Volume 1, Number 3
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PDC Highlights
Leaders from throughout the Pacific Islands
visited the Pacific Disaster Center in May. The delegation was briefed on
disaster-related issues in the Pacific, and on the ongoing development of a "Tsunami Awareness Kit" for the region's disaster managers.
What's New
International Highlights
South East Asia Projects
Two projects rapidly developed in the second quarter of 2005:
1) Experts from PDC, the Philippines, and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) completed Information Technology Assessments for all 10 ASEAN countries
as part of a PDC-developed "Disaster Information Sharing and Communication Network" project.
2) PDC is providing ongoing support to the development of
Thailand's National Disaster Warning Center.
This has so far included participating in the Center's Grand Opening, conducting a tabletop exercise,
and providing Thai officials with "hands-on" technical assistance.
More in the next issue...
Project ENDEAVOR
To assist marine planners and ship designers worldwide, PDC supported the Maui High Performance Computing Center's
Office of Naval Research-funded "Project ENDEAVOR." The project
leverages the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
massive worldwide database of historical ocean conditions, and provides a seamless geospatial interface.
The application was used to assess transportation logistics for Indian Ocean tsunami
relief operations.
Tonga Assessment
Completed an "Information and Communications Technology Assessment"
for the Kingdom of Tonga as part of a project funded by the U.S. Department of State.
The Assessment analyzed Tonga's capability to access weather products
and to disseminate critical information to disaster managers.
Hawaii Support
PDC recently supported several major state exercises, including the
Statewide Distant Tsunami Exercise, May's "Makani Pahili" Annual State Hurricane Exercise,
the 93rd Civil Support Team's Kauai field exercise, and the 196th Infantry Division's
tsunami exercise.
Hawaii Community Outreach
In 2005, PDC continues to collaborate with
Maui County's schools and summer programs
as part of an ongoing commitment to Hawaii's communities.
Of Note . . .
ESRI Award:
PDC received Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI) prestigious Special Achievements in GIS Award at the 2005 ESRI International User Conference.
Product Update:
Version 2.1 of the Natural Hazards Atlas is available. Major enhancements include the addition of National Weather Service products in the Atlas's Hawaii edition.
Recent media coverage
includes PDC's Indian Ocean tsunami web page being featured by CBS News, work in the Pacific Islands, and Maui-related weather analysis.
