Risk Analysis VIII (Wit Transactions on Information and Communication Technologies)

Comprised of the papers presented at the eighth International Conference on Simulation in Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation, this book covers a topic of increasing importance. Scientific knowledge is essential to our better understanding of risk. Natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, fires and others, have always affected human societies. Man-made hazards, however, played a comparatively small role until the industrial revolution when the risk of catastrophic events started to increase due to the rapid growth of new technologies and the urbanization of populations. The interaction of natural and anthropogenic risks adds to the complexity of the problem. Due to advances in computational methods and the ability to model systems more precisely we can now quantify hazards, simulate their effects and calculate risk with greater accuracy, enabling us to manage risk much more effectively. These developments are particularly relevant to environmental issues, where substantial risks are involved. Governments, and their publics, now place a high priority on effective risk management and the mitigation of possible hazards. The book addresses topics such as: Estimation of Risk; Risk Management; Vulnerability; Geomorphologic Risk; Network Systems; Climate Change Risks; Hazard Prevention, Management and Control; Security and Public Safety; Transportation Safety; Safe Ship Operations; Early Warning Systems; Food Safety; Risk Perception; Natural Hazards; Technological Risk. The book will be of interest to planners, emergency managers, environmentalists, engineers, policy makers and other government officials, researchers and academics involved in the field of risk and disaster management.