Technically speaking, natural disasters cannot be prevented, but potential disaster can be managed to minimise loss of life and goods. Disaster Management (DM) covers mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. The use of geo-information technology (GIT) in DM is also steadily increasing, particularly in developing countries where 95% of all fatal casualties from natural disaster occur. Last year alone, more than 225,000 people lost their lives in cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the Sichuan earthquake in China.

For over twenty years now, the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) has been incorporating GIT in early-warning systems. We began with a capacity-building programme involving forecasters and disaster-management practitioners, focused on improving information exchange with the general public. Other anchor points in our existence include the following. In 1997 we conceptualised the Climate Forecast Applications programme, connecting national hydro-meteorological services with seasonal forecast users. In 2001 ADPC was involved in the development of a three-tier flood forecast system for Bangladesh.
A request from the government of Thailand resulted in the establishment of a multi-hazard system in 2005, aimed at early warning for tsunami-affected countries adjacent to the Indian Ocean. Currently ADPC is establishing a regional network of multi-hazard observing stations and exchanging real-time data. This project, involving 26 countries, is being carried out within the framework of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)/Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

In addition to establishing early-warning systems, we co-operate closely with countries to incorporate GIT in programmes for Disaster Risk Reduction. In Bangladesh, tackling the impact of natural disasters began in the '90s with the establishment of special units in a variety of governmental agencies to comply with the need for geo-information for disaster mitigation and land-use planning. The project has made remarkable progress, and today GIT is widely used for tackling disasters. A public trust called the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) has been established by the Government of Bangladesh. Operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Water Resources, CEGIS performs integrated environmental analysis and disseminates vulnerability and risk information using GIS, remotely sensed data and Database Management Systems.

Many developing countries lack the capacity and resources to bolster the benefits of GIT in disaster management. To strengthen the knowledge of human resources, ADPC has developed a variety of training courses, e.g. in use of GIT within a disaster framework, and communicating disaster risks.