ABSTRACT Now a day’s frequency of natural hazards like drought, flood, cyclone, earth

quake, landslide, forest fire, hail storm, locust, volcanic eruption and most recent one

tsunami has increased like anything. The loss of habitat and property due to such hazards

has become matter of grave concern.Though it is almost impossible to fully recoup the

damage caused by the disasters, it is possible to (i) minimize the potential risks by

developing early warning strategies (ii) prepare and implement developmental plans to

provide resilience to such disasters (iii) mobilize resources including communication and

telemedicinal services, and (iv) to help in rehabilitation and post-disaster reconstruction.

All these things constitute Disaster Management.

Disaster Management is a typically multi-disciplinary endeavour, requiring many

types of data with spatial and temporal attributes that should be made available to key

players in the right format for decision-making. The volume of information needed for

natural disasters far exceeds the capacity to deal with them manually. Disaster

management cut across boundaries including organizational, political, geographic,

professional, topical, and sociological.

Space technology plays a crucial role in efficient mitigation of disasters. While

communication satellites help in disaster warning, relief mobilization and tele-medicinal

support, earth observation satellites provide required database for pre-disaster

preparedness programmes, disaster response, monitoring activities and post-disaster

damage assessment, and reconstruction, and rehabilitation. Space technologies have

proved to contribute unique and significant solutions in disaster management, disaster

mitigation, disaster preparedness, disaster relief and also disaster rehabilitation. Space

technology based solutions have become an integral part of disaster management

activities in many developed and some developing countries. The United Nations Office

for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has been implementing a Space Technology and

Disaster Management Program to support developing countries in incorporating space-

based solutions in disaster management activities. In this paper an attempt is made to

discuss Disaster Management in the view of importance of Space Technology in Disaster

Management which becomes of immense importance regarding collection of data and

providing it on large area.

INTRODUCTION The human environment is becoming more and more hazardous. Natural disasters

are becoming more frequent. Various disasters like earthquake, landslides, volcanic

eruptions, fires, flood and cyclones are natural hazards that kill thousands of people and

destroy billions of dollars of habitat and property each year. The frequency and

magnitude of natural disasters have increased dramatically over the past three decades.

Records major natural disasters indicate that there were 16 such events in the 1960s, 29 in

the1970s and 68 in the 1980s. In the last decade alone natural hazard resulted deaths of

more than 45000 people, affected 40 million people and caused over $32 billion in

damages.

Overall economic losses due to natural disasters have also increased worldwide.

Overall losses were estimated about US $ 93 billion in the 1980s.

Natural disasters result primarily from geophysical interaction between the

atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere. Changes in these interactions can alter the

frequency and magnitude of disasters. With the tropical climate and unstable land forms,

coupled with deforestation, unplanned growth proliferation non-engineered constructions

which make the disaster-prone areas mere vulnerable, tardy communication, poor or no

budgetary allocation for disaster prevention, developing countries suffer more or less

chronically by natural disasters. Among various natural hazards, earthquakes, landslides,

floods and cyclones are the major disasters adversely affecting very large areas.

It is almost impossible to prevent the occurrence of natural disasters and their

damages. However it is possible to reduce the impact of disasters by adopting suitable

disaster mitigation strategies.

DISASTERS When disaster strikes – it strikes hard – otherwise it would not be a disaster.

Among various natural hazards, earthquakes, landslides, floods and cyclones are the

major disasters adversely affecting very large areas and population .These natural

disasters are of:

(i) Geophysical origin such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, land slides etc.,

(ii) Climatic origin such as drought, flood, cyclone, locust, forest fire etc.,

Though it may not be feasible to control nature and to stop the development of

natural phenomena but the efforts could be made to avoid disasters and alleviate their

effects on human lives, infrastructure and property.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT Contingency planning, crisis planning, disaster management, call it what you will,

the critical element is to return your organization back into a recovery position as rapidly

as possible. Returning to normality is the only aim of such a plan.

Disaster Management involves:

Pre-disaster planning, preparedness, monitoring including relief management

capability.

Prediction and early warning.

Damage assessment and relief management.

