Online Academic Journal of Information Technology (Jan 2016)
An Evaluation of the Infrastructure of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Information Technologies IT in Terms of Disaster Management
Abstract
It is inevitable to ensure the security of social life and to do preparatory work against disasters at regional and national levels in order to create communities that are resistant to disasters causing financial and spritual losses. Therefore, regional and national planning are very important and one of the most important parts of this planning is undoubtedly the active use of computer technologies in this field. As in all fields, the effective use of any piece of information obtained in terms of disaster and emergency management is very crucial. In this regard the use of information technologies has come to the fore as an essential part of disaster management. In this study, Metropolitan Municipality Information Technologies infrastructure was evaluated with in-depth interview method in terms of disaster management in Kocaeli province which, due to its geographical position, contains risks of natural disasters as well as emergency situations with its dense population and industry. During the study period other relevant institutions/units in the province Disaster and Emergency Management Authority- AFAD, Fire Department were interviewed and inter-institutional cooperation activities were put under the microscope. In conclusion; It was found that Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality KBB Geographic Information System GIS had an infrastructure that could exchange data with the relevant institutions, yet it was found that damage estimation work was not done and the decision support systems were not created due to the lack of information on building inventories, and industrial organizations.
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