Search

• An automated flood image detection system is presented. • Proposed flood detection system is well-suited for urban applications. • The model rapidly and reliably identifies the flooding extent and location. • Deep learning techniques considerably improve the model performance by data enhancement. Intensified climate change in recent years has had a global impact, leading to increased precipitation events of short duration and high intensity. This phenomenon poses a severe challenge to urban and underground infrastructure. Accurate detection and location of floodplains and water bodies are essential to ensure informed decision-making and implement proactive measures to minimize risks and losses. Therefore, an automated and efficient flood image detection system is the need of the hour. This study proposes a deep learning–based flood detection system. Images taken by surveillance cameras at intersections are used as input data, making the system well-suited to urban applications. Data augmentation techniques are used to improve the model performance. We demonstrated the practicality of this model by applying it to street surveillance images taken in Taiwan. The developed model quickly and successfully identified the extent and location of flooding with high precision and reliability. The developed model can be used to provide valuable insights for flood management and disaster management agencies. The test findings obtained from this study demonstrate the superior performance of the DeepLabv3 + model compared to the Mask R-convolutional neural network model, which was further enhanced using a super-resolution generative adversarial network. The model achieved remarkable precision with a precision metric score of 84 %, which is also complemented by a recall rate of 91 %. Most notably, the mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) metric reached an impressive accuracy level of 85.8 %. The results of this study highlight the importance of developing advanced flood imagery detection models aiming to considerably reduce the risks and losses incurred by flooding. The application of such a flood image detection system could help increase the ability of a city to cope with flood events caused by climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/purpose: Taiwan set up disaster medical assistance teams (DMATs) after the Chi-Chi earthquake, but these teams lack unified standards.Methods: This study was divided into two phases. Phase I was a Delphi study conducted in 2019 with 26 experts who were invited to establish Taiwan's DMAT standards by modifying the World Health Organization Emergency Medical Team (WHO EMT) type I fixed standards. Phase II was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2020. A questionnaire was used to evaluate the disaster preparedness of DMATs by standards set in phase I.Results: In phase I, Taiwan's DMAT standards were established after three rounds of Delphi consensus, with a response rate of 88.5%. The major departures from the WHO EMT standards were the exclusion of obstetric care, mental health, rehabilitation, and laboratory and blood transfusion standards and the addition of an ultrasound standard. During phase II, a total of 32 teams were invited, and the response rate was 96.9%. The overall standard achievement rate was 56.9%, and the three lowest achievement rates corresponded to sanitation (22.6%), medical malpractice insurance (25.8%), and pharmacy and drug supply (25.8%). The national DMATs, official DMATs, DMATs funded by government, and DMATs with ≥10 years of experience had significantly higher achievement rates for partial or overall standards.Conclusion: Using localized standards to evaluate the disaster preparedness of each team, DMATs were found to have many shortcomings mainly due to the lack of unified government announcement standards, legal protection, and adequate financial support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An AI model was applied in the spatiotemporal wave forecast with only wind inputs. • The proposed model has an efficient structure, outperforming popular ConvLSTM model. • The AI model achieve high accuracy against buoy data, even compared with ERA5. The forecast of ocean waves relies mostly on complex dynamic-based models, which are expensive in computation and demanding in professional skills to run. Diverse deep learning methods have been proposed to tackle this problem, yet the architecture of Transformer (i.e., the self-attention) was seldom tested for such a learning problem. To bridge this gap, we apply a state-of-the-art spatiotemporal attention network, the EarthFormer, and apply it for wave forecasting in the northwestern Pacific. To train and validate the EarthFormer, the fifth-generation atmospheric reanalysis dataset (ERA5) from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast product with hourly resolution was adopted, with the sequence of wind as the input and the three key variables (i.e., significance wave height, mean wave period, and mean wave direction) of ocean waves as the output. The prediction can generate accurate wave forecasts up to 12 h ahead, with considerably low root-mean-squared error (RMSE). Overall, the predicted waves resulted in RMSE for the significance wave height of 0.22 m, for the mean wave period of 0.68 s, and for the mean wave direction of 0.28 rad. These wave height and wave period values are ∼13 % and ∼10 % of corresponding spatiotemporal mean values. The EarthFormer outperformed a popular spatiotemporal forecast network, the ConvLSTM, in our problem. For site-wise forecasts against buoy observations near Taiwan, the EarthFormer