Disaster Monitoring using Remote Sensing and Ground Data in Mongolia
M. Badarch, L. Natsagdorj
National Remote Sensing Centre
State Committee for Nature and Environmental Control
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Abstract
Mongolia, a developing country with few population has been constantly stricken by various severe disasters including droughts, earthquakes, weather, storms, floods, hailstones, events took away lives and properties. Statistics snowed that every year various natural disasters in Mongolia kill people and livestock, destroy farmland, burn forest. For example, in April 1980 in the Eastern part of the Mongolia has been observed strong snow storm. During of this snow storm (41-65 hours of continuation) killed 150 people and 0.6 million livestock and results in about many million turgrics worth of economic loss. One potentially proven tool in natural events and disaster monitoring and damage proven tool in natural events and disaster monitoring and damage assessment is Remote Sensing technology.
Environment satellites such as NOAA, GMS with ground observation system afford a global overview on natural disasters, and is a powerful tool for decision makers as early warning systems.
In this paper, we present some results of natural disasters monitoring using Remote Sensing and ground data in Mongolia.
Introduction
The critical factors distinguishing natural phenomenon from natural disasters are loss of life an property. Certainly, humans cannot prevent the occurrence of natural phenomenon, such as snow and dust storms, hurricanes, severe drought and snow cover on large area, however, their disastrous effects can be lessened significantly if well conceived disaster response plans and mitigation strategies are in place prior to their occurrence.
The United Nations General Assembly, at the 42nd session in December 1987, passed a resolution designating the 1990s as International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (DNDR). As man as 93 countries expressed their support for IDNDR. The objective o the initiative is to reduce loss of life, property damage, and social and economic disruption caused by natural disasters through concerted international efforts.
The goals are to: 1. Improve the capacity of each country to foresee natural disasters by the establishing early warning systems. 2. Foster science aimed at closing critical gaps in the knowledge to reduce natural disasters. 3. Disseminate existing and new information related to the assessment, prediction, prevention and mitigation of natural disaster. 4. Develop measures for the assessment, prediction, prevention and mitigation of natural disasters through various modalities and demonstration projects.
Finding the best way to extract from satellite and ground data specific types of information related to natural disasters in Mongolia is the most important task.
To develop mitigation measures and appropriate preventive actions, it is necessary to have Remote Sensing and ground data on the various processes related to atmosphere and earth resources in Mongolia.
The Mongolian Government has come to appropriate the growing importance of combating natural disasters with aid of satellite system such as JEST-1, Landsat, Spot, NOAA, GMS. However, a number of limiting factors, including cost of Landsat and Spot data hinder the full utilization of these capabilities. Consequently, Mongolia uses only NOAA and GMS for natural disasters. The use of current word existing space system in disaster mitigation of current word existing space system in disaster mitigation and relief is important for a developing country like Mongolia.
