Geospatial techniques in urban hazard and disaster analysis

摘要

Springer, Heidelberg, 2010, 452 pages, £117.00 cloth, ISBN 978 9048122370 The much publicised use of geospatial technologies in relief efforts following major environmental disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the earthquake in Haiti, and flooding in Pakistan (both in 2010) has raised the profile of geographic information systems (GIS) research in disaster management. Furthermore, the invaluable work of organisations such as MapAction and GISCorps in volunteering GIS skills in mapping and in geospatial support in humanitarian emergencies, and the power of crowd-sourced online mapping in recent disasters, has demonstrated the potential value of up-to-date (and often real-time) geographical information collection and analysis. The primary focus of this volume is on the use of spatial technologies in urban hazard and disaster issues, concentrating on their use in four stages in the disaster management process: response, recovery, preparation, and mitigation. The focus on applied case studies of the use of such technologies in response to specific hazards (namely, sea-level rise/flooding, earthquakes/tsunamis, hurricanes, air pollution/climatic events, and evacuation studies) in urban contexts represents a conscious decision on behalf of the editors of this volume to reach "hazard professionals and practitioners" (Preface) as well as a more academic audience.