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Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment 1 (2015) 72–84 Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment 1 (2015) 72–84 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rsase Current situation and needs in man-made and natech risks management using Earth Observation techniques Sabina Di Franco n, Rosamaria Salvatori IIA – CNR, Rome, Italy article info abstract Article history: Received 23 March 2015 The Earth Observation (EO) techniques are becoming increasingly important in risk man- Received in revised form agement activities not only for natural hazards and natural disaster monitoring but also to 9 June 2015 ride out industrial and natech accidents. The latest developments in the aerospace industry Accepted 10 June 2015 Available online 29 July 2015 such as sensors miniaturization and high spatial and temporal resolution missions, devoted to monitoring areas of specific interest, have made the use of EO techniques more efficiently and Keywords: arevreadytobeusedinnearrealtimeconditions.Thispapersummarizethecurrentstateof Natech knowledge on how EO data can be useful in managing all the phases of the Industrial/natech Man-made hazards disaster, and from the environmental conditions before the accident strikes to the post Industrial accident Risk management accident relief, from the scenario setting and planning stage to the damage assessment. Preparedness & 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Emergency Recovery Small satellite UAV Contents 1. Introduction . 73 2. State of the art of the use of EO for industrial and natech risk management . 74 2.1. Explosions....................................................................................... 76 2.2. Fire............................................................................................. 76 2.3. Nuclear accidents. 78 2.4. Oilspills......................................................................................... 80 3. Future development . 80 3.1. Small satellites. 81 3.2. UAV............................................................................................ 81 4. Conclusions . 82 References............................................................................................. 82 n Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (S. Di Franco). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rsase.2015.06.004 2352-9385/& 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. S. Di Franco, R. Salvatori / Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment 1 (2015) 72–84 73 1. Introduction Moreover, the crisis events are often characterized by rapid evolutionary dynamics, with scenarios that can often Risk management is a complex activity that requires a change significantly in a very short time. Therefore, better multidisciplinary approach. When a disaster occurs, every emergency management necessarily passes through the minute is crucial to save lives, protect people, property and quality and quantity of observations and information, as the environment and to react in a coordinated and con- well as the speed at which the information can be trans- scious way which makes the real difference between a ferred and made clear and usable by decision makers. successful emergency management and failure. The events The industrial risk, from a risk classification point of caused by disasters are somehow repetitive and form a view, can be considered as a part of the wide category of cycle that can be divided in four phases: mitigation and man-made hazards. The man-made hazards, with some fi preparedness (before the catastrophe strikes); response variations depending on different classi cations, include: and recovery – reconstruction included – that occur after technological hazards, nuclear risk, transport risk and the disaster. The mitigation phase consists of all actions other anthropic activities such as business, infrastructure needed to reduce the impact of future disasters (Menoni and technological networks management, that can be a source of danger to humans and the environment (AA. VV., et al., 2012). These can be divided in structural (technical 2006); in the man-made hazards perspective the envir- and structural solutions) and non-structural measures onmental risk is related to the probability of an event such as land use-planning, legislation measure and eva- caused by unexpected alteration of physical and chemical cuation planning (Galderisi et al., 2008). Preparedness parameters in the environment (water, air and/or soil), phase comprises the actions taken to reduce the impacts that have immediate or short-term effects on the health of when the disaster is forecast or imminent. Response per- the resident population. Another definition, used in tech- tains to actions taken during and immediately after the nical papers, highlights the difference between “human- disaster, with the main aim to save and safeguard human made disaster” that are caused directly by human activities lives. The term recovery refers to the process of restoring and “human-induced disaster”, natural disaster that are services and repairing damage after the disaster has struck accelerated/aggravated by human influence (Van Westen, (Alexander, 2002). 2002). Keeping in mind this cycle the contribution of the sci- In this heterogeneous framework of hazards, risks and fi enti c community and the use of innovative technologies events, some significant industrial accidents are known to such as those related to Earth Observation are of strategic be caused or triggered by natural disasters. In the inter- importance during all the phases of the emergency man- national literature, this type of accident is defined as agement (Joyce et al., 2009). The emergency management natech or "Natural-Technological" event. One of the natech planning can be considered similar to an urban or regional definitions recite as follows: "Technological accidents, like planning process; both require that the local conditions fires, explosions and toxic releases that may occur in and geographic characteristic of the place are properly industrial complexes and along the distribution network considered, especially in term of hazardousness (Alex- as a result of natural disasters of natural matrix" (Clerc and ander, 2006). Le Claire, 1994; Lindell and Perry, 1996; Cruz et al., 2004). Fig. 1. Number of events and Industry (2002–2012). eMARS JRC – European Commission, Major Accident Hazards Bureau. 74 S. Di Franco, R. Salvatori / Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment 1 (2015) 72–84 The natech scenarios are emerging scenarios and they accidents with leakage of toxic gases). In case of release of are considered to become more frequent due to the effects toxic substances in the air, rescue teams must quickly of climate change (Krausmann et al., 2011, Salzano et al., evacuate residents from the area considered at risk whose 2013). National authorities have to identify those areas size must be defined, from the location of the source of that may be affected by such events (European Commis- emission, the direction and velocity of the wind and from sion - Joint Research Centre, 2004). Currently, identifica- other meteorological conditions at the time of the acci- tion and mapping of these hazards is not very common dent. It must be taken into account the location of the and the Joint Research Centre (JRC – European Commis- emergency areas relatively to geographical characteristics, sion) is developing a tool for mapping and rapid assess- the roads network and the presence of important infra- ment of this type of emergency, RAPID-N, which operates structures (dams, bridges, stations, public buildings). at a global scale (Girgin and Krausmann, 2013). These considerations are to be performed effectively and To investigate, monitor and analyse the industrial quickly getting each time a precise and effective feedback accident in Europe, the European Commission JRC (Joint of data collected on-site. Research Centre) was established in 1982 by the EU's As reported to the Major Accident Reporting System, in Seveso Directive 82/501/EEC, the Major Accident Reporting recent years (2000–2012) industrial accidents in Europe System (MARS and later renamed eMARS). The purpose of were about 490:201 releases of toxic substances, 153 fires, the eMARS is to facilitate the exchange of lessons learned 132 explosions and 5 accidents occurred during goods from accidents and near misses involving dangerous sub- transportation (eMARS) (Fig. 2). stances in order to improve chemical accident prevention and mitigation of potential consequences. “MARS contains reports of chemical accidents and near misses provided to the Major Accident and Hazards Bureau (MAHB) of the 2. State of the art of the use of EO for industrial and European Commission's Joint Research Centre from EU, natech risk management OECD and UNECE countries (under the TEIA Convention) (Fig.1). Reporting an event into eMARS is compulsory for Within the emergency management framework, Earth EU Member States when a Seveso establishment is Observation (EO) systems could play a key role, giving involved and the event meets the criteria of a “major timely and accurate information not only on the extension accident” as defined by Annex VI of the Seveso III Directive and degree of damages, but also on post event emergency (2012/18/EU, Major Accident Reporting System https:// activities. emars.jrc.ec.europa.eu/). Nowadays the satellites orbiting around our planet are In many cases the work of rescue may be delayed equipped with active and passive sensors that operate over
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