Disaster Management is a typically multi-disciplinary endeavor, requiring many

types of data with spatial and temporal attributes that should be made available to key

players in right format for decision making. Disaster Management cut across

boundaries including organizational, political, geographical, professional, tropical and

sociological.

STEPS INVOLVED IN DISASTER MANAGEMENTThe steps for all dealing with disasters, no matter their scale, follow the same basic

format.

1) Disaster Preparation

Plans laid out in advance defining priorities and responsibilities in the event of

fire, flood, etc.

Pre-assembled disaster packs or kits for dealing with smaller happenstances.

The contents can be assembled for your specific needs.

2) Disaster Recognition

Simply recognizing the fact that a disaster of some type has occurred is extremely

important. This may seem self evident now but at the time of an occurrence many

people do not grasp the gravity of a situation.

3) On-site Management

Contacting the proper individuals to deal with the situation at hand, such as; a plumber to

repair the damaged pipes, the fire restoration company to clean up the aftermath of a

blaze, Midwest Freeze-Dry in order to preserve and treat any damaged volumes that were

affected.

 4) Selection and Execution of the Appropriate Restoration Treatments

What is the proper course of action and treatment for your water or fire damaged

materials? Freeze-Drying? Decontamination? De-acidification? Mold

Remediation? Plasma Gas Fumigation? Odor Removal? All of the above?

What are the limits of the treatment procedures you have selected?

5) Proper Storage, Packing and Shipping of Materials

It is very important to pack, freeze and ship water logged or fire damaged

materials properly in order to prevent further harm.

6) On-Site Clean up, Area Treatment and Preparation

In many cases treating the materials themselves is only one step in the disaster

recovery chain. The area in which the materials were stored has also been exposed

to the same damaging conditions. Returning the treated volumes to an area not

properly prepared is not advisable and may result in further damage.

DISATER MITIGATION It is almost impossible to prevent the occurrence of natural disasters and their

damages. However it is possible to reduce the impact of disasters by adopting suitable

disaster mitigation strategies. The disaster mitigation works mainly address the

following:

(i) Minimize the potential risks by developing disaster early warning strategies,

(ii) Prepare and implement developmental plans to provide resilience to such

disasters,

(iii) Mobilize resources including communication and tele-medicinal services and

(iv) To help in rehabilitation and post-disaster reduction.

SPACE TECHNOLOGY I Space technologies have proved to contribute unique and significant solutions in

disaster management: disaster mitigation, disaster preparedness, disaster relief and also

disaster rehabilitation. Space technology based solutions have become an integral part of

disaster management activities in many developed and some developing countries.  The

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has been implementing a

Space Technology and Disaster Management Program to support developing countries in

incorporating space-based solutions in disaster management activities.

In the recent UN/Islamic Republic of Iran Regional Workshop on the use of

space technology for Environmental Security, Disaster Rehabilitation and Sustainable

Development, it was concluded that in order for developing countries to increasingly use

space technology-based solutions there is need for increased awareness, build national

capacity, improve data availability and access, develop and adhere to data standards,

encourage networking amongst stakeholders and developing solutions based on user

requirements.

We cannot eliminate natural disasters, but we can minimize the sufferings

through proper awareness of the likely disasters and its impact by developing a suitable

warning system, disaster preparedness and management of disasters through the use of

Space technologies. Information derived from GIS and Remote Sensed satellite imagery

plays an important role in disaster management and crisis prevention. Their effective

application depends not solely on technical specifications, but is influenced by factors

such as data collection, processing and distribution, capacity building, institutional

development and information sharing. Earth Observation Satellites (EOS) could be used

to view the same area over long periods of time and as a result, make it possible to

monitor environmental change, the human impact and natural processes. This would

facilitate scientists and planners in creating models that would simulate trends observed

in the past, present and also assist with projections for the future.

EOS could be used in emergency situations where the ground resources are often

not available. EOS can provide data rapidly when there are earthquakes, landslides,

floods and other natural disasters that often prevent assessment by ground or aerial

services. EOS provides accurate, global coverage and operability no matter what the

weather or conditions are on the ground. They can also be used for a large number of

activities during their lifetime.