forecast also presents considerably high accuracy comparable to the ERA5 forecasts. This method can therefore provide an accurate and prompt way to forecast the large-scale distribution of waves to better model the marine dynamic and its climate effects, which could have a high potential for disaster prevention and climate modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to extreme climatic events caused by global environmental changes, the frequency and magnitude of natural hazards in Taiwan have increased in recent years, leading to deaths, injuries, and substantial damages to properties. Disruptions to critical infrastructures have impaired the ability to ensure sustainable daily operations and have caused further failures in other systems. Along with resource allocation and pre-evacuation, highway networks profoundly impact disaster response and recovery, particularly emergency disaster logistics and rescues. This study reviews the highway vulnerability assessments in Taiwan and examines the resilience of highway networks in regard to failures from the perspectives of interdependency. Analytical results demonstrate that the accessibility of emergency medical facilities plays an essential role in highway resilience in Taiwan. Moreover, the connectivity is critical for metropolitan road network resilience, whereas remote highway resilience is associated with the exposures with insufficient self-protection capacities. The proposed method can assist planners in understanding the assessment tools for highway resilience and help decision makers prioritise their adaptation strategies to improve serviceability of the road network during hazardous conditions. • A highway resilience assessment overcoming subjective weight is proposed. • The assessment relies on interdependencies among vulnerability factors. • System dynamics based simulation is used to assess improvements. • Connectivity and self-protection ability are critical in resilience. • Analysis can be replicated to other scenarios and useful for policy evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/purpose: Ambulance traffic accidents (ATAs) are the leading cause of occupation-related fatalities among emergency medical service (EMS) personnel. We aim to use the Taiwan national surveillance system to analyze the characteristics of ATAs and to assist EMS directors in developing policies governing ambulance operations.Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional and largely descriptive study was conducted using Taiwan national traffic accidents surveillance data from January 1, 2011 to October 31, 2016.Results: Among the 1,627,217 traffic accidents during the study period, 715 ATAs caused 8 deaths within 24 h and 1844 injured patients. On average, there was one ATA for every 8598 ambulance runs. Compared to overall traffic accidents, ATAs were 1.7 times more likely to result in death and 1.9 times more likely to have injured patients. Among the 715 ATAs, 8 (1.1%) ATAs were fatal and 707 (98.9%) were nonfatal. All 8 fatalities were associated with motorcycles. The urban areas were significantly higher than the rural areas in the annual number of ATAs (14.2 ± 7.3 [7.0-26.7] versus 3.1 ± 1.9 [0.5-8.4], p = 0.013), the number of ATA-associated fatalities per year (0.2 ± 0.2 [0.0-0.7] versus 0.1 ± 0.1 [0.0-0.2], p = 0.022), and the annual number of injured patients (who needed urgent hospital visits) in ATAs (19.4 ± 7.3 [10.5-30.9] versus 5.2 ± 3.8 [0.9-15.3], p < 0.001).Conclusion: The ATA-associated fatality rate in Taiwan was high, and all fatalities were associated with motorcycles. ATAs in a highly motorcycle-populated area may require further investigation. An ambulance traffic accident reporting system should be built to provide EMS policy guidance for ATA reduction and outcome improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the importance of small island disaster protection has frequently been emphasized in the literature, few studies have explored residents' awareness of coastal disasters and land use on small islands. This study demonstrates that although the residents of Orchid Island, Taiwan, were aware of the effect of coastal hazards, their focus was generally on using coastal areas for tourism rather than coastal disaster prevention. In addition, Taiwan's Coastal Zone Management Act indicates that the indigenous residents of Orchid Island should develop a strategy for coastal hazard protection and have the right to use coastal areas for tourism development. To improve coastal disaster protection and the hazard perceptions of the residents of Orchid Island, communication platforms should be established to unite local resident groups. • Small islands in disaster-prone regions are particularly threatened by climate change, such as Orchid Island, Taiwan. • Climate change and economic development may affect the risk of and challenges associated with coastal disasters. • Some areas with special geographical features may be more affected by coastal disasters, particularly those tourism. • Emergency management problems have received little attention in Orchid Island. • Coastal protection planning on Orchid Island will inevitably affect traditional culture, and must be carefully considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a rolling horizon-based framework for real-time relief distribution in the aftermath of disasters. This framework consists of two modules. One is a state estimation and prediction module, which predicts relief demands and delivery times. The other is a relief distribution module, which solves for optimal relief distribution flows. The goal is to minimize