1. ES
COMMUNICATI ON TECHNOLOGI
INFORMATION
ICT A ND DISASTER
M ANAGEMENT
2. • ‘Disaster’, means ‘bad star’ in Latin.
ICT & DISASTER
’a social crisis situation occurring when a physical phenomenon
of natural, socio-natural or anthropogenic origin negatively impacts
vulnerable populations causing intense, serious and widespread
disruption of the normal functioning of the affected social unit.'
Need for
The Asia-
ICT
Pacific is
among the
most disaster
prone regions
in the world.
4. characterized by profound damage to the human society
Disaster phase
human life, loss of property, environment & health
Ambulances and medical personnel arrive
Response phase
remove the injured for transportation to medical camps or
hospitals
provide first aid and life support
immediate medical help, food, clothing and shelter
•victims actually realize the impact of disaster
Recovery phase
•perceive the meaning of the loss
•need intensive mental support so as to facilitate
recovery
•Rehabilitation
5. •need for certain measures - needed to reduce the
Risk reduction phase
extent or impact of damage during the next similar
disaster
•Tsunami
‘green belt’- a thick stretch of trees adjacent to the coast
line
•Mitigation - making the impact less severe
•development of awareness
Preparedness phase
•education on warning signs of disasters
•methods of safe and successful evacuation
•first aid measures.
6. Channels Used for Disaster
Warning
* Radio and Television
Effectiveness of these two media is high because the tele-density is
relatively low, they can be used to spread a warning quickly to a broad
population.
Drawbacks: Effectiveness reduced at night, when they are normally
switched off.
Advantage: Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, radio manufacturers considered
introducing new digital radio alert systems.
* Telephone (Fixed and Mobile)
•Nallavadu in Pondicherry. Telephone call saved the village’s population
of 3,600 inhabitants & three neighboring villages
•M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation’s Information Village Research
Project. Vijayakumar, a former project volunteer working in Singapore
7. • ‘Telephone trees’
• An individual represents a ‘node’ in a telephone tree
Drawbacks:
• Rural and coastal areas, is still not satisfactory.
• Phone lines that occurs immediately before and during
a disaster, resulting in many phone calls in that vital
period that cannot be completed.
*Short Message Service
• 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster in the US
• SMS more easily when the network was functional.
• Voice calls in that one message can be sent to a group
simultaneously.
*Cell Broadcasting
• A public warning message sent to all mobiles with any
group of cells of any size to the whole country.
•CDMA, D-AMPS, GSM and UMTS phones have this
capability.
8. Channels Used for Disaster
Warning
Advantages:
• No cost to implement cell broadcasting.
• Not affected by traffic load
• Cell broadcasting is geo-scalable, millions of people across continents
within a minute.
• It is geo-specific, avoid panic and road jamming.
Disadvantage:
• That not every user may be able to read a text message when they
receive it.
Pioneers:
The Dutch Government already started the operations with the operators
KPN, Telfort and Vodafone with government use.
9. *Satellite Radio
• Digital radio that receives signals, which covers a wider
geographical range than terrestrial radio signals.
• Functions anywhere there is line of sight between the
antenna and the satellite, no major obstructions such as
tunnels or buildings.
• Satellite radio audiences can follow a single channel
regardless of location within a given range & can play a key
role during both disaster warning and disaster recovery
phases.
Advantages:
• Ability to work even outside of areas not covered by
normal radio channels.
• Transmission towers of the normal radio station are
damaged in a disaster.
10. * Internet/Email
• Penetration within a community and usage by
professionals such as first responders, coordinating bodies,
etc.
• 5 percent of the population uses the Internet and even
those who are users do not use it on a regular basis.
• A new proposal for using the Internet to quickly warn
large numbers of people of impending emergencies is
currently being drafted by the Internet Engineering Task
Force.
* Amateur and Community Radio
• When traditional communications infrastructure breaks
down, amateur radio operators transmit emergency.
messages on voice mode about the well-being of survivors.
