Book Review: Early Warning-Based Multihazard and Disaster Management Systems

By Syed Hyder Abbas Musavi. CRC Press; crcpress.com; 136 pages; $129.95.

Technology is integral to emergency management just as it has entered every other aspect of modern life. How much technology has impacted the emergency planning and response world is clearly evident throughout Early Warning-Based Multihazard and Disaster Management Systems. The author goes into extensive detail on a variety of systems relevant to both the early warning of impending natural disasters and assistance in managing a variety of natural and man-made emergency events. He draws on extensive experience in disaster management research, as well as practical experience in the Pakistani government.

Warning systems discussed include those for nature-based categories such as seismic, meteorological, volcano, and tsunami events. Also included is information on disaster engineering computer tools, early warning system architecture, civionics multihazard early warning systems, and a variety of communication technologies.

While this book could be called a case study on the implementation of disaster management systems specific to Pakistan, the knowledge and lessons learned here could and should easily be applied globally. This is a highly technical book providing considerable detail on computer architecture, screenshots of software tools for both the setup and display of information, and design concepts of the layout of equipment.

This book is for those interested in the technical aspects of the various systems under discussion—those just starting to gain knowledge in this area of emergency planning and management, those interested in learning about the technology, and the experienced technical emergency planner wishing to enhance his or her knowledge. This book is heavily referenced, packed with details on the various systems presented, and—despite its technical nature—easy to read.

The author cautions that buyers must beware. The appropriate technology for an organization should be user friendly, operationally easy to manage, fall within an organization’s financial parameters, and have some level of security.

Reviewer: Dr. Glen Kitteringham, CPP, has worked in security and emergency planning since 1990. He is president of Kitteringham Security Group Inc. He is a member of ASIS.