A Multipurpose GIS for Disaster Management

Zhong Ershun

Institute of Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences

zhonges@supermap.com

Information system is crucial to disaster management both for disaster prediction and relief. Specially, in the information era, building a disaster information system adopted geospatial technology for disaster management is practiced in many countries. Geospatial technology is uniquely suited to collect information of disaster prevention, assess the impact and help remediate damages.

In recent years, spatial information technology has been applied in many organizations for disaster management in China. And all of the organizations for disaster relief and management within the Ministry of Civil Affairs, State Administration of Work Safety, and China Meteorological Administration have plans to build GIS for disaster management.

Information sharing is important for administration, while it is difficult for across governmental organization coordination in the current stage1. New technology is key important to this respect. A web based GIS system with multipurpose applications is designed for this purpose. The system concept design includes a GIS. SuperMap, a creative and powerful GIS package is to be used as a core technology for building the system. The system will provide GIS functionalities and spatial analysis. And the system will have open protocol that can be integrated with any other systems in different subjects.

SuperMap, developed by a Beijing based company called SuperMap GIS Technologies, Inc., a leading GIS Company in China. The series products include SuperMap Objects, a total com-based GIS platform, SuperMap-IS, for Internet GIS applications, and eSuperMap, an embedded GIS development platform for those applications in embedded hardware, such PDA and mobile phones.

The functionalities of the system for spatial data management, such basic maps, remotely sensed imageries and dynamic GPS data will be developed. The system is of an open technology structure and can be easily integrated with other systems and can play important role in information collection, disaster response, disaster evaluation and relief.

Following are the main contents of the basic database:

l         Basic maps, map scale at 1:1,000,000, and partly 1:50,000;

l         Remotely sensed imageries, such TM, SPOT and partly Quick Bird and IKONOS;

l         Thematic maps such digital terrain model data, geology maps, flooding maps and disaster prevention data;

l         Road system and transportation;

l         Hospitals and medical facilities;

l         Urban and town distributions and facilities;

l         Population density data;

l         Social and economic data and etc.

It is a web based system and it can be accessed by different originations. And those organizations can base on the system to develop their own applications. Because the system is an open structure and other system and applications can also easily embedded with in the system. For instance, in flooding disaster prevention, remote sensing technologies, such as ERS and JERS-1 radar in combination, can be integrated with the system to detect areas with available subsurface water as well as dry areas, supporting well-drilling decisions and helping aid workers deliver water to camps with the worst access to water. When selecting sites for new camps, this same satellite data identifies areas on truly dry ground, but with nearby access to water and roads.