•Indian Ocean tsunami - amateur radio operators were the
critical link between the islands and the Indian mainland.
11. • Amateur radio broadcasters are authorized to
communicate on high frequency (HF), very high
frequency (VHF), ultra high frequency (UHF) or all three
bands of the radio spectrum.
* Pactor
• Airmail as email client and Winlink2000 as network on
shortwave
• User can address any valid email address worldwide
through hf-radio and winlink.
• The effectiveness of this medium is being tested through a
disaster warning system implemented by Sarvodaya, the
most widespread NGO in Sri Lanka.
Major radio communications services involved in
Disaster phases are Meteorological services
Amateur services, Broadcasting services, Mobile
services, Fixed services.
12. Channel Benefits Challenges
Radio & TV Widespread Takes time to get the
warnings
Limited use at night
Telephone(fixed Messages delivered Problems of
mobile) quickly authenticity
Does not reach non-
users
congestion
SMS Quick Congestion
Messages can be sent Does not reach non-
to groups users
Local language
problems
Cell No congestion Does not reach non-
broadcasting users
Can address a group
simultaneously Local language
problems
13. Satellite radio High reach ability Cannot be used to
educate masses
Only good for specific
points
Internet or e- Interactive Not widespread
mail
Multiple sources can be
checked for accuracy of
information
Amateur / Excellent for rural poor Not widespread
community radio and remote
People lose interest if
communities
used only in case of
disaster
Siren Can be used even at Maintenance of
night systems cannot
disseminate a detailed
Good in rural areas
message
14. GIS for DM
Planning
Events: It forecasts, receives, records and provide scope for future use of
information about Hurricane wind, storm surge, earthquake, chemical
release, reactor release, weapons of mass destruction, wild fire.
Communication links: It provides communication through internet,
landlines and satellite
Databases: The huge and immense information including Population,
housing, business, topography, geology, Infrastructure, structural
vulnerability is stockpiled.
Ground truth: Imagery and aerial photography of the venue, victim and
intensity of the disaster are shot down and disseminated through the
above said communication links.
15. Web Portal for DM
Response
Missing Person Registry: Helping Families Find Each
Other
Organization Registry & Volunteer coordination :
Coordinating All Aid Groups and Helping Them to Operate
Effectively As One
Camps Registry: Capturing the Location of All Temporary
Camps and Shelters
Request Management System: Effectively Utilization
Inventory Management: Keeps track of inventories at a
high enough granularity to account for the chaotic transfer
of goods and aid.
16. Disaster Risk Reduction
Role of Information and Knowledge
“Knowledge management is all about getting the right
knowledge, in the right place, at the right time”
• information about disaster preparedness, dos’ and don’ts
in emergency, disaster management plans, policies and
guidelines
• lack of adequate coping mechanisms
not getting transformed into the life saving knowledge for
the communities at risk.
• to enhance the information sharing and management of
the knowledge generated in these institutions - closely knit
the organizations/institutions and moreover people
• create a common platform – enable to capture, organize,
share and reuse the knowledge
17. Creating an Environment for Knowledge
Management
collaborative platform which is in the form of an electronic platform will
facilitate interaction among the program partners.
Connecting the program partners:
• Disaster Management practitioners in State Government Disaster
Management Departments of 35 States/UTs.
• National Programme for Capacity Building of Engineers for Earthquake
Risk Management (NPCBEERM) involving 11 National Resource
Institutions(NRIs) and around 125 State Resource Institutions (SRIs) in
all 35 States/ UTs.
