The Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers
United States of America

TECHNOLOGY POLICY COUNCIL SYMPOSIUM

The IEEE-USA Technology Policy Council sponsored a two-day symposium in June 1998, in Washington DC. Experts in the use of space applications for disaster mitigation and global health, along with knowledgeable speakers and attendees from government, industry and academia participated. The symposium produced a number of recommendations that are being studied in more detail by IEEE-USA technical policy committees and will lead to policy position statements. If you are interested in working with our TPC volunteers on these issues, please let us know by contacting Raymond Paul, r.paul@ieee.org.

Background:

There are some 50 major natural disasters each year. The consequences of these disasters, both in human and in economic losses, are increasing dramatically, due primarily to the growth in population and the concentration of these populations in urban areas. In the U.S. alone, economic losses have increased from approximately $5 billion annually in the 1970's to nearly $50 billion annually the last few years. Worldwide and U.S. examples include the following:

• WORLD-WIDE EXAMPLES:

  (1970) A hurricane in an area now in Bangladesh created waves of heights greater than 6 feet, and killed approximately 200,000 persons; subsequent rain-induced floods swept approximately 100,000 persons out to sea.

  The severity of this event could have been mitigated by early warning and real-time monitoring.

  (1976) An earthquake in Tangshan, China killed 300,000-750,000 persons.

  Modern remote-sensing of surface temperatures may have given warning.

  Better communications would have increased the effectiveness of the emergency response.

  (1996) An earthquake near Kobe, Japan caused $200B damage.

  Remote sensing monitored the fires (infrared: 10-50m resolution), spatial displacements (visible: 10m), and flooding.

  This event motivated installation of a post-office-based satellite communications system and a proposal for stereo-imaging capability.

• UNITED STATES EXAMPLES:

  (1992) Hurricane Andrew caused $30B damage.

  U.S. Department of Commerce/NOAA provided effective prediction and warning.

  FEMA and DOD provided emergency communication capability (then air-based; future satellite-based).

  (1993) Midwest floods caused $20B damage.

  Air-based assets detected water-saturated land, leading to prediction of increased run-off from subsequent rain.

  (1994) Northridge Earthquake caused $30B damage.

  GPS-based monitoring contributed to the prediction (incremental resolution <lcm!).

Space technologies and applications can be used to mitigate the severity of the losses. Satellite communications, remote sensing and positioning (GPS) technologies and systems can be applied to all stages of natural disasters: preparedness, prediction, warning, response and restoration.

• FLOODS:

  Visible remote sensing can provide weather prediction and warning.

  Down-looking radar can measure snow-melt.

  Spectral monitors can discriminate as to water, snow, and land and can measure ground saturation.

  Topographic information can provide the basis for simulations.

  Temperature and moisture monitoring could indicate environments conducive to epidemics.

• EARTHQUAKES:

  GPS-based sensors can monitor displacements and seismic activity, leading to predictions.

Satellite-based communication can contribute after the event.

Remote sensing can monitor fires (IR: ~3m), and spatial displacements (visible: ~1-2mi down-looking radars), and will provide stereo imagery to improve detection of vertical displacements.

• HURRICANES:

  Visible sensing can provide weather prediction.

  Satellites can provide emergency communication.

  Remote sensing can monitor ground saturation, flooding, etc.

• DROUGHTS:

  Remote sensing can measure water, ground moisture, and chlorophyll.

• VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS:

  GPS can measure bulges; remote sensing of surface temperatures, and magma flows.

  Satellite images can monitor ash clouds, to aid aircraft routing and public health teams.

• OIL SPILLS:

  Oil on the water's surface is visible, so size and drift of oil spills can be monitored.

• NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS:

  Satellite images showed Chernobyl characteristics (visible and IR).

• TORNADOES:

  Currently beyond the state-of-the-art, but promising.

Recommendations from the TPC Symposium

RECOMMENDATION 1:

Federal and non-government organizations responsible for disaster mitigation and global health should strive to better understand how space technologies and applications can contribute to limiting the damages and losses from such disasters.

RECOMMENDATION 2:

The missions and activities of the appropriate federal agencies should include applying space-based capabilities to preparedness, prediction, warning, response, and restoration related to natural and human-induced disasters.

• NASA's Earth Science mission should be enhanced to provide remote-sensing data to disaster agencies.
• DOD should increase its integration with the data systems of international disaster agencies, to provide increased disaster mitigation capability.
• NOAA should increase the availability of disaster-related data.

RECOMMENDATION 3:

Based on the recommendations of disaster agencies, space agencies working with disaster agencies should define incremental requirements for future space missions whose emphasis would clearly serve both disaster mitigation and global health.

• Improve capability of remote sensing systems to monitor oil spills, to monitor land surface temperature/topographic changes for earthquake and volcano prediction and early warning, to measure snow-melt rate and predict flooding, and to measure the environment to predict occurrences of epidemics.

RECOMMENDATION 4:

Federal agencies should assure that remote sensing data from government and commercial providers is sufficiently available, reliable and affordable so that it is useful for the disaster mitigation/global health community.

• Establish an outreach activity to inform communities of the existence of current space databases, such as the national Science Data Center.
• Compile a listing of space-derived parameters and requirements useful to health applications and disaster monitoring.
• Promote the development and interoperability of remote sensing data systems and establish standards.
• Provide a clearinghouse for the archival, preservation, storage, and cataloguing of current and future space-derived data (Note: the Global Disaster Information Network is a partial answer).

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Updated: August 23, 1998

Staff Info Contact: Raymond Paul, r.paul@ieee.org