Integration Of Physical Simulation Models In The Frame Of A GIS For The Development Of A Volcanic Risk Assessment Information System
Francisca Gómez-Fernández, Giovanni Macedonio · WIT transactions on ecology and the environment · 1970
Conventional volcanic risk assessment studies have usually appealed to complex calculation procedures in which a great variety of parameters are involved and large volumes of data from different sources have to be analysed. Both requirements have usually constrained the production of updated volcanic risk maps either because of the limited qualitative approach that has to be usually adopted to calculate risk or because of the long times required to gather and elaborate the data. In this context, Geographical Information Systems and volcanic simulation physical models have provided the tools to give a first step towards the solution of these drawbacks. Making use of both of them, a dynamic an interactive methodology to analyse volcanic risk in the frame of a GIS has been designed and developed and a volcanic risk assessment information system for early prevention and management of volcanic crisis is currently being devised. The main objective pursued by the incorporation of volcanic simulation models to the risk assessment process is to get advantage of their capability of producing scenarios or hazard maps where the potential distribution of the products of an eruption of certain characteristics is reflected. Hence, the possibility of identifying in advance the potential affected areas and the degree of affection makes them extremely useful tools for volcanic risk assessment, management and prevention purposes. Nevertheless, volcanic simulation models have, till nowadays, usually made up independent programs with their own particular formats for data storage, retrieval and display. These characteristics have limited their use due to the constraints found when data exchange or interconnection with other phases of the classical risk assessment process has been tempted. To achieve a complete integration of the models in the frame of the GIS, each of the models considered have to be adapted to the new operational environment. Therefore, before implementation takes place, there is the need to (1) identify the databases and parameters required for simulation, (2) analyse the kind of outputs provided, (3) establish the most convenient method to carry out the integration and, (4) specify the set of requirements that the models will have to fulfil in the new developing environment. Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 24, © 1998 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541