• National Programme for Capacity Building of Architects for Earthquake
Risk Management (NPCBAERM) involving 7 NRIs and around 110
Colleges in all 35 States/ Uts
18. Indian road map to ICT in Disaster Manageme
Under the Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI-UNDP (United
Nations Development Programme)
National Disaster Risk Management programme, Knowledge
Networking
an initiative to establish networks and partnership among
•prime government agencies
•policy makers
•disaster managers
•specialists from allied fields of engineering, architecture,
planning, seismology, hydrology, agriculture and social
science - to reduce the risk of disaster
19. covering institutional mechanisms, disaster prevention
strategy, early warning system, disaster mitigation,
preparedness and response and human resource
development
Computerized monitoring system - daily water levels as
Communication tools
observed at 0800 hrs. and forecasts issued by field units are
transmitted to CWC headquarters in New Delhi
data received from field divisions:
• Special Yellow Bulletins - whenever the river stage at
the forecasting site - a level within 0.50 m of its previous
HFL
• Red Bulletins highlighting security of the problem - the
water level at the forecasting stations equals/exceeds
previous HFL
• Bulletins are also updated on CWC Web site:
20. An accelerated urban earthquake vulnerability reduction
Workshops
programme has been taken up in 38 cities in seismic zones III,
IV & V with population of half a million
Sensitization workshop for engineers/architects, government
functionaries and voluntary organizations have already been
held in 36 of the 38 cities
Disaster Risk Management
•need to ensure sustainability of the programme
Programme
•development of training modules, manuals and codes
•up-scaling partnerships in excellence
•focused attention to awareness generation campaigns
•Institutionalization of disaster management committees and
disaster management teams, disaster management plans and
mock-drills and establishment of techno-legal regimes
21. MHA has compiled a set of resource materials developed by
Capacity Building & Awareness Generation
various organizations to be replicated and disseminated by
Activities
State Govt. based on their vulnerabilities in local languages
The material - 4 broad sections in 7 volumes - planning to cope
with disasters, education & training, construction, information,
education & communication toolkit & multi-media resources
on disaster mitigation & preparedness
Extended to District Magistrates, Sub Divisional
POLNET
Magistrates, Control Rooms
Emergency communication, mobile satellite based units which
can be transported to the site of the disaster
Parameters - location of the public facilities, communication
GIS
links and transportation network at national, state and district
levels
22. National Database for Emergency
The Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with various
Management (NDEM)
Govt. Ministries, agencies - Dept. of Space, Dept. of Science &
Technology & Ministry of Communications & IT
Database - provide multi layered maps on district wise basis
3 maps taken in conjunction with the satellite images available
for a particular area enables the district administration & State
Govt. to carry out hazard zonation and vulnerability
assessment, coordinate response after a disaster
A reliable GIS-based database will ensure the mobilization of
right resources to right locations within least
response time of ICT
•faster response
Advantages
•effective decision making
•develops well informed practitioners
23. IDRN
The IDRN (India Disaster Resource Network – www.idrn.gov.in )
nation-wide electronic inventory of essential and specialist resources for
disaster response, covering specialist equipment, specialist manpower
resources and critical supplies
Initiated by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in collaboration with United
Nations Development Program (UNDP)
To systematically build the disaster resource inventory as an organized
information system - specific equipments, human expertise & critical
supplies database from District – State level
To provide availability of resources for disaster response, so that disaster
managers can mobilize the required resources within least response time
The IDRN is a live system providing for updating of inventory every
quarter
Entries - at two levels – District and State level
24. IDRN
602 District administrations
Target Audience
5000 member corporate bodies with Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII)
33,000 builders, contractors & construction companies with Builders’
Association of India (BAI)
Indian Railways & public sector undertakings
226 items - equipments, human resources and critical supplies are collected
Working
from the line departments – entered into portal – district level
Authorized users -enter portal -User ID and Password - IDRN
Description of the Portal
Administrator
