Speakers Bio & Abstract

Abstract The Application of ICT Tools for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Mitigation ? Karnataka ModelThe extreme weather events are to increase in both frequency and severity, particularly on regional and local scales as a result of Climate Change. Consequently, devastating weather phenomena like successive drought, torrential rainfall associated with lightning strikes, hailstorms, strong surface winds, and intense vertical wind shear are to increase and cause loss of life and property. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and United Nations High level committee on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience (HLCP/SMG) has suggested planning and implementing robust monitoring system and sectors oriented early warning systems for communities at risk.
Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) an institutional mechanism for monitoring Natural Disasters like Drought, Flood, Haistorm, Earthquake, Landslide etc in Karnataka, has been adopting path breaking initiatives in monitoring and planning natural disaster mitigation measures. The state-of-the-art ICT tools are being used extensively at the level of data collection, converting data into information, identifying and mapping vulnerable areas, forecast-alert-advisory dissemination to the end-user.
KSNDMC has designed and installed a dense network of Solar Powered & GPRS enabled Telemetric Rain Gauge (TRG) stations covering all the 6000 Grampanchayaths (~25 sq km each) and Telemetric Weather Station (TWS) at all the 747 Hoblis (~250 sq km each) to collect data and information on factors causing weather related disasters like Drought, flood etc. The weather data has been collected at every 15 minutes through these weather monitoring stations, analysed at near-real time, maps and reports are being generated by using indigenously developed web-applications.
Towards monitoring the Seismic Activity in the State, KSNDMC has established 14 VSAT Enabled Permanent Seismic Monitoring Stations (PSMS) in Karnataka, mostly in major Dam Site. The PSMS Network comprises Broadband Seismometers, Strong Motion Accelerographs, Digitizers, GPS and related accessories.
The customised alerts and early warnings, weather information, forecast and advisories are being disseminated through email, SMS to the mobile phones of officers and public, dynamic web-portal www.ksndmc.org, social media like Facebook, Twitter, electronic and print media on day to day basis To disseminate the weather related information, forecast and advisories directly to the general public, an interactive help-desk VARUNA MITRA 9243345433 has been functioning on 24 x 7 basis for 365 days. The public, especially the farming community is extensively using the information and advises provided through VARUNA MITRA. It is helping them to plan their agricultural activities, minimise the crop loss due to any weather aberrations.
The initiatives taken up by KSNDMC has been helping the State Government as well as public in planning and executing disaster mitigation plans at micro-level.