Showing posts with label tsunami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tsunami. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

March 11th 2011 Japan/Hawaii Tsunami Response and Early Warning using PDC's DisasterAWARE

John Livengood
Lara Payne
Pacific Disaster Center, Kihei, HI

Disaster Management and Emergency Response I
Monday March 5, 2012 - 10:45 am to noon

On March 11th 2011 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, one of the 5 most powerful in the world, triggered a destructive tsunami along the coast Japan, propagating across the Pacific from Alaska to Chile. Approximate wave heights ranged from 5-14 meters in Japan with some reports significantly higher in Iwate Prefecture, Hawaii was inundated by 1-3 meter waves.  This presentation will look at how the Pacific Disaster Center's DisasterAWARE platform was utilized to support early warning, evacuations, and the on-going response to the disaster in both Japan and Hawaii. DisasterAWARE, PDC's web-based decision support system, continually listens to data sources for hazard warnings around the world, providing real-time, multi-hazard monitoring, risk, and exposure estimates. The platform then disseminates warnings through the use of the internet, social media tools, and smart phones to ensure the public and disaster management professionals are informed of the hazards and potential impacts.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Crowdsourcing VGI: An Elegant Solution to a Thorny Problem

Ronald Cannarella
DLNR/Division of Forestry & Wildlife, Honolulu, HI

GIS for Citizen Engagement
Wednesday March 7, 2012 - 10:45 am to noon

GIS is but one of the major innovations in the last 20 years. The internet is another. The World Wide Web has evolved to "Web 2.0", shorthand for social media apps such as facebook and twitter. Smart phones eliminated "long distance" charges, and video enabled cell phones have toppled mighty armies.

Meanwhile, we expect our government to do more with less. Hawaii, once the most isolated place on Earth is now a desired dream destinations for millions. Visitors are struck with the beauty of our islands, but have no knowledge of the hazards in paradise. People get injured, and the State gets sued for not putting a warning sign. Consumers import pets and plants that escape into the wild and wreck havoc with our environment. How can we hope to maintain our watersheds, our economy, and our lifestyle?

By "crowdsourcing" Volunteer Geographic Information (VGI). Crowdsourcing is "broadcasting the need for assistance to an unknown group of participants". VGI is information about a place at a specific time. By combining these technologies everyone can become part of the solution to protect the `aina. NOAA has already created the "Marine Debris Tracker" app for iPhone/Android. Good timing; a huge patch of debris from Japan is headed our way.

GIS geeks, think of the possibilities! We need data, the community wants services. We all love Hawaii. We'll continue this topic at the unconference on Wednesday in cooperation with the real Web 2.0 experts; The Social Media Club of Hawaii. Chocolate, meet peanut butter.