Natural and social hazards often threaten citizens and communities, and their risks depend on the distribution and characteristics of various geographical phenomena such as the magnitude and location of each hazard and the coping capacity of people and societies. Therefore, geography and geospatial technology play pivotal roles in investigating the hazards and risks of disasters, and they should be utilized effectively to cope with future disasters. This presentation firstly reviews the relations of geography and geospatial technology with hazard and risk issues. Then it introduces relevant cases in Japan, which experienced various types of disasters especailly natural ones, and where Geography and GIS have developed in relation to disasters. The cases to be presented include major historical disasters in Japan, creation of spatial data infrastruture by the national government, creation of hazard maps by local governments, applications of geospatialtechnology such as web-based mapping and close-range remote sensing, and recent changes in geographical education. Finally, international implications of the Japanese cases are discussed.
Mots clés : Hazard|Risk|Geography|GIS|Japan
A104083TO