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Disaster management information systems (DMISs) have been proposed in different parts of the world for effective response to a disaster. The purpose of this paper is to: compare design approaches of these DMISs; examine similarities in the design of databases and communication infrastructure; and draw conclusions. Based on the examination of the studies, future opportunities have been identified and discussed.

The studies in the available literature on the designs of automated DMISs have been reviewed in the presented paper to identify similarities in design premise, conceptual design and design considerations.

The examination of the available studies indicates that the research on DMIS has increased significantly in different countries of the world since 2004. Data of baseline information and available resources are required by most of the presented studies, as these data are necessary for effective response to a disaster. The communication infrastructures suggested include local area network, wide area network and satellite communication for better coordination between the responders and different relief agencies at different locations. The connectivity to these networks is possible through Ethernet, Wi-Fi, general packet radio service or satellite.

Although the research on DMIS has increased significantly over the last one decade, the studies are still few in numbers. Similarly, only few of the proposed systems have been developed and tested during a real disaster.

The presented review of available studies provides a holistic view of the proposed DMISs which could be useful to the disaster management authorities.

The paper provides valuable information on the differences in the proposed DMISs. This can help in identifying the gaps for future improvements for increased effectiveness of a DMIS. The future opportunities have also been identified in the presented paper and are discussed.

This paper aims to present the studies which were carried out to determine building typology in Northern Pakistan, which is a seismically active region.

A total of 41 towns and cities were surveyed to collect the data of building types. Help was also taken from global positioning system and satellite imagery.

In total, 14 different types of buildings were identified in the region based on the structural system and combination of wall and roof materials; each of them was assigned an appropriate designation. The walls in these buildings were made of block, stone or brick, whereas the roof consisted of corrugated galvanised iron sheet, thatched roof, precast concrete planks or reinforced concrete (RC). Only 6 per cent buildings were found to be engineered RC buildings; this indicates a significance proportion of non-engineered building stock in Northern Pakistan.

The surveys were conducted in some of the selected areas. Other areas are beyond the scope of this work.

The presence of a huge deficient building stock in Pakistan indicates a major seismic risk. The seismic losses are largely dependent on the earthquake resistance of existing buildings and building stock. An inventory of existing buildings and their types can help in assessing seismic vulnerability of the built environment, which may lead to the development of policies for seismic risk reduction.

Presently, housing encyclopaedia does not exist in Pakistan. As a result, housing typology in the country is not known. The presented study addresses this gap in part. Housing typology surveys were conducted to study the typical construction practices in the selected areas and to determine the proportions of different building types in the overall building stock.

This paper aims to present the results of testing of low-strength concrete specimens exposed to elevated temperatures. These data are limited in the existing literature and do not exist in Pakistan.

An experimental testing programme has been employed. Cylindrical specimens of 100 × 200 mm were used in the testing programme. These were heated at temperatures which were varied from 100°C to 900°C in increment of 100°C. Similar specimens were tested at ambient temperature as control specimens. The compressive and tensile properties of heat treated specimens were determined.

The colour of concrete started to change at 300°C and hairline cracks appeared at 400°C. Explosive spalling was observed in few specimens in the temperature range of 400°C-650°C which could be attributed to the pore pressure generated by steam. Significant loss of concrete compressive strength occurred on heating temperatures larger than 600°C, and the residual compressive strength was found to be 15 per cent at 900°C. Residual tensile strength of concrete became less than 10 per cent at 900°C. The loss of concrete stiffness reached 85 per cent at 600°C. Residual Poisson’s ratio of concrete increased at high temperatures and became nearly six times larger at 900°C as compared to that at ambient temperature.

The parameters of the study included heating temperature and effects of temperature on strength and stiffness properties of the concrete specimens.

Building fire incidents have increased in Pakistan. As a large number of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings exist in the country, the data related to elevated temperature properties of concrete are required. These data are not available in Pakistan presently. The study aims at providing this information for the design engineers to enable them to assess and increase fire resistance of RC structural members.

The presented study is unique in its nature in that there is no published contribution to date, to the best of authors’ knowledge, which has been carried out to assess the temperature-dependent mechanical properties of concrete in Pakistan.