the total time to deliver relief goods to satisfy the demand, considering uncertain data and of the risk-averse attitude of the decision-maker. A numerical example based on the large-scale earthquake that occurred on September 21, 1999 in Taiwan is presented to demonstrate the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although HSR (high-speed rail) systems can provide good service quality, such the systems have not been designed to handle disaster-related events very well, i.e., the trains dispatching work during a disaster. In other words, if there is no experienced train dispatchers in the control center of a HSR system, extended delays and possible catastrophic system failures might occur, thus exacerbating the impact caused by the disaster. Recently, a novel approach called the multi-agent system (MAS) is being increasingly used in transportation applications. Within a multi-agent assisted environment, a stakeholder such as train driver and depot manager can consultant with the corresponding MAS agent about the best trains dispatching strategy. The proposed ontology-based, multi-agent model was tested by using Taiwan HSR real dispatching cases. The results show the potential of assisting train dispatchers in handling disaster scenarios in a more efficient and effective way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquake-induced landslides can cause enormous damage and numerous casualties in mountainous areas worldwide; consequently, accurate assessment of the potential distribution of earthquake-induced landslides is an important issue. For a national disaster prevention agency, it is desirable to be prepared to rapidly evaluate disasters and risks from information that can be scarce or easily available. The present study examined landslides triggered by reverse and strike-slip fault earthquakes, focusing on recent cases in Japan with relatively complete landslide inventories and detailed active-fault information. The landslide distributions and parameters of active faults were compared, and it was found that the skewness and kurtosis of the landslide distribution for each earthquake event was close to zero, indicating that the distributions followed the normal distribution. The mean distance of the landslide distribution from the active fault is negatively correlated with the inclination of the active fault, while the standard deviation is negatively correlated with the fault-top depth of the active fault and positively correlated with the magnitude of the earthquake. Based on our findings, we conducted a regression analysis of the relationship between the mean distance from the active fault and the inclination of the active fault. The mean distance of the landslide from the active fault increased when the active fault had a lower inclination, and was regarded as zero when the inclination was greater than 60°. In addition, a relationship between the standard deviation, depth of fault top, and earthquake magnitude was established using multiple regression analysis. We thus confirmed the accuracy of the methodology using the actual landslide distributions of recent earthquakes in Japan. The length of the active fault can be used as input for the methodology, to estimate the maximum magnitude of the respective earthquake. Furthermore, the 95% confidence interval appears to cover almost all the large landslides, which enables us to limit the extent of areas that should be considered as the most exposed to co-seismic landslide hazards. The applicability of the proposed methodology was successfully tested using the case of the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake in Taiwan with a seismic mechanism similar to the Japanese earthquake. Consequently, the proposed methodology can be applied to estimate the potential distribution of landslides caused by reverse and strike-slip fault earthquakes, based on the parameters of the active faults. • The distribution of earthquake-induced landslides follows a normal distribution. • The fault's inclination affects the mean distance between landslides and the fault. • The SD of distance between landslides and the fault is controlled by EQ magnitude. • The 95% confidence interval of the normal distribution covers most large landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A framework is proposed to describe the generic natural disaster modelling process. • The disaster scenario database is constructed to provide data for resilience research. • Reusable impact-increment database is built to accelerate resilience assessment. • Component-level indices are proposed for targeted resilience enhancement. A planning-oriented resilience assessment and enhancement approach is proposed that can efficiently deal with multi-type natural disasters. A unified disaster modelling framework is proposed to extract key information from various potential disaster scenarios, thus forming a disaster scenario database. The impact-increment-based enumeration method is applied, and a reusable impact-increment database is established to speed up the assessment process. The reusable database is also utilized to calculate component-level resilience indices and economic indices, so as to make enhancement strategies against potential disasters within planning time scale. Resilience assessment on an integrated electricity-gas system in Taiwan's coastal seismic statistical zone shows that the proposed method can significantly improve the computational efficiency as compared to existing methods. Numerical results indicate that the resilient planning considering the diversity of natural disaster types comprehensively improves the system resilience, which means it is not only concerned with the system performance under a single type of disaster. In addition, the most suitable resilience enhancement scheme with insufficient funds shall be developed according to the economic indices, instead of the component-level resilience indices that cannot balance the resilience enhancement effect with the implementation cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disaster nursing competencies and their willingness to participate are essential for the success of disaster relief nurses. This study investigates the correlations among emergency room and intensive care unit nurses' training needs, willingness to participate, achievement motivation and job satisfaction as well as their mutual influences on disaster relief efforts. A convenience sampling cross-sectional study was conducted, where 488 emergency room and intensive care unit nurses from five hospitals in Taiwan participated (response rate: 84.4%). The relationships among the variables were verified using structural equation modelling. Training needs in disaster nursing were found to be positively correlated with willingness to participate and job satisfaction. Moreover, willingness to participate was found to be positively correlated with achievement motivation and job satisfaction. Achievement motivation was found to be positively correlated with job satisfaction. Furthermore, willingness to participate in disaster relief was found to indirectly mediate job satisfaction through achievement motivation. The fulfilment of training needs for disaster nursing and willingness to participate may have an impact on nurses' job satisfaction through the mediating effect of achievement motivation. Nurses' learning needs should be the foremost consideration in disaster nursing training to alleviate human resource shortages and improve disaster responses. These findings can serve as a reference for increasing preparedness training for nurses in disaster management. Nurses substantially contribute to the progression of disaster relief and postdisaster reconstruction. Successful and effective disaster management relies on sufficient nurse responses and training preparedness. Nurses' willingness to participate and achievement motivation in disaster nursing can have an impact on their job satisfaction and alleviate distress for both themselves and patients for the purpose of disaster relief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, the digital image correlation (DIC) method was used to monitor the full-field deformation of a retaining wall. Two retaining walls located in mountainous areas of Taiwan were investigated. The first, Fushan slope, was characterized by substantial long-term deformation, and the second, Bulao slope, was located beneath an expressway and was severely damaged by Typhoon Morakot. This paper first describes the preparation procedures for in situ applications of the DIC method. Various environmental factors such as fog, rain, light direction, and spot mark clarity affected measurement precision, and consequently produced monitoring images that were unsuitable for further analysis. The DIC analysis results clearly indicate the deformation pattern of the retaining walls. The proposed method is accurate and effective for performing long-term monitoring of retaining walls, and the results can be used to accurately predict the tendency, location, and quantity of retaining wall displacement. Therefore, the proposed DIC method can be implemented to prevent disasters caused by landslide. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: This study investigated the critical factors influencing the job involvement of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) of the Fire and Disaster Prevention and Rescue Bureau after it was restructured from the original National Fire Agency, and examined how they confronted continual massive disasters resulting from global climate changes and the demand for better quality rescue services. Methods: 645 Questionnaires were sent out and the responses analyzed. Results: Job negativism increased with the age, life experience and work experience of the EMT. Variables directly affecting job involvement included professional competency and training. In addition, organizations with 16–20 personnel showed greater dedication. However, the professional competency of EMT was not influenced by the constitutional differences of EMT service location. Conclusions: When drafting emergency policies, fire departments should outline appropriate job regulations and manpower distribution in order to increase job inducement and satisfaction, and provide regular training to boost professional competency. In addition, medical rescue budget should be increased to provide substantial logistical support such as ambulances and equipment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Global Climate changes and greenhouse effect lead to an important issue on water management. However, previous studies focused on structural mitigation ways to solve the flood issue, leaving improvement on water management behind. This article attempts to deal with the issue of water management in non-structural mitigation way. As reviewing previous spatial planning method, this article seeks to sort out measures in water management. By choosing Kaohsiung new town as study area, the result indicates some measures can be intergraded into nowadays urban planning systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Increasing our understanding of typhoon movements remains a priority in the western North Pacific. In this study, the trajectories of typhoons