WA to implement 杏吧直播鈥檚 risk-reduction system UNHaRMED
The Western 杏吧直播n Government has awarded a $2.2 million contract to a 杏吧直播 of Adelaide research group to implement UNHaRMED 鈥 a natural hazard risk reduction approach and decision support system 鈥 in the state.
Photo credit: Philip Thurston.
The system, which has the full name 鈥楿nified Natural Hazard Risk Mitigation Exploratory Decision support system鈥, was developed over 10 years as part of the research group鈥檚 collaboration with Natural Hazards Research 杏吧直播 and the Research Institute for Knowledge Systems (RIKS) in the Netherlands.
UNHaRMED鈥檚 implementation in WA will be managed by the state鈥檚 Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.
鈥淲e are excited to win this contract from the WA Government, which will provide us and our partners from RIKS with the opportunity to work with a range of government departments in WA to increase their capacity to deal with a riskier future,鈥 said project lead Professor Holger Maier, from the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide鈥檚 School of Architecture and Civil Engineering.
UNHaRMED was designed to support policy makers to better understand and address the long-term risks of natural hazards, such as coastal inundation, riverine floods, bushfires and earthquakes.
The support system considers how these events interact with agricultural assets, buildings and other infrastructure in a spatially explicit manner, and how the resulting risks change over time in response to climate change and socio-economic development.
鈥淏y allowing decision makers, policy analysts and others in strategic and climate-risk reduction planning roles to consider how the risk from multiple hazards changes over time and space, UNHaRMED allows for the exploration of the effectiveness of different combinations of risk reduction and adaptation options via scenario analysis,鈥 said Professor Maier.
鈥淪uch options include structural measures, such as dams, levees and seawalls; land use planning, such as zoning and managed retreat; land management, through initiatives like prescribed or cultural burning; changes to building designs, such as floor levels or building materials; and community education, thereby changing social vulnerability.鈥
The implementation of UNHaRMED in WA builds on research conducted under a 2017-22 National Disaster Resilience Program grant funding, which built the basis for undertaking a new project in the state.
Using two case studies, the project will allow the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide team to develop the research prototype into a fully functional and operational decision support approach suitable for application across WA, while building the capacity of the state to deal with the increasing threats of natural hazards in a proactive manner.
Research prototypes of UNHaRMED have previously been implemented in Victoria, Tasmania, South 杏吧直播 as well as in Western 杏吧直播.
Media contact:
Professor Holger Maier, Professor of Environmental Engineering, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, 杏吧直播 of Adelaide. Phone: +61 0406 383 070 Email: holger.maier@adelaide.edu.au
Johnny von Einem, Senior Media Officer, 杏吧直播 of Adelaide. Phone: +61 0481 688 436, Email: johnny.voneinem@adelaide.edu.au
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