Comparing natural hazard and risk representations in a transboundary area to enhance civil protection international cooperation

Each country has its own way to manage the civil protection issue and to define hazard and risk. However, in case of transboundary events, it is crucial that people in charge of the emergency management can quickly understand the other nation instruments, for an effective comprehension, communication and optimal collaboration.

The GESTISCO project (Gestione delle emergenze Senza Confini – emergencies’ management without borders), funded in the framework of the “INTERREG Italia – Svizzera” initiative, aims to promote the capability of Lombardy Region (Italy) and the Ticino Canton (Switzerland) to manage risk scenarios involving both countries together. With this work, we present results of one of the project activities: to compare methods to define natural hazard and risk, understand and underline the differences in the mapping method and visualization, and find ways to help the operators and technicians of both countries in reading and interpreting the representations concerning flood and mass movements hazard.

The activity began with a wide phase of comparison, undertaken from a legislative point of view, to understand the origin and purpose of the maps in both countries’ regulations. From a technical perspective, it was important to be aware of the differences in methods and to understand the reasons behind the inconsistencies. Finally, the data visualization on the maps was also compared, in order to understand the possible reading difficulties for people involved in the risk management and to identify strategies to overcome them.

The next step of the project is the translation of the results of the performed analysis into some practical digital instruments that can easily allow to manage transboundary events, helping the operators in reading and understanding the scenario occurring across the border.