International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXII Part 7C2, UNISPACF. Ill, Vienna. 1999 
123 
I5PR5 
UNISPACE III - ISPRS/EARSeL Workshop on 
“Remote Sensing for the Detection, Monitoring 
and Mitigation of Natural Disasters” 
2:30-5:30 pm, 22 July 1999, VIC Room B 
Vienna, Austria 
OVERARCHING CONCLUSIONS AND 
RECOMMENDATIONS 
After more than two years of activity, a set of overarching 
conclusions and recommendations have been agreed. These 
recommendations draw heavily upon and should serve to 
reinforce the experiences and findings of other studies and 
demonstration projects. For example, the Strategic Alliances 
and Resources Corporation has published a Disaster 
Management User Requirements Study, March 1998, for the 
Canadian Space Agency and the Disaster Information Task 
Force lias published a Global Disaster Information Network 
Report, November 1997. A Disaster Management Support 
Project Progress Report was published in 1998. 
There is a visible willingness within the disaster management 
community to give due consideration to new space 
technologies that will improve their operations. Nonethe 
less, because of the difficulty in introducing new, unproven 
teclinology and the concern for complicating their operations, 
there is a general reluctance to quickly assimilate new 
technologies and information into their programs. 
It will be up to the space sector to proactively respond to this 
general receptiveness. They will need to invest effort into 
familiarizing themselves with the needs of the disaster 
management users by promoting mutual understanding and 
dialogue. They will need to create appropriate tools and 
perform compelling demonstrations. 
Timeliness, cost, accessibility, ease of use, reliability, 
repeatability, and demonstrated operational capability are the 
most important criteria affecting the implementation of space 
systems and data into disaster management programs. For 
disaster warning and response, rapid response is most 
important. 
Rapid satellite tasking for Earth observation missions and fast 
processing and delivery of data are very important as well. 
An integrated approach to applications is needed, e.g. to 
integrate non-space and space information and to quickly 
move integrated products in a seamless fashion. 
It is recommended that the Disaster Management Support 
Project focus on refining recommendations for current and 
future systems; considering the improved use of satellite data 
for application to additional hazard types; supporting outreach 
to users; involving seivice providers; and promoting 
development of information tools. The Project and each 
Hazard team should reach out for broader geographic and 
disciplinary representation, especially to specific users to 
determine their information needs. Describing what space- 
based observations can and cannot do must be as accurate as 
possible. 
Other recommendations include smoothing the transition from 
research to operations; raising the issue of data policy to 
improve and assure access, timeliness, and affordability of 
data, eg. high-resolution data; moving toward a more 
integrated approach to mission planning; and mirroring 
essential information to provide more timely access to tliis 
information. 
Hazard Team Recommendations 
In tliis section, findings and preliminary reconunendations for 
selected hazards are summarized. These will be refined and 
formalized over the next year. 
Drought. Satellite data are used for drought prediction, 
monitoring, impact assessment and response. Droughts 
depend on vegetation state and weather/climate conditions. 
For large scale and global vegetation applications, low- 
resolution visible and infrared radiometers continue to be the 
“workhorse”. For smaller scale vegetation applications, some 
medium-resolution radiometers are utilized routinely. Others 
should be more widely used. Data from weather satellites are 
used for monitoring weather and climate conditions, but there 
should be increased use of microwave radiometers. Data from 
new satellite systems should be utilized, as their data streams 
become accessible. 
Earthquake. Current satellite technologies are applicable in a 
limited way in earthquake hazards and more work is needed to 
fill temporal and spatial requirements. The availability of 1 or 
2 meter spatial resolution satellite imageiy will make a 
profound contribution to eartliquake damage assessment and 
disaster response if adequate temporal resolution can be 
achieved. There is little hope that space techniques - or 
anything else - can help in effective earthquake prediction. 
Earthquake disaster mitigation is the most important element 
of earthquake disaster management and the area in wliich 
satellite observations can make - and are making - their 
biggest contributions. Generally, these contributions are to 
basic understanding although there are areas - and will be 
areas - of more direct application. 
Fire 
A wide range of types of satellite data is used to support the 
different phases of fire management-risk assessment, 
detection monitoring, and damage assessment. Data types are 
different when analyzing fuel, weather, or topography and 
different for various geographical scales. 
Global data coverage from several current civilian satellites is 
needed for such purposes as fire scar and biomass binning