SPACE TECHNOLOGY II

Space systems from their vantage position have unambiguously demonstrated

their capability in providing vital information and services for disaster management. The

Earth Observation satellites provide comprehensive, synoptic and multi temporal

coverage of large areas in real time and at frequent intervals and 'thus' - have become

valuable for continuous monitoring of atmospheric as well as surface parameters related

to natural disasters. Geo-stationary satellites provide continuous and synoptic

observations over large areas on weather including cyclone-monitoring. Polar orbiting

satellites have the advantage of providing much higher resolution imageries, even though

at low temporal frequency, which could be used for detailed monitoring, damage

assessment and long-term relief management. The vast capabilities of communication

satellites are available for timely dissemination of early warning and real-time

coordination of relief operations. The advent of Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT)

and Ultra Small Aperture Terminals (USAT) and phased - array antennae have enhanced

the capability further by offering low cost, viable technological solutions towards

management and mitigation of disasters. Satellite communications capabilities-fixed and

mobile are vital for effective communication, especially in data collection, distress

alerting, position location and co-coordinating relief operations in the field. In addition,

Search and Rescue satellites provide capabilities such as position determination facilities

onboard which could be useful in a variety of land, sea and air distress situations.

Applications of space remote sensing in disaster management

Disaster Prevention Preparedness (Warning) Relief

Earthquakes Mapping geological

lineaments land use

Geodynamic measurements of

strain accumulation

Locate stricken

areas, map damage

Volcanic

eruptions

Topography and

land use maps

Detection/measurement of

gaseous emissions

Mapping lava flows,

ash falls and lahars,

map damage

Landslides Topographic and

land use mapsRainfall, slope stability Mapping slide area

Flash floods Land use maps Local rainfall measurements Map flood damage

Major floods Flood plain maps;

land use maps

Regional rainfall;

evapotranspiration Map extent of floods

Storm surge Land use and land

cover maps

Sea state; ocean surface wind

velocities

Map extent of

damage

Hurricanes   Synoptic weather forecasts Map extent of

damage

Tornadoes  Now casts; local weather Local

weather observations

Map amount, extent

of damage

Drought   Long ranged climate models Monitoring

vegetative biomass;

SPACE TECHNOLOGY: INDIA India's space agency is framing a plan to evolve a disaster management support system

using the surveillance capabilities of its extensive satellite network. The agency planned

to put to larger use its experience in monitoring and providing cyclone warnings for the

Andhra Pradesh and Orissa coasts. India's space agency is also thinking of evolving a

total disaster management support system by which satellite images will be analyzed and

made available to a disaster management control room. The agency is giving stress on the

use of remote sensing and aerial photography capabilities of Indian satellite to provide

information for relief and rehabilitation.

G. Madhavan Nair, head of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said

that the system will be put into operation by the end of the year.

DART PROJECT: - A NOBLE EFFORT

DART Project is an effort by the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory of the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a capability for real-time

reporting of tsunami measurements in the deep ocean. The systems utilize bottom

pressure recorders (BPRs) capable of detecting and measuring tsunamis with amplitude

as small as 1 cm in 6000 m of water. The data are transmitted by acoustic modem to a

surface buoy, which then relays the information to a ground station via satellite

telecommunications.

A planned network of six buoys in the north Pacific and equatorial region focuses on the

hazard to U.S. coastal communities. Once this technology matures, consideration should

be given to a coordinated international effort to establish additional stations of direct

benefit to other Pacific Rim countries for effective disaster management program. DART

is a component of the larger U.S. National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program. The

NTHMP is a comprehensive, joint Federal/State effort to reduce the loss of life and

property due to tsunami inundation of U.S. coastlines. Cooperating U.S. agencies include

NOAA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey and

the Emergency Management agencies of the five Pacific States: Alaska, California,

Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. DART Project seeks to design, fabricate, test, deploy,

and maintain a reliable deep ocean network of six real-time reporting tsunami

measurement systems to provide early detection and direct measurement of tsunamis

generated in those source regions that pose the most direct threat to U.S. coastal

communities: the Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone (AASZ), the Cascadia Subduction

Zone (CSZ), and the South American Seismic Zone (SASZ). The DART Project is the

first attempt to implement this ambitious concept.

