The tsunami that hit Indonesia five years ago became another showcase for the importance of geospatial technology for response and mitigation in the wake of a natural disaster.
“Easily the largest natural disaster in recent history, the 9.1-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami on December 26, 2004, brought incredible devastation to many coastal countries, particularly Indonesia. A wave 30 meters high hit the province of Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra. From the beginning, geographic information system (GIS) technology played an important role in relief efforts. GIS maps acted as guides to affected areas and were used to coordinate emergency services and rebuilding.”
The scale and scope of this disaster was unprecedented in terms of the amount of infrastructure that was impacted. Read the full feature with details on how GIS was applied to a myriad number of issues here.
