DISSEMINATION OF CARTOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS AND TOOLS IN NATURAL
HAZARD AND RISK MANAGEMENT BY NOVEL E-LEARNING METHODS
C. Lienert, L. Hurni
ETH Zurich, Institute of Cartography, Zurich, Switzerland
lienert@karto.baug.ethz.ch
The overall
goal of the Swiss Virtual Campus project Dealing with Natural Hazards and
Risk (NAHRIS) is to create a common educational course program that
compiles the most recent knowledge in the field of natural hazards and risk
management. Several Higher Education Institutes from all parts of Switzerland
were involved in the realization of this Internet course platform. NAHRIS is
primarily targeted at University students on the BSc level. However, it also
enjoys growing popularity among researchers and practitioners employed in these
working areas.
The main
novelty of NAHRIS lies in the holistic examination of the natural hazard and
risk management domain including technical, environmental and social aspects.
Four of five learning modules address in a rather sectoral way the most
prevalent issues such as Knowledge and Tools (Module 1), Hydrological
and Meteorological Hazards (Module 2), Geological and Tectonic Hazards
(Module 3) and Vulnerability (Module 4). The module Integral Natural
Risk Management (Module 5) integrates the foregoing modules. The whole
internet course is structured hierarchically, consisting of modules, topic
groups and learning units.
Cartography
takes a significant position both in Module 1 and in NAHRIS as whole. This is
because assessments of dangerous natural processes demand
knowledge of basic issues and tools which are mostly common when dealing with
all such dangers. From
a technological viewpoint, the novelty of NAHRIS is also that it applies
various interactive web-applications such as navigation tools, individual
thematic map composition and data exploration. As to contents, cartographic concepts and tools are presented in the topic group Data
Presentation of Module 1. Specifically aligned for NAHRIS, they cover the
need for data presentation and visualization, along with the definition of
various map users. The aim, use and principles of thematic and topographic
cartography are then described and contrasted. Another learning unit is devoted
to the use of map symbols. Furthermore, different data standardization and data
classification methods are shown so that thematic data can be properly compared
and represented. Consequently,
colour hue, brightness and saturation are theoretically and exemplarily
addressed as colours are applied to thematic symbols in order to maintain a
good readability. The importance of quantitative visualizations such as
diagrams and choropleth maps are also discussed in more detail. Digital
cartographic applications, including GIS and CAC, are covered in the following
learning unit and their varying capabilities are highlighted. Uniform
guidelines and standards for natural hazard phenomena mapping conclude Module 1
of NAHRIS.