GIS in Disaster Response

Geographic information system (GIS) technology is used in many phases of disaster management, principally for risk mitigation information and damage assessment, as a tool for supporting decisions during the impending crisis, for sharing information, and as a basis for emergency plans. It should be noted in advance that while rescue, relief, and recovery are aimed at coping with the crisis, reconstruction and preparedness should be devoted to the mitigation of possible future disasters in terms of realization of adequate settlements and community innovations. Currently, the potential, performances, and presence of GIS in all disaster phases are expanding. This has emerged because GIS potential is fostered in combination with ubiquitous information and communication technologies, the increasing availability of geospatial technologies (e.g., the Spatial Video Acquisition Systems, ...