ABSTRACT
Up to this point in the book, the discussion has focused primarily on GIS topics, such as the principals of geographic information and maps (Chapter 2) that underlie specific GIS concepts and specific technology (Chapter 3). This chapter closely explores the relationship between disaster management and GIS to give you a deeper understanding of the disaster management application domain. Ideally, by better understanding the characteristics and nature of disaster management, you will get a better sense of how the various system parts of GIS (and not just GIS technology itself) fit within disaster management practice. This chapter assumes you have little to no background in disaster management. Furthermore, this chapter is not a comprehensive discussion of all aspects of disaster management. Thus, the disaster management discussions presented in this chapter are purposely steered toward the role and relationship of GIS with disaster management.
