Tsunami early warning systems rely on the timely and reliable acquisition of relevant data either from buoys at sea or from tide gauges in ports and its subsequent transmission to warning centres. Satellite communications provide a secure and reliable way to transmit that essential data to such warning centres. The Pacific Tsunami Warning System (PTWC), for example, uses satellite technology both to collect information on the height of waves and to transmit warnings to emergency centres in order to alert communities in case of tsunamis.
Tsunami early warning systems rely on the timely and reliable acquisition of relevant data either from buoys at sea or from tide gauges in ports and its subsequent transmission to warning centres. Satellite communications provide a secure and reliable way to transmit that essential data to such warning centres. The Pacific Tsunami Warning System (PTWC), for example, uses satellite technology both to collect information on the height of waves and to transmit warnings to emergency centres in order to alert communities in case of tsunamis.
Following a tsunami that hit coastal areas around the Sunda strait between the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java on 22 December, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has requested the activation of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters on behalf of the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) of Indonesia. LAPAN is a UN-SPIDER Regional Support Office (RSO).
The International Charter Space and Major Disasters was activated on 7 December 2016 due to a 6.5 earthquake in Indonesia. The Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) on behalf of LAPAN requested the activation. The most affected area was the Pidie Jaya district where damage was reported in approximately 250 buildings leaving several thousand people homeless. The number of victims is 102; however the Indonesia Disaster Agency said that the figure could increase as the recovery operations continue.
UN-SPIDER was invited to contribute to the regional training workshop on Coastal Hazard Assessment: Applications in Risk Assessment, Management and Mitigation. The regional workshop was conducted in Victoria, Seychelles between 7 and 11 March 2016 and it was organised by UNESCO-IOC, the Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Centre (IOTIC) and the Disaster Risk Management Office of the Seychelles.
The International Charter: Space and Major Disasters has been triggered to provide satellite-based emergency maps in response to a powerful 8.3 magnitude earthquake in Chile and also caused a tsunami, which affected some parts of the coast. The mechanism was activated on 17 September 2015, at 09:37:02 (UTC+03:00) by ONEMI.
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is working on the creation of 3D Geographic Information System (GIS) maps to ease the evacuation of people from vulnerable areas at risk of tsunami or other natural disaster.
Today, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) opened their training workshop "Coastal Hazard Assessment: Applications in Risk Assessment, Management and Mitigation" in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where the 2004 tsunami killed more than 35,000 people.The workshop, taking place from 2 to 5 June 2015, is bringing together 27 participants from 17 countries exposed to tsunamis here in the Indian Ocean.
The Tohoku University and Fujitsu Laboratories jointly developed a real-time flood analysis system with the help of the Fujitsu's supercomputer, K.
Disaster risk reduction has become a priority for Japan after 2011 tsunami, which devastated the coast and left more than 15,000 killed. With the help of K, this new system will allow calculating the estimated arrival time of tsunamis and the probability and extent of infrastructural damage.
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