Understanding global natural disasters and the role of earth observation

Abstract

Since earthquakes, tropical storms, and floods are the three main global natural disasters causing the biggest loss, they should be the main focus of research in disaster science and disaster mitigation and prevention. This paper discusses the characteristics of these three global natural disasters from a scientific point of view, and analyses their patterns of distribution, origin and result, as well as the extent of their damage and measures of disaster mitigation and prevention. The paper, at the technical level, introduces the role of earth observation (EO) technologies in disaster mitigation, and real and quasi-real-time monitoring and assessment using advanced optical and microwaveEOcapacities,while digital earth technologies provide avery important role in rapidly acquiring spatial information of the disaster areas. The paper concludes by discussing the relationship between man and natural disasters, and proposes the viewpoint that man and nature should be able to harmoniously coexist, and the importance of understanding disasters from an earth system science perspective so as to better meet the challenges of natural disasters. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.