Synergy of GIS and IoT for Weather Disasters Monitoring and Management

Information technology plays a significant role in attaining safety from natural disasters through providing predictions and early warnings to minimize the degree of danger and the damage due to the severe weather conditions. This paper presents an integration of GIS and the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in the detection and alerting processes in disaster management of severe weather conditions. Data are measured collected by sensors distributed in different locations. The system generates alerts disseminated simultaneously in near real-time to the responsible governmental entities and the public through multiple delivery mechanisms. These available channels include Email notifications, text-based SMS, live alerts via online social media sites. The system has a substantial advantage is that it can operate with any available weather sensors or with automatic weather stations. A multi-layered geodatabase is developed with the integration of the IoT data. Spatial analysis is carried out to identify the vulnerable areas to disasters due to the severe weather conditions.