Can the Marvels of Technology Help in Mitigating Disaster Impacts?
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Can the Marvels of Technology Help in Mitigating Disaster Impacts?

Government CIO Outlook | Friday, October 04, 2019

Without science and technology, mitigating disaster is an impossible task, and the success in significantly decreasing the impact of the disasters will undoubtedly be out of any human reach.

FREMONT, CA: Disasters are the uncalled events that lead to unexpected disruption of a healthy life, causing grave damage to property and life. The intensity of any disaster makes it difficult for the existing social and economic protection methods insufficient to handle the situation. Emergencies do not necessarily occur naturally, but can also be created or triggered by human processes like environmental degradation and technological hazards.

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Since preventing a natural disaster is not possible through any means, people can utilize technology and science to identify it beforehand. By applying scientific knowledge and technical expertise, operators can find out ways to lessen the impact and give out necessary warnings and information about the potential occurrence.

It is only science and technology that can help in understanding the mechanism of natural hazards irrespective of being geological, hydrological, or biological. The technology uses the previous data in an orderly system derived from the studies, experiments, and observations on their impacts on civilization. 

It is not humanly possible to stop the natural disasters, so the least that can be done is minimize the impact and suffering from proper awareness. Companies can develop an appropriate warning system, disaster preparedness, and management through the application of information technology tools.

Mainly there are a few applications that can be used to manage disasters: 

GIS and Remote Sensing:

The GIS technology helps in having competent and capable storage and manipulating remotely sensed data for both scientific management and policy-oriented data. It also lends a hand in facilitating measurement, mapping, monitoring, and modeling of various data types connected to natural occurrences. The detailed GIS application in the risk assessment is used by meteorological sectors to enhance the quality of the tropical storm warning services. It immediately communicates the risk to the people who can get affected by the cyclone.

On the other hand, remote sensing inspects an object from a distant place and includes aerial remote sensing. It can record data such as pictures from sensors on aircraft and satellite remote sensing. The airborne remote sensing also has satellite remote sensing systems that help in integrating natural hazard assessments into development planning researches. GIS can be utilized in carrying out search and rescue operations in a better and effective manner by recognizing the disaster-prone areas and categorizing them, keeping in mind the risk magnitudes.

The Internet:

In the digital era, where the world revolves around electronic communication, the internet facilitates everyone with a useful platform that helps in disaster mitigation communication. The introduction of well-defined websites can be cost-effective and far-reaching. It is considered as a platform with a new and potential revolutionary option for a rapid, automatic, and global distribution of disaster data. Several groups and individuals are implementing with the internet to acquire real-time delivery of weather surveillance, forecasts, satellite, and other information. The availability of electronic communication in severely affected zones can provide the most successful methods to reach prime destinations. 

Awareness and Forecasting:

One of the most crucial methods of figuring out the intensity of a natural hazard is by adopting an advanced system of forecasting, monitoring, and issuing early alerts. Some companies and groups have developed valuable infrastructure to generate and disseminate the cyclone warnings at proper levels. These systems also help in creating an operational based communication structure to directly distribute the disaster warnings in the potential areas. There are a few stations that have collected information for a very long time. They leveraged different technologies to alert the public and take necessary measures. 

The developments in the IT sector in the form of the internet, remote sensing, GIS, and satellite communication can help in planning and implementing the reduction of hazards. The new technologies for discussion should be made available for use to the public, and natural disaster mitigation alerts should be passed on via these methods.

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