Tab.1. Index of SIGE report

But SIGE is affected of these restrictions:

• Start Time. Actually SIGE starts by manual input and produces the SIGE report (cartaceous) after 30-45 minutes;
• SIGE runs locally and the report is not interactive (obviously);
• SIGE is not set up to receive (automatically) information from the epicentral area;
• Normally need 24 hours to insert SIGE report on the WEB site of Department.

The SIGE system use :

• Hardware: HP/9000/755: two Unix workstations with duplicated database;
• Software: Arc Info and Oracle.

The SIGE data bank (demography, urban areas, services (hospital, schools), historical seismology, roads, dams, factories, etc) have these focal points:

1. It is referred to the whole Italian territory;
2. It is relative to the administrative municipality areas;
3. Surveying and processing is homogeneous;
4. It has an official character.

2. SIGE ON LINE

"Sige on Line" (in case of a seismic event) will link the different operative units displaced on the national territory (law 225/920), connecting the central operation unit of the national seismic Survey with the head office of "Dipartimento of Protezione Civile" and also with the local administration's operation units, regions, provinces, prefectures.

The Idea of " SIGE ON LINE (SOL)" was born at the time of the seismic sequences that hit (September 1997) the Umbria – Marche regions. SOL gives a possible solution about the SIGE’s restrictions described before.

SOL’s goal is to manage the seismic emergency from its very beginning (with possible activation from a remote system) then it provide to give a representation of the territory and probable scenarios of the damaged areas, and subsequently to the further complex stage of post-emergency management:

• BEGGINING. SOL, when an earthquake hits the Italian territory and the intensity is over the minimun threshold, produces two types of reports: an interactive report (in digital format: Arcview project), and a classical cartaceous report.

• DURING the emergency. In the first fase SOL produces all the files that the technical teams will collect in the field, using the "Mobile Computing" structures, the data about damages. Normally this survey may last 3-5 days after the main shock. In a second phase, once the communications are activated with the C.O.M. (focal and operative points of Civil Defence in the earthquake area), to monitorize the emergency management in the area, SOL receives and organises the data coming from the involved area and the SSN team open the EMERWEB (data broadcasting WEB site) for the selected client (normally Civil Defence client).

The functionality required by SOL are illustrated in the figure 3 and then can see summarised in the following points:

• Mobile Computing. Hardware and software for the SSN technical teams. Data collection on the field.
• Automatic or manual SOL activation from remote qualified client.
• Providing of dynamic scenarios, collecting the information from the incident areas in real time.
• A reserved line with the Civil Defence Department.
• Selective dispatching of the remote Civil Defence stations.
• Connection with remote operative units activated only in case of emergency (CCS – COM); Automatic release of info report.
• Delivery of the reports to the selected offices and possible printing option from the remote units.
• Creation of emergency and dedicated WEB site. In this site will convey: SIGE report, informations regarding the damages and the emergency management. An e-mail system and a back-up system of the data stored in remote stations will be activated. It is foreseen the development of interactive data bases for consultations.

The SOL hardware structures will consist of high availability system (3 Unix workstation connected in cluster system with databases stored in a "raid" system). The software used will be Arc-Info, Oracle, Arcview.

Fig.3 SOL – New functionalities

The core of SOL is a Geographical Information System. The strategic role of a dedicated information system is represented by the final product preparation. Such system is capable of operating during each of the three phases of the Civil Defence operations: Forecasting, Prevention and Emergency Management. (See fig. 4)

Fig. 4 G.I.S. operational role

More in detail the seismic risk in the study area can be evaluated during the Prevention phase. Seismic risk is a combination of:

• hazard: which represents the physical characteristics of the territory, as far as seismic events are concerned;
• vulnerability: which is the tendency of a valuable object or individual to be effected by from damages and loss of serviceability, caused by a natural disasters, such as earthquakes;
• exposition: which identifies the quantity and the quality of valuable objects and number of individuals exposed to seismic hazard.

During the Forecasting Phase the information system provide a scenario identification, following a seismic event of know magnitude. GIS simulates the response of the territory to the event.

During the Emergency Management phase, the capacity of the Civil Defence Department to respond to the event efficiently is fundamental.

Its operational structure must be provided with:

• the complete information sets mentioned above.
• the distribution in the territory of the emergency facilities, hospitals and hotels.
• the faster routes accessing the area hit by the earthquake;
• check of the emergency management procedures.

Since the SOL experimental phase a collaboration with the Modema province (local Civil Defence). has been established. Together we study and developed an application dedicated to the seismic risk management.

In case an earthquake would hit the province of Modena or its surrounding area, SOL operates according to the following scheme:

At the SSN H.Q.

• Produce report (with a small scale resolution: minimum level is the municipality, since operating on a national level).
• Send the digital report to the Civil Defence Department (normally after 5 minutes after the start of SOL).
• Send the digital report to the Modena pc station.

In the remote units:

• Civil Defence Department : notification of the report arrival and its consultation through the predisposed application. Possible print of the SIGE report or specific themes.
• Civil Defence Office (Modena): notification of report received. The application, operatin localy, subtract a subset of the information sent (energy distribution and scenarios of epicentral area) and do aimed selections at a big scale (desegregation level is census zone) on the population (divided by age classes), building typology, civil defence resources displacement.

Example of SOL products are illustrated:

fig.5 Localization of epicentre (first page of SIGE report). The area is the Sicilia island (SOL work on the whole italian area).

Fig.6 Expected value of homelessness (same area of fig.5).

Fig.7 Sample of local application (Modena epicental area). Table: municipality, people, houses (selection by intensity = 7 degree MCS). Map: Municipalities, Localities (subset of municipality), administration boundary. The graphiccircles, extracted automatically from SSN digital report, are the selection area.

Conclusion

SOL in progress project and the dead line is the next year. Same functions are experimentally and probably we change it or we insert the new one, but this is the story.