UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Project Report Sheet Surname or Family name: Bhaskaran First name: Sunil Other name/s: ----- Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: PhD School: Surveying and Spatial Information Systems Faculty: Engineering Title: Integrating Remote Sensing and GIS for Urban Fire Disaster Management Abstract 350 words maximum: This research is aimed at developing an urban disaster management system, which will improve the existing method of hazard assessment and dynamic resource distribution. Disaster management deals with the risk of natural disaster and managing the events following disasters. Although prevention of disasters is an impossible task, careful risk analysis can help save lives and reduce monetary damages. The study integrates high spatial resolution remote sensor data with GIS data for developing a methodology to model urban disaster risk, which will assist in providing decision support systems for emergency operations and redistribution of dynamic resources (material and human) . Since a major part of the research was carried out in collaboration with the New South Wales Fire Brigades, Sydney, it attempts to provide systems, which aim to improve their existing methodology of risk assessment and provide decision support systems for dynamic resource distribution. Research result demonstrates a unique methodology, that integrates appropriate remote sensor and existing GIS data to semantically model hazard in urban areas. The use of the model will have implications for the existing distribution of dynamic resources in geographically unique service areas, which can lead to the reassessment of hazard and redistribution of dynamic resources.A framework for integrating remote sensing and GIS data is also demonstrated as an alternative to the existing method of distributing dynamic resources . The research results can contribute to an overall improvement in the way urban disasters are managed and will assist multiple users in the decision making process. Since this research was carried out using real data and off and on-field collaboration with the Corporate Strategy Division, New South Wales Fire Brigades, Sydney it has the potential to be implemented immediately. 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FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award 1-' \· 07 !Registrar a!li d De(!u!Y Princi(!al I CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby declare that this ·:.ubmission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no nMerials previously published or written by another person, nor material which to a s~bstantinl extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, b explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the projccrs design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged (Signed) L_____________________ ~ INT GRA T NG REMOTE E Sl G A D GIS FOR U BAN Fl E DISASTER MANAGEME T By Sunil Bhaskaran A thesis submitted to The School of Surveying and Spatial Information Systems University of New South Wales in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In School of Surveying and Spatial Information Systems (Was earlier known as Geomatic Engineering) March 2002 "I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgment is made in the text. " UN 8 vV 1 6 JAN 2003 LIBRARY TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 References &Append ices--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------VII Abstract ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------IX List of Figures------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------XII List of Tables-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------XV Acknowledgments-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------XVI Chapter 1: lntroduction-····························································1 1-1 Purpose of the Study--------------------------------------------------------------------- -1 1-1.1 Reasons for Undertaking Research----------------------------------------------------------3 1-1.2 Background and Justification of Study------------------------------------------------------4 1-2 Research Objectives----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5 1-3 Research Questions----------------------------------------------------------------7 1-4 Thesis Organization -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7 Chapter 2: Hazard Monitoring- Review of Remote Sensing and GIS et!; lrC>C>Is.··································································-··············1~ 2-1 lntroduction-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12 2-1.1 Conceptual Issues Definition of Hazard, Vulnerability, Risk and Disaster--------13 2-2 Need for Modelling Hazards-------------------------------------------------------------------------------16 2-3 Hazard Monitoring, Assessment and Analysis--------------------------------------------------------1 9 I 2-4 Remote Sensing and GIS in Disaster Management- ------------------------------------------------22 2-4.1 Weather Hazards-----------------------------------------------------------------------------25 2-4.1.1 Hurricanes, Cyclones and Storms----------------------------------------------25 2-4.2 Geologic Hazards --------------------------------------------------------------------------27 2-4.2.1 Landslide Hazard Mitigation------------------------------------------------------27 2-4 .2 .2 Earthquakes--------------------------------------------------------------------------29 2-4.2.3 Volcanoes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------30 2-4.3 Technological and lnd us trial Hazards--------------------------------------------------31 2-4.4 En vi ron men tal Hazard s------------------------------------------------------------------------32 2-4.5 Fire Hazards-----------------------------------------------------------------------------33 2-4.5.1 Forest and Grass Fires------------------------------------------------------------33 2-4.6 Risk Management in Urban areas----------------------------------------------------------38 2-4.7 Remote Sensing and GIS for Other Studies----------------------------------------------40 2-5 Su mmary---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------42 Chapter 3: Urban Fire Hazard Categorization and Monitoring--····45 3-1 Introd uctio n------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------45 3-2 Case studies of RS/GIS applied to Hazard Management-------------------------------------------48 3-2 .1 National-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------51 3-3 Risk Assessment by the New South Wales Fire Srigades-------------------------------------------55 3-3.1 Issues with Current Methodology------------------------------------------------------------56 3-3.1.1 Geographicallnsensitivity---------------------------------------------------------59 3-3.1.2 Community Vulnerability-----------------------------------------------------------60 3-3.1.3 Non-Currency of Spatio-temporallnformation------------------------- --- -61 3-3.1.4 Allocation of Dynamic Resources-----------------------------------------------61 II 3-4 Sources of Data for Required Resolutions--------------------------------------------------------------62 3-4 .1 In trod uction---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------62 3-4.2 Building/Cadastre/lnfrastructure------------------------------------------------------------63