Chris Chiesa
Director, Data and Information Resources Division
Pacific Disaster Center
590 Lipoa Parkway, Suite 259
Kihei, HI 96753
Tel: (808) 891-0525 ext. 953 Cell: (808) 283-8679
FAX: (808) 891-0526
e-mail: [email protected]
The Pacific Disaster Center has developed the Asia-Pacific Natural Hazards and Vulnerabilities Atlas, an interactive mapping tool supporting regional risk and vulnerability assessment of natural hazards within the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. The Hazards and Vulnerabilities Atlas utilizes ESRI’s ArcIMS GIS technologies and combines baseline geographic, demographic and infrastructure data with historical and near-real time data on natural hazards including: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and tropical storms. The Atlas provides decision makers in the disaster management community with a greater awareness of the risks of natural hazards in their area of concern and provides appropriate tools for determining the likelihood and potential impact of such events. The Atlas can be used to delineate regional natural hazard phenomenon, depict historical trends, and enhance decision-maker’s ability to answer operational questions such as:
- What hazards are likely to occur in this region, and with what frequency and intensity?
- Where are current hazard events and what is their extent?
- How many people can be, or are, affected?
- What is the impact on infrastructure in the area?
A case study illustrating the use of the Atlas to differentiate varying degrees of vulnerability to people and infrastructure in Southeast Asia from earthquakes and tropical storms is presented. The Asia-Pacific Natural Hazards and Vulnerabilities Atlas can be accessed at https://atlas.pdc.org.
