Home // International Journal On Advances in Security, volume 2, numbers 2 and 3, 2009 // View article

Distributed GIS Approach for Flood Risk Assessment

Authors:
Rifaat Abdalla

Keywords: WebGIS, GSN, GeoICT

Abstract:
Web-based Geographic Information Systems (WebGIS) provides key decision support capabilities for the disaster and emergency management community. Perspective visualization and simultaneous access to emergency management data are important capabilities that WebGIS can provide in support of informed decision-making process. By using a case study on a section of the Don Valley in Toronto, Canada, this paper will present a WebGIS based interdisciplinary approach for flood risk assessment and will demonstrate the utility of WebGIS in simulating different what-if scenarios under different water surface elevations. A visual model of the extent and the impact was published in the web using GeoServNet (GSN), a proprietary WebGIS package. The article highlights the capabilities of WebGIS and addresses some of the key issues that prevent a proper emergency response. Issues like time of geospatial data acquisition, maintenance, processing and update can be a challenge during emergencies. This article is of importance to decision makers in public safety and national security domains, as well as to military personnel working at the operational level.

Pages: 182 to 189

Copyright: Copyright (c) to authors, 2009. Used with permission.

Publication date: December 1, 2009

Published in: journal

ISSN: 1942-2636