Geoenvironment and Related Disasters - A Geospatial Approach

Abstract

Natural disasters have become fast growing epidemics around the world in general, the disasters like earthquakes, landslides, floods, cyclones and other coastal hazards etc., are already crippling the development and growth of the country. In the recent decades, the “Earth Observing Satellites” which are producing unparallel pictures on various spectral, spatial and temporal resolutions, where as the fast emerging “Geospatial Technology” (GIS) has proved its credentials beyond doubt in storing, manipulating, modeling and visualizing various phenomena related to Earth System Dynamics. In this context, the present paper discusses to map the disasters like earthquakes, landslides, soil erosion, floods and cyclone on their pattern and spatial variation. The Geomatics based integrated terrain analysis, leading to the detection of landslide prone areas, causative factors, predictive models leading to the early warning system etc., Flood is yet another major disaster causing greater impediment to country, which are aspiring to grow faster. Though methodologies have been developed for flood hazard zonation mapping, the geomatics has not been utilized to its deserving levels. And concluded that the geospatial data bases which provide important inputs for studies in the emerging areas of environmental monitoring, global warming and climate change.