System

A DART system consists of a seafloor bottom pressure recording (BPR) system capable

of detecting tsunamis as small as 1 cm, and a moored surface buoy for real-time

communications. An acoustic link is used to transmit data from the BPR on the seafloor

to the surface buoy. The data are then relayed via a GOES satellite link to ground

stations, which demodulate the signals for immediate dissemination to NOAA's Tsunami

Warning Centers and PMEL. As part of the U.S.National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation

Program (NTHMP), the DART Project is an ongoing effort to develop and implement a

capability for the early detection and real-time reporting of tsunamis in the open ocean.

DART is essential to fulfilling NOAA's national responsibility for tsunami hazard

mitigation and warnings. Project goals are to reduce the loss of life and property in U.S.

coastal communities and to eliminate false alarms and the high economic cost of

unnecessary evacuations. DART stations are sited in regions with a history of generating

destructive tsunamis to ensure early detection of tsunamis and to acquire data critical to

real-time forecasts. Buoys shown on the accompanying map represent an operational

array scheduled for completion in 2003

Working

The Real-time tsunami buoy system is comprised of two parts: the bottom pressure

recorder (BPR) and the surface buoy with related electronics. The BPR monitors water

pressure with a resolution of approximately 1 mm sea water with 15 second averaged

samples. Data is transmitted from the buoy via an acoustic modem, and data is

transmitted from the buoy via the GOES Data Collection System. Under normal

conditions (no tsunami) the BPR sends data hourly that is comprised of four 15-minute

values which are single 15-second averages. The BPR can make up to 3 tries to get

acknowledgment from the surface buoy that the data were received. The data is

reformatted and sent via the GOES self-timed channel and displayed to show Open

Ocean tides. This gives an hourly indication of the health and condition of the entire

system. If data are not received from the bottom, the surface buoy uses the GPS derived

buoy position for the self timed message. An algorithm running in the BPR generates

predicted water height values and compares all new samples with predicted values. If two

15 second water level values exceed the predicted values the system will go into the

Tsunami Response Mode. Data will be transmitted on the Random channel (132) for a

minimum of 3 hours, giving high frequency data on short intervals with 100% repeated

data for redundancy for the first hour. Every GOES transmission will include the time of

T=0, which is the time the second out-of-bound value was detected. Every Tsunami

Response Model message also includes an ID that identifies the type of data and the time

of the data in the message as minutes after T=0. When the time of the hourly self-timed

transmission occurs during a Tsunami Response Mode, the BPR will send one-minute

data, comprised of the average of four 15 second values, for the preceding two hours (120

values). If the ocean is still perturbed after the nominal 3 hours of the Tsunami Response

Mode, the hourly self-timed transmission of 120 one minute averaged values will

continue. The system will return to normal mode only after 3 hours of undisturbed water

heights. This demonstration experiment had the surface unit command the BPR to

transmit data at set intervals. This was considered the most demanding test possible of the

modem capabilities, as the uplink is more robust than the downlink. If the future brings a

two-way satellite link from shore to the buoy it will be desirable to command the system

to send data, which will necessitate a downlink capability. Data from this prototype

system was transmitted via the polar orbiting NOAA TIROS satellite with an Argos

Platform Transmit Terminal. Data was packed into 4 blocks of 32 bytes each and

transmitted on a 90-second round robin schedule in a 4-hour window when a satellite was

in view. This method is not acceptable for a real-time reporting system due to the

inherent delay, but served as an expedient test platform. An operational mooring would

send data via the NOAA GOES geostationary satellite or through one of the commercial

low earth orbit satellites soon to be available.

Photographs of Prototype DART system at Pacific Ocean

Results of Field Experiment

The prototype mooring was deployed at 46 28 N, 129 30 W in 2611 m of water on 23

May and recovered on 19 July 1995. The BPR was moored approximately 250 m from

the anchor of the surface mooring. The BPR, acoustic modems, software protocols, and

satellite data telemetry performed as expected throughout the 57-day period. Pressure

data transmitted in engineering units were received daily and showed the dominant tidal

cycles and the characteristic low drift of the Paros sensor.

