Abstract:As catastrophic phenomena, landslides often cause large-scale socio-economic destruction including loss of life, economic collapse, and human injury. In addition, landslides can impair the functioning of critical infrastructure and destroy cultural heritage and ecological systems. In order to build a more landslide resistant and resilient society, an original GIS-based decision support system is put forth in order to help emergency managers better prepare for and respond to landslide disasters. The GIS-based landslide monitoring and management system includes a Central Repository System (CRS), Disaster Data Processing Modules (DDPM), a Command and Control System (CCS) and a Portal Management System (PMS). This architecture provides valuable insights into landslide early warning, landslide risk and vulnerability analyses, and critical infrastructure damage assessments. Finally, internet-based communications are used to support landslide disaster modelling, monitoring and management.

Purpose -This paper seeks to illustrate designation of a real-time oil spill monitoring and management system using computer system, GIS models, internet and a variety of other technologies. Design/methodology/approach -Appropriate models in GIS, together with monitoring technologies and internet-based communication infrastructure, facilitate oil spill early warning, situational analysis, risk analysis and damage analysis in addition to management and disaster response in real-time. The system architect includes command and control module, designed for managing and coordinating oil spill accidents response. The structure also includes an accident data dissemination scheme, through an internet portal which distributes disaster thematic products and facilitates communication between oil spill disaster players and the administration office. Findings -The functionality of such a system through its components including database, central repository, disaster models, command and control and communication schemes covers all the stages of spill management before, during, and after an accident. Originality/value -The system acts as a single umbrella of control and administration for efficient and effective oil spill accident management and enhances oil spill accident early warning and alert mechanisms. The system will also enhance decision supports for quick emergency responses and improve real-time communication and information sharing between responsible agencies.

This study provides a comprehensive framework to mitigate or prevent forest and land (or wildland) fire disaster in Malaysia. This system supports emergency response and preparedness for wildland fire by means of integrated modelling, monitoring and mapping of fire danger. In this framework, multi-sensor applications for monitoring fire danger and fire activity are linked with decision-aid models in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment to generate information required for wildland fire management. Using a customized version of the spatial Fire Management System software, components of the Malaysia Fire Danger Rating System (FDRS) are calculated to provide fire weather, fire behaviour and wildfire threat information. Wildfire threat ratings (WTRs) are assessed on the basis of fire occurrence risk, potential fire behaviour, suppression capability and values at risk. Outputs from the Malaysia FDRS were integrated with hotspots extracted from remote sensing data to generate combined maps of active fire locations, fire danger, potential fire behaviour and uncontrolled wildland fire (or wildfire) threat. In case of wildfire, remotely sensed data were also used to generate wildfire affected area and emergency response maps for emergency management. The system architecture and application models for wildfire analysis, which aid decision-making components for wildfire mitigation and relief, are described. These include early warning of fire, risk analysis, damage assessment and emergency response analysis. This article provides the first documentation of a national, operational system linking fire danger rating with socio-economic values, as defined by the WTR models, to guide fire and rescue decision-making during wildfire events. It is finally shown how the proposed system can reduce the risk of fire management disputes in Malaysia by directing the conflict to a more favourable resolution.

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