that affected Taiwan between 1986 and 2010 are used for clustering, where each trajectory consists of 6-hourly latitude-longitude positions over two days. We compare the performance of four statistical clustering methods, namely, k-means clustering, fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering, hierarchical clustering, and normalized cut techniques. The results show that the FCM technique provides sufficient cluster efficiency with a relatively high degree of goodness of fit. FCM identifies six clusters according to the minimum coefficients of variation (CV). The hotspots of the typhoon centers in each cluster are determined by kernel density estimation (KDE). Moreover, the typhoon track belongs to six clusters with different membership degrees in FCM. The typhoon track density map is estimated by combining the KDE hotspot maps associated with the FCM weights. The information could be used in planning for disaster management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study used a sample of 293 government workers from Guangdong Province of Peoples Republic of China. Based on Delone and McLean''s IS success model, we constructed the scale for evaluating Emergency Management Engineering Information System (EMEIS) success. We also examined impacts of five critical success factors (i.e. internal organization management, quality of product and technology of suppliers, external technical environment, the external policy environment, and coordination and supportive ability of information center) on EMEIS. It was found that these five critical success factors are significantly related. It was also found from Pearson correlation coefficients that all but external policy environment are statistically related with EMEIS. It is found that the model was statistically significant. Since the correlation among independent variables, it was found that internal organization management, external policy environment are final significant variables. Finally, some managerial implications of our findings are proposed in order to improve the EMEIS inner government departments in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Fragility curves can be developed using analytical or empirical methods. When the actual building damage records and the associated ground motion data are available, empirical methods are often adopted. Traditionally, district-based records of building damage are analyzed for developing such fragility curves. In this paper, a new procedure based on the concept of “isointensity-isoexposure” is developed. The new procedure is demonstrated through a case study of the building damage records collected from the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake. The results show that the fragility curves developed with the proposed procedure are more in-line with observations than with the traditional district-based procedure. The developed fragility model may be used for earthquake loss estimation and future emergency planning in the study area. The limitations of the proposed approach include: (1) the developed fragility curves are area-specific and may not be readily applicable to other regions, and (2) ground motion intensity data may not be available at every location in an area of interest. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study was designed to determine the incidence rate and risk factors of missed injuries in major trauma patients in the emergency department (ED). Hospital records of all 976 trauma patients visiting the ED and admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) of a medical center in Taiwan from 2006 to 2007 were reviewed. Missed injuries were defined as those not identified in the ED but recognized later in the ICUs. Clinically significant injuries were those with an Abbreviated Injury Scale of ≥2. In the 2-year period, there were 133 missed injuries in 118 patients in the ED, for a prevalence of 12.1%; 87 injuries were clinically significant in 78 patients, for a prevalence of 8.0%. The estimated incidence rate per 100 person-hours was 3.2 for missed injuries and 2.1 for clinically significant missed injuries. The most commonly involved body region of missed injuries was the head/neck, followed by the chest and extremities. Results of a Cox regression analysis showed that a younger age, more-severe injury, polytrauma, and the absence of soft-tissue injuries were significantly associated with missed injuries, while younger ages, more-severe injuries, and the presence of chest and pelvic injuries were also significantly associated with clinically significant missed injuries. In conclusion, a considerable number of injuries, particularly to the head/neck, may be undetected in the ED, while young people and patients with certain injury patterns such as severity levels, polytrauma, and the presence of a chest or pelvic injury are more likely to have missed injuries and/or clinically significant missed injuries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This research empirically evaluates safety climate and safety behavior in the passenger ferry context. Using survey data collected from 155 respondents working for passenger ferry companies in Taiwan, hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the effects of safety climate on self-reported safety behaviors. Confirmatory factor analysis identified five main dimensions of safety climate as measured on a passenger ferry safety climate scale: safety policy, safety motivation, emergency preparedness, safety training, and safety communication. Further, safety training and emergency preparedness were found to positively affect self-reported safety