In the maze of disaster management
The need for a disaster management framework
This is an aspect where work has been initiated already in India. The NCDM has come out with two valuable documents, the NDRP and the HPC Reports, which sets the agenda for a structured, decentralised and systematic approach to the overall management of human and material resources during a disaster event. It is in the process of developing further details and requirements to be followed at the state and district levels. However, these reports condone the crucial aspects of how to follow up the lofty ideals laid down and see them happen all over India. It also fails to address aspects of coordination and monitoring between agencies. Hence the development of the framework already started, shall bear fruits if elaborated especially with respect to mitigation and prevention of disasters.
The need for implementation mechanisms
No research, mandate or conclusions are worth the effort unless these are realised on ground. With respect to disaster management it is all the more important since, it is a matter of loss of lives, assets and property. The need for dedicated accountable efforts that can carry forward the knowledge-base created and oversee its utilisation is fundamental.
The need for information and technology
Strategies of disaster management and reduction are very much based on information base. Relevant data and thorough updating of it in various aspects is important to activate and formulate proper plans that can tackle a disaster situation. Exercises that first identify the type of data to be gathered, then assimilate and generate it, and periodically update it, are necessary. The role of technology is also a crucial aspect, which is still to have its actual effect. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing are two technologies that have ample application based utility in disaster situation. (Rao, 1998)
From the above highlighted three needs, the aspect of fusing technology in the present system needs high attention and promotion, especially for India. The boom and success of Indians in IT in the last decade also corroborates the fact that, disaster management can be facilitated with information and technology, if its role is understood properly.
In South Asia, the existence and achievement of institutions that excel in spatial database generation and analysis are not few. The understanding of space technology has evolved over the years in a differential perspective. Initially it was an area of thorough research and got developed as a science. Its understanding as technology became prominent with the understanding of its varied applicability. However one has to translate and interpret space technology beyond its attire of ‘science/technology’ unto the aspect of ‘service’. Further, the analytical platform of its use, which is GIS, is often defined as ‘Geographical Information Systems or Geographical Information Science’. As ‘science or a system’ it is just a strong tool, which stores spatial and non-spatial data digitally while establishing a link between these two. Resultantly it produces an information system, which can retrieve, analyse and represent the stored data in desired ways. However when this analysis and database is translated for direct applicability in the society the understanding of GIS becomes as ‘Geographical Information Services’. Perhaps this core lack of understanding results in the under-use or non-use of its potentiality. The rich knowledge remains as a subject of ‘science’ repeatedly discussed and researched in the ‘islands of excellence’. Most of the relevant and rich database, application and research, which can be of high utility in the field of disaster management, are many a time not available with the right agencies. Are we working towards bridging this gap?
However, some critical issues remain in the aspect of space technology’s delivery in this regard. (refer box along side )