Online natural disaster map

The map is called SEDAC Hazards Mapper and was developed by NASA’s Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). The tool displays information about natural disasters along with data on populations, human settlements, major infrastructure elements and satellite images to analyze the potential impact of the threat.

Hazards visible on the site include fires from the last 48 hours, earthquakes from the last 7 days, satellite measurements of air pollution from the previous day, and near-real-time hurricane alerts from the US and surrounding areas. The mapper shows all the nuclear power plants and major dams, many with additional descriptions. By drawing a circle or drawing a polygon on the map, we can also know the approximate population of the marked area.

The mapper is powered by data from many different sources, including NASA Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE), Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), US Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Esri , Gridded Population of the World v3, Global Rural Urban Mapping Project, SEDAC Population Estimation Service and tons of open mapping services. Unfortunately, the data on the population is partially from 2005, but at the beginning of 2016 they are to be updated.

The creators hope that the map will facilitate the work of people dealing with crisis management, humanitarian organizations, health services and even (phew!) Journalists. If you need information about risks at work, are curious or like to enjoy human suffering, you can find the SEDAC Hazards Mapper here.

[źródło i grafika: phys.org]