Geo-information technology for disaster risk assessment

Abstract

The Serbian territory (including the territory of the former Yugoslavia) has been continuously exposed to different hazards, often with tragic consequences. Earthquakes and floods, usually followed by landslides, are the most dominant hazards in that region. Disaster risk reduction, prevention and early warning, as an integral part of sustainable development, do not exist in Serbia. That is one of the main reasons why the disaster-related damage is high. Despite very long experience in engineering and resources management in Serbia, there are no scientifically supported and standardized disaster risk-assessment procedures. Expertise only exists in the field of engineering- based hazard assessment. The risk-assessment method proposed in this research includes, apart from hazards, parameters such as vulnerability, exposure and safety. It considers the environmental and social components of risk management. The proposed method, implementing combined mathematical and 3D GIS tools, was applied for the Danube River, Petrovaradin (the city of Novi Sad) area, for which data were available. The relationship between the risk parameters is calculated and graphically presented. Methods like this one should contribute to a shift from a passive disaster-related defense to a proactive disaster risk management, as well as from emergency management only, to disaster prevention, preparedness and mitigation activities, in Serbia and the Western Balkan Region. Copyright © 2014, AGS.