Geospatial technologies like remote sensing, geographic information system and global positioning system have considerable potential for assessment of the damage and loss due to natural and human-made disasters. These should be used along with traditional practices in order to derive optimum benefit, said experts on the subject of disaster damage and loss assessment in natural heritage and cultural sites using geospatial technologies. The ongoing course on disaster damage loss assessment in natural heritage and cultural heritage sites using geospatial techniques is being held jointly in UNESCO Category II Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for Asia -Pacific Region, established at Wildlife Institute of India and the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP), established at the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) here.
Subject experts pointed out that geospatial technologies coupled with ground surveys can play a significant role in assessing the damage and loss due to frequent disasters such earthquakes, cyclones, floods, forest fires, landslides and armed conflicts.
It is essential for all countries to identify and list their cultural and natural heritage sites which are vulnerable to serious and specific dangers, like the threat of disappearance caused by accelerated deterioration, large-scale public or private projects or rapid urban or tourist development projects; destruction caused by changes in the use or ownership of the land. Capacity building through education and information programmes for the heritage site managers is required to tackle the situation. Geospatial technologies have immense potential to help to assess the damage and loss due to disasters.
Speaking on the occasion, the IIRS and CSSTEAP director A Senthil Kumar emphasised the need to use GIS based technologies for cultural and natural heritage risk assessment. Expressing his views, the WII director Vinod B Mathur spoke of aspects like the importance of focusing on heritage sites in Asia, citing the example of the post-disaster restoration works being carried out in cultural sites at Kathmandu in Nepal.
According to the course organizers, a total of 24 professionals and others from 13 countries including Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri lanka, Maldives, Cambodia, Mangolia, Kazakhstan and Viet Nam, working in government institutes, university system, educational institutes, and involved in active research in conservation, protection, restoration of natural heritage and cultural sites in the Asia-Pacific Region are participating in the training programme. The course slated to conclude on October 2 has been broadly divided into three parts wherein the first week will have the participants being exposed to the basics of Remote Sensing and GIS. The second week will focus on world heritage site management, monitoring and periodic reporting with the third week comprising field visit to heritage sites including Jantar Mantar, Taj Mahal and Keoldeo national park.