Description
Up-to-date and accessible information is essential to providing an effective, coordinated response to disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, and tropical storms. The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) provides near real-time data, alerts, and impact assessments that can be accessed online. The interactive website integrates coordination tools with maps and satellite imagery relevant to an event, including NASA satellite imagery and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-based flood mapping from the Dartmouth Flood Observatory. In this two-hour training, participants learned how to use GDACS to monitor real-time disasters, assess the impacts of an event, and develop response strategies for both national and international events. The training led by NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training program (ARSET) included a presentation, followed by a demonstration of GDACS features and a case study with step-by-step instructions for obtaining satellite images, alerts, and crisis management information using GDACS.