behaviors with respect to safety compliance and safety participation. The study also revealed positive associations among respondents’ age, ferry capacity, and safety compliance. Implications of the study findings for increasing safety in ferry operations and their contribution to the development of safety management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In Taiwan the new guides for the nuclear emergency public protective action were laid down by the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) of Executive Yuan, Taiwan, ROC on July 15th, 2005. The main modifications of the guides are that the avertable dose is applied as the intervention levels and suggests the public protective actions. The emergency response dose evaluation system named RPDOSE, which was developed in 2005, was employed in this work to enhance the capability of the avertable dose evaluation for the villages in the emergency planning zone (EPZ). The period of the long-term weather forecasting data was extended from 4 to 8 days to satisfy the requirement of avertable dose computing. According to the intervention levels, the RPDOSE system is used to calculate the avertable dose and suggest appropriate public protective actions such as sheltering, evacuation or iodine prophylaxis as well as the proposed acting times for each village in the EPZ. This system was employed and examined in the annual nuclear emergency exercise of 2008 in the Maanshan nuclear power plant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the past two decades, there has been continuous investment and expansion of semiconductor, photoelectric panel, or solar cell plants in the high-tech industry. For example, establishing a semiconductor plant costs about US$ 3 billion. In addition, the output value of integrated circuits (IC) of Taiwan as a whole is estimated to be about US$ 5.215 billion, and globally of US$ 275.2 billion in 2008. A large amount and a variety of specialty gases or chemicals are applied during processes in high-tech facilities and these chemicals are characterized by inflammability, toxicity, and corrosiveness. Accidents may result once errors or leaks occur in any part of the supply chain, which consists of storage facilities, supply equipment, process machines, and tail gas elimination devices. Personnel casualties can result in serious situations. This study discusses the emergency response procedures and common response defects in semiconductor plants with a view to enhancing emergency response effects and capabilities, avoiding casualties, reducing property loss and shortening operation interruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper investigates passenger perceptions about exit row seating limitations and obligations and about the effects of flight safety education given to the general public. The results of an empirical study in Taiwan showed that passengers in Taiwan misunderstood exit row seating, especially the age limitation regulation. The respondents also misunderstood the exit row seating obligations of being able to: (1) recognize the emergency exit opening mechanism and related instructions and (2) assist and help other passengers deplane when an emergency occurs. Statistically, there are significant differences between passenger age-groups and between passengers who travel and those who travel more by air. Passengers strongly believe that flight safety education is vital to the general public; therefore, they believe that the government needs to do more to develop safety awareness and education for passengers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) changes the air flow in the tropics, causing global droughts, floods, typhoons, and other natural disasters. Therefore, monitoring and forecasting of ENSO events effectively play an important role in disaster prevention and mitigation. This paper proposes a novel ENSO monitoring index using GNSS-derived zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) and temperature (T), which is called the standardized ENSO monitoring index (SEMI), and validated its performance by introducing the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI). Multichannel singular spectral analysis (MSSA) and Lomb-Scargle periodogram are first applied to determine the periodic signals of ZTD and T. Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) is then used to analyze the spatio-temporal characteristics of ZTD and T. Finally, the response thresholds of ZTD and T to ENSO events are determined using the moving window correlation analysis (MWCA) method, and the SEMI is established based on the relationship between abnormal changes of sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTa) and ZTD/T. ZTD and T of 97 GNSS stations and the corresponding SPEI over the period of 2006–2016 in Taiwan province has been obtained to validate the capacity of the proposed SEMI for ENSO monitoring. Experimental results reveal that (1) annual and semi-annual periods existed in ZTD and T with the values of 365.25 and 182.625 days, respectively. (2) ZTD and T have good correlations with SSTa, and the coefficients are 0.64 and 0.70, respectively. (3) The response thresholds of ZTD and T to ENSO events in Taiwan province are [−1.13 °C, 0.84 °C] and [−1.09 °C, 0.69 °C], respectively. (4) The proposed SEMI has a good relationship with SSTa with a correlation coefficient of 0.77 and has been proven to have good ENSO monitoring capacity by comparing with SPEI with a correlation coefficient of 0.83. This result is of great significance for drought and flood disaster monitoring by the GNSS technique. • A standardized ENSO monitoring index (SEMI) is