Page 2/398 Natural Hazards Data Resources Directory Introduction Natural Hazards Home

The Natural Hazards Data Resources Directory has been made available online by NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center with funding from the Institute for Business and Home Safety.

INTRODUCTION

A natural hazard is a rare or extreme event in nature that adversely impacts human life, property, or activity. No human settlements are free from the risk of natural hazards, therefore it is vital that researchers and decision-makers have access to all available hazards information.

Information needs are especially acute as we enter the 1990s, and we contemplate rising tolls from natural hazards worldwide. In response to this threat, the United Nations General Assembly designated the 1990s the Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction--a 10-year period devoted to improved efforts to reduce losses from natural extremes. The challenge to the hazards community is to halt or reverse the trend of rising impacts. Experience suggests that enough knowledge already exists, if properly applied, to substantially reduce both human and property losses from natural disasters.

The United Nations called upon all countries to: establish national Decade programs which examine their capabilities for reducing the toll of natural hazards; assess the particular requirements of their respective countries in order to improve those capabilities; and develop a strategy for attaining these goals. An important first step in this process is identifying available information resources that address hazards management and mitigation activities. This directory was compiled to take that step as a contribution to the United States Decade program.

The directory was prepared by the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Geophysical Data Center in Boulder. Financial support was provided by the National Science Foundation through grant # CES-8717115 to the Program on Environment and Behavior of the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado. Special thanks to Dr. Eleonora Sabadell of NSF's Natural and Manmade Hazards Mitigation Program for this grant. NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center funded the publication of this directory.

How this Directory was Compiled

Data resource surveys were mailed to nearly 1400 potential sources of natural hazards data in the winter of 1988-89. These sources were identified from existing data bases at the Natural Hazards Center as well as through a wide-ranging search for other appropriate data resources. Following the mail survey, the responses were screened and sorted, including those which provided data, technical assistance, or services related to hazards on a regional or national basis. In addition, a follow-up telephone survey was conducted of all non-respondents believed to be maintaining valuable data resources. Those not included were primarily private for-profit firms, and state agencies with data pertaining only to a specific state.

Usefulness

Despite efforts to be complete and thorough in the preparation of this directory, there may be sources of information which are not included. Additionally, information contained herein may contain minor inaccuracies, especially because prices, data, content, format, contact people, and offices are ever-changing. It is intended that the directory be updated periodically, and therefore we ask you to send any comments about its usefulness, as well as corrections or additions, to Ruth Brocko.

How to Use this Directory

The directory includes two types of information: 1) data resources organized by natural hazard topic, and 2) lists of hazard-related organizations. Each data resource listed includes the following:

Data Resource Title

Organization
The Organization indicates which administrative group is maintaining the data.

Contact
The Contact provides the person to call or write for further information.

Description
The Description of the data resource may include the topic, level of aggregation, geographic area covered, time period of record, and source of data.

Format
The Format describes the structure of the data, e.g. hard copy (printed matter); computer copy (disks, tapes, on-line); audio-visual materials; and/or technical assistance.

Availability
The Availability informs the user of costs or acquiring the data, restrictions on access (if any), location of the data if different from the contact, frequency of updating the data, and related services.

Additional Related Information
The Additional Related Information lists any pertinent information such as reports, articles, pamphlets, and users' guides which describe the data.

Appendix
The hazard-related organizations located in the Appendix include numerous state and federal institutions, as well as US and international programs. When appropriate, general functions of these organizations are described. In addition, one appendix includes other directories on natural hazards.

The directory has three indices: agency, subject, and geographic. Many data resources apply to more than one hazard (e.g. earthquake and fire); therefore, through cross-referencing in the subject index, the user may locate multi-hazard data resources.

To use this directory, simply look for a data resource by topic in the Table of Contents or Subject Index, and turn to the appropriate page.

For information concerning the Natural Hazards listed here, please contact the individual organizations directly.

For comments about this website, please contact: