Developing an online South Carolina atlas of environmental risks and hazardsSarah E BattersbyJerry T MitchellSusan L Cutter

Department of GeographyHazards and Vulnerability Research InstituteUniversity of South Carolina

Outline•What is the Atlas?

•Purpose, Audience, Limitations

•Some design considerations▫Software▫Data▫Users / creators

•Extending the project

What is the atlas, why update?

•http://www.hazardsatlas.org•Update of CD version of the Atlas (1999)

Sample atlas content

Purpose of a hazards atlas• Weekly hazards cost in US: US$1 billion

• Help minimize loss of property and lives with better hazards awareness

• Integration in children’s education is seen as an effective method of publicizing hazards awareness programs

• Can be used both for K-12 and general public outreach

Goals & Audience

•Atlas content▫Improve hazards education▫Align with state education standards (~8th

grade)▫Provide materials for teachers

•Atlas in general▫Methods and design that can be reproduced

in other states / Geographic Alliances

Limitations

•Design▫Online / offline access▫Range of computer skills for users▫Limited technical skill to create / maintain▫Inexpensive and easy!

•Data▫Expandable to all of US▫Free, easy to obtain and process

Primary data sources•SHELDUS

▫Spatial Hazard Events and Losses Database for US

▫County-level▫18 natural hazard types

•USGS▫Earthquakes

•NOAA▫Assorted climate data

Software

•Considered many options▫ESRI web mapping application▫SVG (MapView SVG)▫Flash

•Limited needs for “GIS tools”•Simple interface for design / use•On- and off-line use

Future work•Guides for Geographic Alliances•Adding more educational materials•Designing new tools???

▫E.g., Map comparison tools

Tornado damage Hurricane damage

Questions

•Data•Software•Curriculum materials•Creating hazards atlas for your Geographic

Alliance

•Sarah Battersby: battersby@sc.edu•http://www.hazardsatlas.org