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It is widely assumed that humanity should be able to learn from calamities (e.g., emergencies, disasters, catastrophes) and that the affected individuals, groups, and enterprises, as well as the concerned (disaster-) management organizations and institutions for prevention and mitigation, will be able to be better prepared or more efficient next time. Furthermore, it is often assumed that the results of these learning processes are preserved as "knowledge" in the collective memory of a society, and that patterns of practices were adopted on this base. Within history, there is more evidence for the opposite: Analyzing past calamities reveals that there is hardly any learning and, if so, that ...
In 2014, the OECD took stock of OECD countries' achievements in building resilience to major natural and man-made disasters. Based on its findings, a cross-country comparative study was undertaken in Austria, France and Switzerland; this report presents the findings from individual and comparative
The 16 contributions to Geographical Information Systems in Assessing Natural Hazards report on GIS investigations into landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and groundwater pollution hazards. Current methods for predicting extreme events are critically discussed, the emphasis being on the intrinsic complexity of this type of operation, requiring many spatial data, long historical records and sound models of the physical processes involved. Within this context, the potentials and limitations of GIS are addressed in terms of data acquisition, spatial data structures and modelling for simulation of the causal phenomena. Geographic Information Systems in Assessing Natural Hazards will help investigators in both public and private institutions to evaluate the actual effectiveness of GIS in coping with natural disasters, and to develop new strategies for projects aimed at the assessment and mitigation of the effects of such catastrophic events.
The Swiss National Forest Inventory (NFI) is a forest survey on national level which started in 1982 and has already reached its 5th survey cycle (NFI5). It can be characterized as a multisource and multipurpose inventory where information is mainly collected from terrestrial field surveys using permanent sample plots. In addition, data from aerial photography, GIS and forest service questionnaires are also included. The NFI's main objective is to provide statistically reliable and sound figures to stakeholders such as politicians, researchers, ecologists, forest service, timber industry, national and international organizations as well as to international projects such as the Forest Resourc...
These proceedings contain 55 papers presented at the Conference "Natural Forests in the Temperate Zone of Europe - Values and Utilisation", held in October 2003 in Mukachevo, Ukraine. The papers deal with the topics "structure and dynamics of natural and virgin forests" with a focus on disturbance regimes, "biodiversity", and "protection and management of natural forests". The value of virgin forests for defining close-to-nature silviculture and for biodiversity conservation is analysed and critically discussed, as well as the socio-cultural and socio-economic value associated with natural forests. The significance of natural forest ecosystems is shown and strategies for the protection and management of natural forests are presented. Special attention is given to the virgin and natural forests of Ukraine.
Catastrophes, it seems, are becoming more frequent in the twenty-first century. According to UN statistics, every year approximately two hundred million people are directly affected by natural disasters_seven times the number of people who are affected by war. Discussions about global warming and fatal disasters such as Katrina and the Tsunami of 2004 have heightened our awareness of natural disasters and of their impact on both local and global communities. Hollywood has also produced numerous disaster movies in recent years, some of which have become blockbusters. This volume demonstrates that natural catastrophes_earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, etc._have exercised a vast impact on humans...
Mit engl., franz. und dt. Zusammenfass.