Abstract
Developing customized ArcGIS tools for disaster management
Track: Disaster Management and Emergency Response
Author
Improving the analysis and identification of storm surge damage risk to vulnerable communities is crucial for risk reduction policy making in coastal towns. This study developed and implemented a conceptual framework to estimate flood-damage vulnerability to building contents. We achieved our goal by developing a new hypothetical-damage function and a damage-assessment algorithm, which was implemented in the ArcGIS environment. ArcGIS allows programmers to access the GIS database and spatial object manipulation routines through scripting, and to develop customized tools. Python was the scripting language because it is open source, object oriented, and one of the core programming languages capable of handling ArcObjects. The results of the study were promising and demonstrated that combining the spatial analysis capabilities of a GIS with the modeling capabilities of a programming language can produce a useful, general-purpose tool that helps decision makers assess vulnerability of flood-prone areas.
chandi witharana
Center for Integrative Geosciences, University of Connecticut
U-2045, 354 Mansfield RD
Storrs, Connecticut 06269
United States
Phone: (860)486-9511
E-mail: cwitharana@yahoo.com
Daniel Civco
Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut
U-4087, 1376 Storrs Road
Storrs, Connecticut 06269
United States
Phone: (860) 486-0148
E-mail: daniel.civco@uconn.edu
Jeffrey Osleeb
Department of Geography, University of Connecticut
U-4148, 215 Glenbrook Road
Storrs, Connecticut 06269
United States
Phone: (860)486-3656
E-mail: jeffrey.osleeb@uconn.edu
Thomas Meyer
Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut
U-4087, 1376 Storrs Road
Storrs, Connecticut 06269
United States
Phone: (860)486-0145
E-mail: thomas.meyer@uconn.edu