An examination of Earth tremors in Nigeria shows activity mostly along northwest-southeast lines. This is contrary to earlier theories that the tremors occurred in the inland extension of the northeast-southwest oceanic faults.
The Azores archipelago (Portugal) is subject to several geological hazards, including earthquakes and volcanic activity. In response, the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Risks Assessment (CVARG), developed a monitoring network which uses geophysical, geodetic, geochemical and meteorological techniques to provide continuous monitoring and early warning.
Imaging instruments ASTER, MODIS and MISR, all a part of NASA’s Terra space platform, each offer a unique view of Japan’s disaster zone. Together, these views produce complementary multispectral and multiangular sets of data valuable for evaluating damage and planning for reconstruction.
The Italian government declared a state of emergency following landslides in 2008-2010. Case studies of these landslides, and a related landslide stability model, can be used by the Authority of Civil Protection and other experts for managing future risks.
In Portugal, the fire season of 2003 was the worst on record. Satellite imagery was used to study the post-fire vegetation response. The results contribute to our understanding of the impact of management strategies and can ultimately improve allocation of firefighting resources.
International Earth observation agencies are cooperating in the creation of online resources to aid rescue efforts and advance scientific understanding in the wake of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Available visualization products relate to a range of issues, including historic and present seismic activity, landslides, deformation areas, floating objects and more.
India is a country that faces food scarcity issues and is vulnerable to disasters brought about by tropical cyclones and tidal surges. Global warming threatens to exacerbate both of these issues, and proper planning is needed to help decrease these threats to India and its people.
The volcanic hazard can involve a sequence of disastrous events, leading to cascading effects in multiple systems. An effective Disaster Operations Management tool should be focused on a dynamic evolution of risk, in order to minimize physical and economic losses.
Following the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, a testbed was developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium to distribute data and provide tools for analysis and decision-making. The context and results of this testbed are relevant for the management of future post-crisis disaster events.
![Map of the maximum sea elevation computed for the Catania area. It shows a small difference between the maximum inundation line (for the worst-case scenario) and the black-lined inundation boundary according to an aggregated scenario (from [Tinti et al., 2011])](https://ieeeearthzine.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Figure-12.jpg "Map of the maximum sea elevation computed for the Catania area. It shows a small difference between the maximum inundation line (for the worst-case scenario) and the black-lined inundation boundary according to an aggregated scenario (from [Tinti et al., 2011])")
Research done as part of the European SCHEMA project suggests that creation of hazard and damage scenarios may save lives during disasters caused by tsunami waves. These scenarios can help identify suitable vertical shelters and escape routes and even estimate expected accumulation of debris.
