A Study on Estimating the Population of a Natural Disaster Damage Area

Abstract

Due to the abnormal climate phenomenon, disasters are gradually becoming more volatile, especially in large cities; damage is being caused by both artificial and natural factors, which are occurring with increasing uncertainty, and by excessive infrastructure development and population growth due to urbanization. To reduce the damage from natural disasters, we have established preemptive measures for each type of disaster, and are promoting natural disaster prevention procedures through institutional improvement. However, an analysis of existing disaster prevention and recovery projects suggests that these procedures have had only fragmentary effects, mainly centered on monetary losses and residents' satisfaction, so the results are insufficient to present the clear damage reduction effect on investments in disaster prevention projects, and to uniformly calculate the portion of the population that has been damaged. This means there is a limit to our being able to prioritize consideration regarding disaster vulnerability. In this study, we will segment the vulnerable groups based on demographic information from the local government and spatial information on demographic and vulnerable groups. Keywords: Damage Area of Natural Disaster, Spatial Information, Vulnerable Groups of Disasters, Priority of Investment in Disaster Prevention Projects