Early Warning and Prediction Systems

Early warning is a major part of risk and disaster management. The ability to manage emergencies, rather than merely react to crises, is critically dependent on the availability and flow of real-time information that is linked through a variety of information networks, both formal and informal. Warning the public of an impending disaster is the last line of defense to mitigate the losses that both natural and technological hazards impose on communities.

Hazard warning systems are social and organizational processes that employ technological and other means to reduce risk and loss. However, there is much more to early warning systems than issuing the warning itself. While the technological aspects of early warning systems (EWS) have received considerable attention by donors and governments, addressing preparedness and disaster ...