Early Warning Systems & Natural Disaster Management

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of the course, students are expected to:

• recognize the type, the importance but also the possibility of a natural disaster
• Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the basic methods and techniques of data collection for use in integrated early warning information systems.
• Develop methods to generate forecasts and estimate their application limits.
• Support decision-making in working groups of Civil Protection bodies
• Establish procedures for control, evaluation and validation of early warning methods
• produce complete early warning systems solutions
• Have the ability to manage risk in natural disaster events
• apply cutting-edge technologies and research tools in disaster management
• Evaluate (using studies and estimates) the effects of natural disaster

 

General Competences

• Search, analyze and synthesize data and information, using both necessary technologies
• Project planning & management
• Autonomous work in an interdisciplinary environment
• Promotion of free, creative and inductive thinking
• Decision making
• Time management – Working with deadlines

 

SYLLABUS

1. Introduction to Risk Analysis & Management (Risk, Vulnerability, Risk. Disaster Management Cycle, Risk Perception and Assessment, Crisis Management and Emergencies)
2. Geodynamic Hazards (Landslides: Types, causes & treatment of landslides, Earthquakes: Causes and Distribution of Earthquakes, Accompanying Seismic Phenomena, Volcanoes: Description, Distribution and Classification of Volcanoes, Volcanic Activity)
3. Hydrometeorological Disasters (Climate Change: Causes of the Greenhouse Effect, Impacts of Climate Change, Extreme Weather Phenomena and Expected Natural Resources Disasters: Tornado, Heat, Storms, Floods, Extreme Rainfall, Frost)
4. Forest fires (phenomenon description, causes, disaster distribution zones, management stages, actions, interventions and actions for each stage, national and international management framework)
5. Detection of precursors (Introduction to precursors, physicochemical processes and occurrence of natural disasters, validity and confidence intervals, use of historical records, retrieval of information from time series)
6. Early warning systems and methodologies (measurement sensors, interconnected systems, field installations, real-time logging, with short- and long-term forecasting methodologies, sensor network pattern recognition, cost-tracking analysis & monitoring system, monitoring system, crowdfunding & crowd tracking systems)
7. Real-time decision-making methods (Introduction to Decision Theory, Probability of Error, Satisfaction of Constraints, Rivalry, Decision-Making Phases, Decision Support Information Systems, Management Support Systems)
8. Disaster modeling (evolution models and disaster simulation software applications)
9. Disaster & Crisis Management (Introductory Concepts, Disaster and Crisis Management Systems. The role of information in crisis management. The role of Coordination Business Centers. Crisis Management Systems, Emergency Planning, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction. Project failures, Training and preparation citizenship. Development of crisis management skills. Crisis Management, Political Disaster Risk Reductions)
10. Economic & Social Impacts of Disasters (Injuries, Deaths and Damages, Depending on the Type of Disaster, Psychological Impact, Demographic Impact political implications, destabilization. Indirect financial losses, Feasibility study of infrastructure rehabilitation programs.)
11. Management of media – internet – social networks in natural disasters (Request for information, Time pressure conditions and the dramatic nature of events, risks of slipping from objective and valid information. Requirements of the public and authorities, appropriate way of providing information at the site of Disaster, kind, quantity and quality of information. Social Media: modes of operation, techniques of transmitting accurate, reliable and vital information, eliminating false news)
12. Risk Management & Business Planning (Introduction, Basic Risk Management Principles: Immediate Response, Human Factor Priority, Leader Position, Information. Reasons for Failure to Disaster Management, Coordination and Event Management. removal of citizens)

 

STUDENT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Assessment language: Greek (English for ERASMUS students upon request)
Performance evaluation method:
• Final Written Exam (50% of the final grade) of graded difficulty, which include short-answer questions, open-ended questions and solving simple problems.
• Evaluation of laboratory work (30% of the final grade) from lab work
• Evaluation of project (20% of the final grade)

The evaluation criteria have been presented to the students before the final examination. Students can see their evaluation upon request and receive clarifications on their grades.

 

ATTACHED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Greek:

1. Λεκκας, Ε. Φυσικές και Τεχνολογικές Καταστροφές,Λεκκας, Ε, Αθηνα, (2000)
2. Σαπουντζάκη, Κ., Δανδουλάκη, Μ., Κίνδυνοι & καταστροφές, Καλλιπος, 2015
3. Διονυσιαδης, Σ., Εγχειρίδιο αντιμετώπισης εκτάκτων περιστατικών και καταστροφών, εκδόσεις Ιων, Αθήνα (1997)
4. Βοργε, Δ., Το βιβλιο του κινδύνου, εκδόσεις Παπαζήση, αθήνα, (2008)

 

English:
1. Bartlett, D., Singh, R., Exploring Natural Hazards: A Case Study Approach, CRC Press, UK, (2018)
2. Zschau, J., Küppers, A.N. , Early Warning Systems for Natural Disaster Reduction, Springer, New York, (2003)
3. Golnaragi, M., Institutional Partnerships in Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems, Springer, New York, (2012)