Enhancing Multi-(Hazard-)Risk Assessment and Management through Integrated Approaches

Understanding risk components—such as vulnerability, exposure, and hazard interactions—requires approaches that integrate diverse perspectives and data sources. This abstract presents insights from the MYRIAD-EU and EO4Multihazards projects, which combine top-down Earth Observation (EO) data with bottom-up stakeholder-driven insights to enhance multi-(hazard-)risk assessment and management.

Top-down EO methods, including satellite imagery and remote sensing, provide large-scale data on hazard monitoring, environmental changes, and exposure dynamics. Complementing this, stakeholder interviews in five pilot regions (Veneto, Canary Islands, Scandinavia, Danube, and North Sea) capture local knowledge of risk drivers, vulnerabilities, and hazard interactions. Integrating these approaches bridges critical gaps, such as the dynamic nature of vulnerabilities and their socio-economic dimensions.

This combined methodology creates a more nuanced, context-sensitive understanding of multi-(hazard-)risk. It highlights the importance of incorporating qualitative, ground-level insights into traditionally quantitative frameworks. Achievements include better identification of vulnerability drivers, improved data integration, and tailored strategies for local and regional risk reduction.

By uniting bottom-up and top-down perspectives, this approach provides a comprehensive framework for understanding risk dynamics, fostering collaboration across disciplines, and advancing adaptive, inclusive strategies for disaster risk reduction in an evolving climate.