proposed. • SEMI only considers the parameters of GNSS-derived ZTD and temperature. • Response thresholds of ZTD and T to ENSO events are determined. • The performance of SEMI is validated by drought monitoring index (SPEI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, various types of accidents, such as fire, explosion, and toxic release, have occurred in science parks (SCs) in Taiwan. The aftermath included financial losses, damaged reputations, business and operation interruption, property damage, and loss of lives. Considering loss prevention, this study plans an emergency response centre (ERC) in order to properly and proactively cope with incidents occurring in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSIP) since its inception in 1996. This article also design and promulgate the use of central monitoring system (CMS) between the ERC and various plants located in the STSIP. With a view to alleviating hazards, the integrated CMS could comprehensively bring a safer environment to all workers and staff at STSIP. Only through the reviews of table-top or functional exercise and real accidents, a comprehensive, fail-safe, and real-life system could be establish to lessen the hazards in STSIP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: According to government regulations, the emergency planning zone (EPZ) of a nuclear power plant (NPP) must be designated before operation and reevaluated every 5 years. Corresponding emergency response planning (ERP) has to be made in advance to guarantee that all necessary resources are available under accidental releases of radioisotope. In this study, the EPZ for each of the three operating NPPs, Chinshan, Kuosheng, and Maanshan, in Taiwan was reevaluated using the MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System 2 (MACCS2) developed by Sandia National Laboratory. Meteorological data around the nuclear power plant were collected during 2003. The source term data including inventory, sensible heat content, and timing duration, were based on previous PRA information of each plant. The effective dose equivalent and thyroid dose together with the related individual risk and societal risk were calculated. By comparing the results to the protective action guide and related safety criteria, 1.5, 1.5, and 4.5km were estimated for Chinshan, Kuosheng, and Maanshan NPPs, respectively. We suggest that a radius of 5.0km is a reasonably conservative value of EPZ for each of the three operating NPPs in Taiwan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Use of hierarchical clustering to differentiate hospitals' burn care capacity with open government data is a novel and alternative solution to traditional accreditation processes. • Data selection and streamlining process of 116 open data variables determined 42 variables for cluster analysis. • The internal and external clustering validation identified four clusters via four influential variables for Taiwanese hospitals. • This approach can be used in other countries or contexts as an alternative to traditional accreditation methods for ranking hospital capacities in burn care or other domains of care. To deal with burn mass casualty incidents (BMCIs), various countries have established national or regional BMCI emergency response plans (ERPs). A burn care capacity ranking model for hospitals can play an integral role in ERPs by providing essential information to emergency medical services for distributing and handling mass burn patients. Ranking models vary across countries and contexts. However, Taiwan has had no such model. The study aims to develop a ranking model for classifying hospitals' burn care capacity in preparation for the development of a national BMCI ERP. Multiple methods were adopted. An expert panel provided consultations on data selection and clustering validation. Data on 116 variables from 535 hospitals were collected via open data platforms under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Data selection and streamlining was conducted to determine 42 variables for cluster analysis. SAS 9.4 was used to analyze the data set -via a hierarchical cluster analysis using Ward's method, followed by a tree-based model analysis to identify the criteria for each cluster. Both internal and external cluster validation were performed. Four clusters of burn care capacity were determined to be a suitable number of clusters. All hospitals were arranged into capacity levels accordingly. Results of the Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the difference between clusters were significant. Tree-based model analysis revealed four determining variables, among which the refined level of emergency care responsibility hospital was found to be most influential on the clustering process. Responses from the questionnaire were used as an external validation tool to corroborate with the cluster analysis results. The use of open government data and cluster analysis was suitable for developing a ranking model to determine hospitals' burn care capacity levels in Taiwan. The proposed ranking model can be used to develop a BMCI emergency response plan and can also serve as a reference for using cluster analysis with open government data to rank care capacity or quality in other domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earthquake-triggered landslides are one of the major hazards in tectonically active mountain belts, and a nowcasting (near-real-time assessment) model for rapid assessment of coseismic landsliding is crucial for hazard mitigation and management. The purpose of this study is to develop a nowcasting model by using a logistic