The 2014 GeoRisk conference, convened on 18-21 November 2014 at Observatorio Geofisico Central at Madrid, explored the essential knowledge-base on Geophysical Risks needed scientists, administrators, politicians, economists, emergency managers, citizens, for sustainable development and for preparedness and emergency management in future crises.
Based from the statement objective, there is a growing need to combine natural risks forecasting and assessment techniques to improve the information that officials involved with early warning and management of crises require in order to answer efficiently when they face an emergency. …the integration of scientific and technological achievements into products with a direct applicability to society has not always been reached. Moreover, natural disasters have been treated separately not only for what concerns to their dynamics, but also with regard to their corresponding forecasting and assessing technologies, when most of them are common or show significant similarities. …it is easy to assume that a comparison between the scientific and technological research carried out on the different natural hazards, as well as a joint effort of the scientists and technologists who work on assessment and mitigation of natural disasters, would imply considerable social benefits. Consequently, accurate assessment and mitigation programmes, as well as the development of effective tools for management of crisis are necessary to reduce risk and to promote sustainable development.
The conference analysed the state of the art of geophysical risk assessment and management tools, such as modelling and monitoring of hazardous phenomena, hazard assessment methods, quantification of uncertainty in forecasting geophysical hazards, decision making models, communication protocols among the different stakeholders involved in managing geophysical risks, vulnerability assessment methodologies, or education about geophysical risk.
The Commission on Geophysical Risk and Sustainability (GeoRisk Commission) of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) is dedicated to promoting scientific studies applied to the reduction of risk from natural hazards in an increasingly urbanized world and sustainability and to reducing death and destruction from natural and technological hazards by providing hazards data and information to emergency managers, policy-makers, scientists and the general public in the most timely and effective manner as possible.
IRDR SC member and vice-chair K. Takeuchi attended the conference as president of GeoRisk for the period 2011-2015.