Geographically Integrated Natural Disaster Management (co-funded by ASEA Uninet, Austria, 2012)

INTRODUCTION

Almost all the Southeast Asian countries experienced various natural disasters during the year 2011 out of which floods were both intensive and extensive. A huge loss of life and property, disruption of socio-economic activities and damage to infrastructure has been caused in all these countries and Thailand was the worst affected country in the whole ASEAN region.

An efficient and effective natural disaster management requires identification and integration of several interrelated geographical phenomena which include natural, social, economic and infrastructural aspects as well as associated administrative provisions in a particular area / region. All these geographical factors form basis of multivariate spatial analysis for exploring scientifically obtained explanations of regionally focussed cause-and-effect relationships.

OBJECTIVE

The designing of geographically integrated disaster management strategies require in-depth understating of the type and nature of various natural, social, economic, infrastructural and administrative indicators. Implementation of this approach requires scientists and practitioners having expertise in research methodologies from a wide range of disciplines. In other words, it requires interdisciplinary experts having a sound conceptual understanding and extensive practical experience.

• enhance conceptual understanding of various geographical phenomena as well as types of natural disasters with special reference to floods
• explain the integration of above with other social sciences
  
• impart ’hands-on-training’ of computer based tools and technologies to analyse various natural, social and economic aspect for implementing Geographically Integrated Natural Disaster Management.

ACTIVITIES

• deliver seminars / lectures for enhancing conceptual understanding of various geographical phenomena, natural disasters with special reference to floods, integration with other social sciences as well as with interdisciplinary research and education
• give intensive ’hands-on-training’ of using GI-software to integrate and analyse various natural, social and economic aspect for implementing Geographically Integrated Natural Disaster Management
  

GIScience is an interdisciplinary science which deals with the applied part of geographical reasoning based on the intensive use of computers and it requires understanding of both theoretical and practical parts of the discipline.

PARTNERS

Organiser Institutions

AUSTRIA:  - Centre for Geoinformatics (Z_GIS),  University of Salzburg, Salzburg  - ASEA Uninet, Innsbruck   THAILAND:  - Faculty of Technology and Environment, Prince of Songkla University, Phuket

Participant Institutions

INDONESIA:  - Diponegoro University, Semarang  - Universitas Pembangunan Nasional "Veteran", Yogyakarta  - University of Indonesia, Depok  - State University of Jakarta, Jakarta Timur MALAYSIA:  - Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor  - Universiti Teknikal Malaysia, Melaka THAILAND:  - Burapha University, Chonburi  - Chiang Mai University, Chaing Mai  - Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok  - Naresuan University, Phitsanulok  - Mahidol University, Bangkok  - Prince of Songkla University, Phuket

OUTCOMES (see the blog here)

• An intensive Faculty Development Workshop was organised at the Faculty of Technology and Environment, Prince of Songkla University, Phuket from 26th to 31st August, 2012
  
• 24 teachers and postgraduate students participated in the workshop and completed individual practical projects.
• All the participants presented the outcomes of their projects in the dissemination seminar.
  

Contact: Dr. Shahnawaz, Centre for Geoinformatics (Z_GIS), University of Salzburg, Austria.