FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
on Remote Sensing Techniques in
Disaster Management and Emergency Response
in the Mediterranean Region




     
First international conference...


Under the auspices of the Government of the Republic of Croatia

Organised by:
 European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories (EARSeL),
Scientific Council for Remote Sensing of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU),
University of Zadar,
GEOSAT Ltd., Zagreb

ABOUT CONFERENCE

The subject "Disaster Management and Emergency Response" is a high-priority topic in the Mediterranean region. Risk reduction using remote sensing techniques may be very helpful in various applications. Identification of relevant space-based and airborne information for Disaster Management Support and Emergency Response is a major priority issue.

Report on the 1st International Conference on Disaster Management and Emergency Response in the Mediterranean Region, Zadar 2008

The 1st International Conference on Remote Sensing Techniques in Disaster Management and Emergency Response in the Mediterranean Region was held 22 – 24 September 2008. The Conference was organised by the European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories (EARSeL) in co-operation with Croatian organisers – the Scientific Council for Remote Sensing of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU), GEOSAT Ltd. and the University of Zadar.

The Conference was held under the auspices of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, and the venue was the University of Zadar, Croatia. More than 80 experts from 20 Mediterranean countries, as well as from other countries of Europe and the world (China, India, Iran, the USA, Canada, the South African Republic, etc.) had arrived to participate in the Conference activities.

Around 60 papers were presented, though the Conference staff had received over 90 abstracts written by more than 200 authors (published in the Abstract Book). The reason for these shortfalls was that a number of authors could not participate in the Conference due to difficult transport conditions between Zagreb and Zadar.

The main topics addressed at the Conference were: forest fires, earthquakes, floods, land degradation (soil erosion, desertification), landslides/mudflows, storm damage, sea pollution/oil-spill detection, man-made and other relevant aspects.

The Conference work was divided into seven sessions: Forest Fires – Prevention and Assessment; Torrents and Floods; Geological Hazard – Earthquakes; Erosion and Landslides; Land Degradation/Desertification; Sea and Atmosphere; Sensors, Processing and Data Sources. The first two days of the conference were dedicated to technical sessions, whilst on the third day, a field trip was organised for all participants.

On Sunday (21 September) afternoon, registration of the conference participants began. In the evening an icebreaker was prepared by the Organising Committee, where the Conference chairman warmly welcomed the participants.

On the first Conference day (22 September), following the welcome speech by Prof. Dr. Marinko Oluić, Chairman of the Organising Committee, Prof. Dr. Manfred Buchroithner opened the Conference on behalf of EARSeL. Subsequently, four keynote speeches were held:

  • Prof. Dr. Emilio Chuvieco, Universidad de Alcala’ Colegios 2, Madrid, Spain
  • Current potentials and problems of using remote sensing methods in forest fires prevention and assessment
  • Prof. Dr. Mohsen Ghafory-Ashtiany, International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES), Teheran, Iran
  • Towards Comprehensive Seismic Risk Modelling and Quick Loss Estimation in Urban Areas Using GIS and Remote Sensing Technologies
  • Dr. Vittorio Barale, Institute for Environment and Sustainability Joint Research Centre, European Commission Ispra (VA), Italy
  • Environmental Dynamics and Trends in the Mediterranean Sea: a Satellite View
  • Dr. Wenjian Zhang, the World Meteorological Organization
  • WMO’s Role in Preventing and Mitigating Natural Disasters: Working together for a safer world

After lunch at the Kolovare Hotel the sessions continued until 6 p.m., when the poster presentations were shown. At 8 p.m., a reception was organised for the Conference participants by the Mayor of the City of Zadar.

On the second Conference day (23 September), the session work continued in two rooms in the morning hours and in the afternoon (until 7.30 p.m.).

Prior to the Conference, the Chairman of the Organising Committee had consulted the keynote speakers and several other Conference participants regarding the possibility for drafting a declaration, which would serve as a milestone for future activities in this field. The declaration would offer basic guidelines on better inter-institutional and international co-operation and organisation concerning the use of data and information obtained by Earth Observation from Space, as well as the use of the thereby gained experience and of new technologies in disaster predicting, risk management and damage mitigation.

A team was elected in order to draft the so-called Zadar Declaration, composed of the following experts: Prof. Dr. Marinko Oluić, Croatia; Prof. Dr. Mohsen Ghafory-Asthiany, Iran; Prof. Dr. Manfred Buchroithner, Germany; Prof. Dr. Emilio Chuvieco, Spain; Prof. Dr. Ivan Gušić, Croatia; and Dr. Vittorio Barale, European Commission, Italy.

A panel discussion on the proposed declaration text was held from 7.30 p.m. – 8.20 p.m.

Dr. Vittorio Barale read the draft declaration to the auditorium, and Prof. Dr. Manfred Buchroithner moderated the discussion. The declaration was finally adopted, yet with the suggestion to modify the text so as to match the discussion points made. Following, the Chairman of the Organising Committee thanked all the Conference participants, and particularly the keynote speakers and the members of the Organising and the Scientific Committees for their contribution to the success of the Conference. He also thanked the Rector of Zadar University, Prof. D. Ante Uglešić, and his associates for their friendly assistance regarding the organisation of the Conference. Last (but not least), he thanked the sponsors, without whose contribution the Conference would not have achieved the wished-for level of success.

On the third Conference day (24 September), a whole-day field trip to the Kornati Archipelagos was organised. Approximately 50 participants joined the excursion, thus being able to observe diverse geo-tectonic structures in the open space, related to the local seismotectonic activity. Dr. Maša Surić from the University of Zadar offered an expert explanation regarding this issue. Prof. Dr. Vladimir Skračić, born on the island, gave some information on the Kornati Archipelagos, its people, life and tradition. In addition, the participants visited the fire site, where 12 firemen had lost their lives in a disastrous forest fire in the summer of 2007. Mr. Miše Miloslavić, a fire-fighting expert, talked about the possible causes of this forest fire and the suffering of the firemen.

During and after the excursion, many participants expressed both their satisfaction regarding organisation and the course of the Conference, and their wish for a follow-up organised by EARSeL due to the Conference topicality.

To conclude, we wish to mention that the Chairman of the Organising Committee received many letters of thanks from Conference participants, saying they were very pleased with both the organisation and their stay in Zadar.

Prof. Dr. Marinko Oluić
Conference Chairman