regression model. We use an inventory of earthquake-triggered landslides from the 1999 M w 7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake to train the model at a spatial resolution of 40 m. We use a multi-stage framework to choose dominant variables for developing an optimal model. Our result shows that the model contains three key variables, peak ground acceleration (PGA), topographic roughness, and lithology, and two essential combined variables, PGA*slope, and PGA*roughness, to enhance the interaction between ground shaking and topography. By using the landslide inventory of the 1998 M w5.7 Jueili earthquake, the probability threshold of 0.1 is chosen to define predicted landslides, and the balanced accuracy is above 0.95 in the prediction. The development of this model can effectively estimate possible earthquake-triggered landslides with the input of real-time PGA values, and facilitate a rapid response in emergencies based on the potential landslide distributions in Taiwan. • A nowcasting model for the prediction of earthquake-triggered landslides in Taiwan. • Key variables for the model are PGA, Lithology, Roughness, PGA * Slope, and PGA * Roughness. • Landslide distributions of the Jueili earthquake are consistent with the nowcasting results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A natural hillslope developing into a landslide shows ground cracks and topographic deformation. Geomorphological and subsurface investigations using appropriate methodology are essential to understand the failure mechanisms and stability of a hillslope. Huafan University campus located on a dip slope in northern Taiwan is facing a potential landslide hazard. Slope movement was detected through the development of ground cracks and persistent deformation of campus buildings and facilities. To monitor the sliding behavior of the dip slope, a nail network consisting of 144 ground monitoring points was set in 2001, and its coordinates were measured using conventional traverse surveying twice a year until 2017. The 17-year surficial surveying results were presented as a time series of displacements with constraints of geometry and distribution of ground cracks and underground observations. The long-term surveying results reveal multiple potential sliding blocks within the Huafan University campus. A model of landslide movement with a listric sliding surface is proposed. Additionally, from the velocity field derived from the monitoring points, the horizontal strain rates of the slope are estimated. The pattern of strain rates indicates that a plausible fault passing through the campus may have affected the movement of the dip slope. The long-term surface monitoring of a potential landslide slope in this study provides a reliable and economical way to understand the mechanism of movement behavior of the slope and evaluate slope stability. • 17-year surficial monitoring distinguishes movement behavior of different parts of dip-slope landslides. • A model of movement process of landslides having listric sliding surface(s) is proposed to reveal intermittent movements. • A strain pattern obtained of the slope surface evidences a tectonic fault passing through the landslide block. • Economic and reliable study procedures are applicable to unstable slopes for research and disaster prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new model for urban resilience considering adaptability, resistance and recovery was proposed. • Valid factual information during the Morakot was adopted to validate this model. • Critical parameters of the model such as damage intensity, experience coefficient etc. were studied. • Some optimal suggestions were provided to efficiently improve urban resilience. Due to the greater emphasis on cities' preparatory and recover ability for disaster, urban resilience is widely concerned, which is different from the traditional management mode of natural disaster and provides a new theoretical framework for urban security governance. In this paper, considering adaptability, resistance and recovery as the main characteristic factor of urban resilience, an urban resilience model was developed. This model could be used to simulate the resilience of a city under different disaster scenarios. Valid information was collected from Taiwan of China during the Morakot, and the urban resilience model was tested by the practical data, and then the resilience in Taiwan was analyzed by the constructed model. The results show that the model could reflect the resilience change of cities during disasters to some extent. Further, according to the disaster characteristics, five disaster scenarios were set to analyze various resilience characteristics. In addition, the critical parameters of the model were studied. We found that the greater intensity of disaster damage, the more serious damage of urban system function, and the earlier peak time of disaster damage intensity appears, the faster damage rate of urban system function will be. Furthermore, the larger coefficient of external disaster relief capability, the lower loss of urban system function and the better recovery capability. The higher coefficient of disaster experience, the richer the disaster response experience, the more perfect urban infrastructure of disaster response, and the smaller loss of urban system function. Based on our results, we analyze the characteristics of urban resilience and provide some optimal suggestions to efficiently improve urban resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Given an introduction to the establishment of the Ministry of Emergency Management of the People's Republic of China. • