Geospatial Information Technology for Emergency Response

Citation

Zlatanova, S. and Li, J. (2010), "Geospatial Information Technology for Emergency Response", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 275-276. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2010.19.2.275.4

The lessons learned from disasters have highlighted the importance of geospatial information technology in the critical period immediately following an event.

The information provided by geospatial technologies is invaluable in supporting emergency and disaster management. New developments and applications from the field of geospatial information continue to stream into contemporary practice. Zlatanova and Li present a new collection of work from 33 researchers to “represent the very best of current thinking from a number of pioneering studies over the past four years.”

This edited volume is the sixth in a series from the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. The authors consolidate an incredible amount of information into 17 chapters, divided into six parts:

1. 1.

   policy and legislation;

2. 2.

   data collection and products;

3. 3.

   3D data management;

4. 4.

   emerging technologies;

5. 5.

   integration of heterogeneous data; and

6. 6.

   applications and solutions.

Key topics include real‐time data, 3D modeling, and recommendations on the management of data in a changing and uncertain environment. The chapters offer a high level of technical detail to be appreciated by both the novice and experienced user.

Unlike many other collections, this book includes an international perspective and the insights of researchers from ten countries. One of its limitations, inevitable in this fast‐moving field, is the reality that within the next decade certain aspects of this volume will become obsolete as the technology advances. However, the underlying principles and concerns will remain relevant and useful. This book will be most useful to advanced students and professionals engaged with the application of geospatial information technology. For the interested reader, it is an accessible volume that offers a considerable breadth of current knowledge.