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Team: Information Systems and Geomatics

Early warning and crisis information systems are an important foundation for protecting the population from natural hazards and providing civil security. Developing such systems is one of DFD’s specialized fields of activity. The research and development work undertaken by the DFD Information Systems and Geomatics team has, among others, the following goals:

• To acquire data, analytical remote sensing data tools are developed which permit regular monitoring (for example, early detection of forest fires or floods). These monitoring systems have the goal of prompt detection of changes which have crisis implications.
• To handle data, data management systems are developed and operated which guarantee efficient access to the acquired data and modeling results.
• To analyze data and model vulnerability and risk, methodologies are developed and integrated in visualization and assessment systems which support the evaluation of remote sensing data together with other types of geodata.

Early warning systems include all those elements needed to efficiently call prompt attention to natural hazards. They combine data from sensor networks and monitoring systems with the results of modeling and simulations to obtain an overview of a problematic situation and support the targeted distribution of warning alerts to the affected population. They also support crisis response and prevention measures.