Integrating Geographic Information Systems, Spatial Databases and the Internet: A Framework for Disaster Management

At the global scale, high magnitude – low frequency natural disasters are a damaging phenomenon. There is growing recognition that successful disaster response strategies depend upon access to real-time spatial data/information that can be effectively utilized by not only relief agencies but also by local decision makers. Currently, many local and regional authorities are developing geographic information system (GIS) based spatial decision support systems (SDSS) in order to improve local disaster response and management capacity. Although such systems are useful, the evidence is that they tend to lack interoperability, and they require substantial GIS/technical knowledge through each of the design, development and implementation stages. Moreover, their creation and maintenance requires significant human and financial resources, and frequently access to information derived from such systems is very limited during the disaster response phase. Due to the different characteristics of disasters, and variations in appropriate response mechanisms and initiatives, increasing attention is being given to open source, Internet-based SDSS capabilities that can be made accessible by internet connections of modest bandwidth. This concept of an intuitive, user-friendly, online GIS-based SDSS, which has powerful implications for disaster response (for the operations, planning and management functions), is yet to be fully explored. Experience to date indicates, however, that Internet-based GIS could play a key role in the collection and dissemination of pertinent information in a fast, relatively inexpensive and straightforward manner during various stages of a disaster life cycle. That is, by integrating datasets from various online spatial data networks into one consistent web-enabled GIS interface, using open source MapServer technology and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards, vital spatial information is readily available to numerous users without requiring high-level technical skills on the hardware, software, data collection, data fusion, and data transformation side. In this paper we outline a framework for establishing an online GIS-based SDSS for natural disaster management on a global scale that integrates what we term "spatial reporting."