Abstract
Research on multi-hazard events and their impacts requires detailed information which is often limited or sparse across multiple portals. Heterogeneous data and metadata on the occurrence of individual hazards, their spatial and temporal proximity, their potential relationships as well as underlying information on exposure and vulnerabilities is needed to understand and address complex multi-hazard risks.
Funded by the European Space Agency, the Earth Observation for Multi-Hazard (EO4MULTIHA) project aims to collect and harmonize event information from existing repositories into an event database, providing data and on-the-fly analysis tools through a web portal.
The EO4MULTIHA database is a Relational Data Base Management System, based on open-source solutions, that collects events information regularly updated from providers such as EMDAT (the International Disaster Database of the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)), EFFIS (European Forest Fire Information System), and other national and regional databases. The initial focus is on three project study areas: (i) the Adige River Basin in Italy, (ii) the southern part of the United Kingdom, and (iii) Dominica Island in the Caribbean. Moreover, the portal has been set up allowing for potential future expansion to include other regions and their corresponding multi-hazard risk data.
The web portal enables users to query database content and provides an initial support for grouping single events into multi-hazard events. It offers event visualization on an interactive map, with the possibility to apply spatial and temporal filtering to refine the results. An automated pipeline ensures continuous data integration and updates, supporting ongoing and future multi-hazard risk research. The web portal also provides links to an extensive suite of data, including satellite imagery, climatological records, in-situ measurements, and relevant statistics needed to describe hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and impacts of multi-hazard events. Additionally, the portal integrates Geostories focusing on specific multi-hazard events, combining available data and information into explanatory reports of specific and complex multi-hazard events.
Overall, the EO4MULTIHA project empowers a deeper understanding and analysis of complex multi-hazard events by facilitating access to quantitative data for researchers, decision-makers, and citizens. It represents a significant step forward in understanding and managing multi-hazard risks, contributing with valuable resources to the scientific community and practitioners.