The inventory data of the specified item are collected from various
Capturing Inventory
departments below District level in a paper format
The user can choose one or multiple - Activity, category, item and State,
Locating Resources
25. GIS based databases - the National Database for Emergency
Risk Assessment and Vulnerability Mappin
Management (NDEM) and National Spatial Data
Infrastructure (NSDI)
Aims of NSDI
•To collect, compile, analyse and prepare value-added maps
for use by various agencies in the field of DM; for
management of natural resources, industrial applications
•To work towards interoperability of data and information
sharing protocols
•Two-way interoperable link will be established between
NSDI and the National Disaster Emergency Communication
network
26. Disaster Recovery
Investing in a disaster
Softwarerecovery plan and software is
important especially for mission critical businesses such as
Banks, Telecoms and Hospitals
•Recovery of lost data
Benefits of a Disaster Recovery Plan
•Ensures business continuity
•Insurance against loss of business due to unforeseen
disasters
Vision Solutions
Disaster Recovery Technology Companies
UltraBac Software
CYA
Technologies, Inc
SunGard
NSI Software
EMC Corporation
27. DesInventar
Methodical way to gather and store information about
characteristics and effects of different types of disasters
Allows for the observation and analysis of accumulated data
regarding these ‘invisible’ disasters at a global / national
scale
Example
It is possible to trigger an earthquake in the virtual
environment and analyse its impact on a geographical area
ranging from a municipality to a group of countries
The system forecasts information on the possible loss of
human lives, impact on the economy and damage to
infrastructure
28. Other Software involved in Disaster
Management
Groove, http://www.groove.net
• Desktop software designed to facilitate collaboration and
communication among small groups and key concept is the shared
workspace
• All data is encrypted both on disk and over the network, with
each workspace having a unique set of cryptographic keys
• A workspace is a private virtual location where members
interact and collaborate.
• It has been used widely by disaster management in Iraq, the
Indian Ocean tsunami response and in other emergencies.
Voxiva, http://www.voxiva.net
• Voxiva’s Pyramid Platform is designed to bring technology to
the so-called ‘bottom of the pyramid’
• Voxiva is currently being used by organizations such as the US
Department of Defense, USAID, the Rwanda Ministry of Health,
the Ministry of Health of Tamil Nadu (India), the International
Rescue Committee and the Ministry of Health of Peru.
30. The role of media in disaster warning: Reuters
The aim of Alertnet was that there was a need for a service that would:
Alertnet
• Deliver operation-critical information to relief charities
worldwide
• Encourage relief charities to exchange information
• Raise awareness of humanitarian emergencies among the general
public
AlertNet
Website
1. health-related
2. sudden onset
3. food-related
4. conflict
Alertnet tracks all emergencies for which it is possible to find reliable
information. In particular, one will find coverage of emergencies that,
for a variety of reasons, receive only sporadic coverage elsewhere in
the media, so called forgotten or hidden emergencies.
31. The Tsunami Early Warning System (TEWS)
•In the aftermath of the tsunami - arrangements for a
for South-East Asia
Tsunami Early Warning System (TEWS) in the Indian
Ocean and South-East Asia
•Integrated into existing warning systems to promote a
multi-hazard approach
• The partner countries - Cambodia, China, Lao PDR,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet
Nam
•The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) is a
non-profit organization supporting the advancement of safer
communities and sustainable development through
implementing programmes and projects that reduce the
impact of disasters upon countries and communities in Asia
•The donor agencies - UNDP, The Danish National
Development Agency and the United States Agency for
32. The technical components - a network of seismographic
stations, sea-level gauges and deep-sea pressure
sensors, a data-processing and tsunami forecasting
centre, and communication links to regional tsunami
warning centres
The network of accelerographs , to be located in islands
close to the coastlines of Indonesia and the Nicobar and
Andaman Islands, will provide rapid estimation of the
tsunamagenic potential of an earthquake
Deep-ocean pressure sensors detect the early passage of
a tsunami before it reaches shallow waters and the coast
High-frequency sea-level data will be transmitted via
the European Organisation for the Exploitation of
Meteorological Satellites Meteosat-5 and the Japanese
Meteorological Agency’s Geostationary Meteorological
Satellites, and is connected to the Global Sea-Level
Observation System Core Network