Risk maps for evaluation of natural and man-made hazards

Abstract

With the advances of GIS technology it is possible now to map and determine the risks for different natural and man made risks and catastrophes. The large amounts of data can be processed, quantified and displayed on the digital maps allowing the decision makers to access the situation rapidly and take appropriate actions. The use of advanced hydrological tools for computation and modelling of natural hazards such as floods can be combined with the GIS that has the capability of decision support and advanced visualization to produce the models that will represent the risks of natural hazards and man-made disasters in the form of risk maps, where the risks are categorized and quantified. Furthermore, these processes can be automated what can allow for near real time access to the risk maps. This can greatly help decision makers with the emergency measures, and mitigation in most of the cases. In this article two case studies are presented. The first one deals with mapping of the flood risks while in the second one we present the geochemical mapping of contaminants that can pose risk to human health. The methodology used to derive the risk maps for these two cases are explained. The risks maps of flood hazards and maps of chemical contamination combined with the mining activities in the affected areas are also presented and explained. © 2012 WIT Press.