GIS5100 Week3: Natural Hazards-- Tsunamis

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This week's lab had us create an evacuation map for the tsunami in Fukushima, Japan.
Part of it also served as refresher in best practices for setting up a new Geodatabase using only base data files. Which meant I had to organize different feature classes into feature datasets to improve productivity. There is a lot of data involved for a natural disaster scenario and it drove home the importance of maintaining specific feature datasets within the geodatabase.

One of my favorite steps in this lab involved the Fukushima and Sendai area DEMs that helped generate Evacuation Zones 1-3, not pictured in the final map in order to create a final affected coastal zone DEM. I had never created a model as large as the one for this step in model builder, it certainly saved a lot of time.

What I've taken away from this scenario is that whichever method of risk assessment is used, the GIS specialist has to be prepared with the data organized and ready to present during an emergency in order for emergency rescue teams to 1. identify high risk zones, 2. save as many people possible, and 3. assess potential damages,


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