Thematic mapping for disaster risk assessment in case of earthquake

This paper examines some problems that arise in thematic mapping for disaster management in case of earthquake due to the various types, structure and classification of data provided by various organizations. It represents some of the efforts performed within the framework of the university UACEG-CNIP research project dealing with a conceptual model for information system for expert express evaluation of the earthquake risk over the Bulgarian territory using GIS.

Main stages for data harmonization including georeferencing the information into a geographical reference system, standardizing the object classification, standardizing the level of detail, unifying the cartographic visualization are discussed and some advantages of the use of thematic maps for disaster management in case of earthquake are presented. The resulting maps aim to contribute to holistic seismic risk estimation for the territory of Bulgaria. These maps, logically coupled with the all information data set that has been collected and systematized within the framework of this project, would provide useful information for decision makers and stake holders, dealing with earthquake risk mitigation.