| Description |
Disaster management and early warning systems (EWSs) are efficient tools with which to face and mitigate the potential impacts of natural and man-made disasters. Geographic information systems (GIS) and remotely sensed data are essential tools for the development of disaster management and early warning systems.
Utilizing remotely sensed data, such as satellite imagery and aerial photographs, allows us to map varied terrain, such as vegetation, water bodies, and geology, both in space and over time. Satellite images give a synoptic overview and provide very useful environmental information, at a wide range of scales, from entire continents to a few meters in detail. Many types of disasters, such as floods, droughts, famines, cyclones, volcanic eruptions, etc., have precursors that satellites can detect. Thus remote sensing allows such events to be monitored from the time of their occurrence. Space technology plays a crucial role in the efficient mitigation and management of disasters. Satellite imagery gives us a very powerful tool for the prediction, and thus warning, of potential natural and human-induced hazards.
The challenge for contemporary risk and disaster management is to establish means by which the comprehensive and multi-sectoral participation of professional disciplines and public authorities can contribute to the continually shifting matrix of interests, needs and responsibilities in modern societies.
So, the National Scientific and Technical Information Center (NSTIC) is preparing to hold the 1st Regional Conference on Geoinformatics: Disaster Management and Early Warning Systems, with the aim of transferring knowledge and experience regarding the utilization of geoinformatics applications on national, regional and international levels to support decision and policy makers and planners in the management of natural and man-made disasters.
Objectives
1. To introduce the concepts of disaster management and EWSs.
2. To highlight the relationship between geoinformatics tools and managing natural as well as man-made disasters.
3. To discuss the role of geoinformatics and related technologies in building EWSs.
4. To review regional and international case studies regarding the utilization of geoinformatics in disaster management and the building of EWSs.
5. To share and / or transfer international experience with the local community in the field of geoinformatics and its relation to disaster management and EWSs.
6. To study the economic impacts related to natural and man-made disasters.
7. To introduce and propose a national disaster management plan to support the decision makers in Kuwait in dealing with any future crises, whether natural or man-made.
8. To assist national efforts to introduce a national policy for disaster management and EWSs.
Conference themes / topics
• Natural and man-made disasters and related economic impacts
Flash-floods
Sandstorms
Earthquakes
Risk assessment for epidemic diseases
Hurricanes
Droughts
Wars
Oil spills
Accidental /toxic gas release
Assessment of economic impacts
Other
• Disaster management and EWSs
Concept
Function
Applications
• Integrated geoinformatics technologies to support decision makers before, during and after crises
• Geoinformatics and modeling
Risk assessment
Prediction
Environmental sensitivity indices
Site suitability (optimal allocation of new developments)
Post-disaster monitoring (change detection)
• National disaster management policies and plans:
- Case studies
- Panel discussion
Call for Papers
April 10th, 2008
Submission of Extended Abstract
July 10th, 2008
Deadline for Paper Submission
November 1st , 2008
Language
The conference languages are Arabic / English languages with simultaneous translation.
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