Integrated WebGIS for flood risk management with mobile and GPS technology within Open Source system

Hydrogeological hazard is one of the most frequent natural risks observed in the city of Messina. In the past, entire populations have been isolated by natural events cause by extreme rains and landslides. Factors regarding geomorphologic characteristics of the river are obviously in charge, but phenomena have been increasing with the deposit of abusive materials inside the bed of the river involving a risk of a coast pollution. Our study has concerned the development of an integrated demonstrator system with advanced data processing technologies that supports the efficient management of decision-making processes. We propose a GIS client/server solution with the use of mobile devices as smartphone or pocket PC in order to monitorate hydrogeological risk areas and to handle event and alarm during crisis. Developed application is based on open source systems. The server is a WebGIS dedicated to the control and management of flood and landslides hazard as well as the environment survey. With the help of hydraulic models, the server application provide expert community with an efficient tool aiding to evaluate risk situation and elaborate hazard maps. Use of mobile devices supplies lack of information in non monitored regions. In the project, a mobile GIS application connected to a GPS system has been developed in order to collect accurate territorial data, handle information and transmit it to the server. Mobiles are used for updating geographic information in both monitoring and event handling phases. For the abusive materials deposit, the system integrates video cameras useful to a continuous control on the vulnerable area. Project finality also concerns the realization of a pertinent database containing models results and elaborated data related to monitored regions assessable via web. Such a database provides responsible deciders with a shared oriented information helping them to a better territorial planning in order to reduce risk effects on economy, infrastructure and population. The work also deals with problem of interoperability of data exchanging between multi-platform cartographical systems. A scalable solution has been constructed to support hydrogeological risk management that can be extended to other kind of risks.