area from earthquakes, floods, and hurricane winds and to
identify challenges and opportunities in the disaster
recovery/planning process. The use of CommunityViz for environmental planning and disaster
analysis is illustrated. CommunityViz can automate attribute calculations, change
assumptions (slider bars), make dynamic charts and generate various
scenarios. Wizards make it possible to rapidly adapt existing analyses
(e.g. Model Builder or manual calculations).
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3D Visualization by
Donley & Assoc.
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| Dr. Levy's Links
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ontact Information
Dr. Jason K. Levy
Assistant Professor
Disaster Reduction and Emergency Planning
Huxley College of the Environment
Western Washington University
Arntzen Hall 209
Bellingham, WA
USA
98225-9085
Email:
jlevy at hawaii dot edu |
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