The mooring was located within 70 km of a NOAA NDBC buoy, which reported winds

and wave data. Although summer weather prevailed in the latter half of the deployment,

significant wave heights exceeded 6 m on 11 June and winds of 10 m/sec or greater were

common in June. There was no loss of data correlated with periods of high wind and

waves. This indicated that surface wave noise and wave-driven buoy motion was not a

factor in the acoustic modem performance. However, approximately 5% of the data were

lost in the transmission cycle. On three occasions, engineering records indicate that the

subsurface unit did not respond to commands from the surface unit. On nearly all other

occasions the subsurface unit responded on the first request and the uplink worked

without fail. The 60 beam pattern of the transducers, unknown BPR platform attitude, and

the 1.4 km buoy watch circle may have contributed to the lost transmissions.

Although very successful, this experiment showed the necessity of quantifying the

operating parameters of the modems and increasing the engineering data stored and

transmitted. Wider beam transducers, possibly with higher power, will be evaluated.

Gimbaling the subsurface transducer mounts or additional baffling of the surface

transducer may improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Also, engineering efforts will be

directed at refining modem protocols and evaluating satellite telemetry options. To

complement any two-way telemetry scheme, algorithms will be developed for the BPR

firmware that will detect a passing tsunami and initiate data transmission from the bottom

unit. This scheme will be inherently more robust and, with hourly reporting of

operational status, reliability of the mooring system could be assured.

All Tsunami data use a simple data compression scheme. The first data value is the full

water column height in mm of sea water. The following values are signed, 16 bit numbers

representing departures from the full values in mm of sea water.

Proposed Pacific Array

Detection systems strategically located seaward of known tsunami source regions

will provide the needed verification within minutes of an earthquake through direct

measurements. If no tsunami is detected, a false alarm will be averted. Conversely, if a

tsunami is detected, the detection system will provide warning centers with the single

most important piece of information required for decision-making: the deep ocean

tsunami amplitude. Consequently, this system will not only decrease false alarms, but

will also improve the speed and accuracy of true alarms.

Conclusion

It is almost impossible to avoid or to resist the natural hazards completely, but the

effect of such hazards can be minimized using modern technologies. One of the modern

technologies i.e. Space Technology plays very important role in Disaster Management

and Mitigation. It consists of use of various satellites like Earth observation satellites,

Polar orbiting satellites, Geo-stationary satellites etc.

Earth observation satellites contribute to providing solutions in all phases of

disaster management.  An important aspect is risk assessment of disaster-prone areas via

satellite remote sensing.  Remote sensing can also provide information needed to assess

the extent of damage caused by a disaster and forecast the expected further spread of the

disaster to other areas, as well as vital information to search and rescue operations. 

Satellite technology can re-establish communications in the afflicted area when the on-

ground infrastructure has broken down.

Due to its advantage position Space Technology becomes important in Disaster

Management and Mitigation. A deep ocean, early detection and real-time reporting

tsunami monitoring network is planned. Six stations, sited near potential generation

zones, are established in the year 2000. In the last year, two DART systems have been

designed, fabricated, tested, and deployed in the North Pacific. Physical survivability and

reliable data return are the primary technological challenges. The systems have survived

well, and successfully transmitted real-time data in seas with significant wave heights

that exceed 10 m. Each deployed system has provided extended periods of excellent data

return, thus proving the feasibility of the concept. This U.S. research and development

effort is focused on the hazard to U.S. coastal communities. However, the planned station

between Hawaii and tsunami sources off South America will also benefit countries in the

western Pacific that are threatened by such tsunamis. Once this technology matures,

consideration should be given to a coordinated international effort to establish additional

stations. For example, additional South American stations and many asian stations would

improve coverage of that source region, and stations off Kamchatka and in the eastern

Sea of Japan would benefit Japan, Korea and Russia.

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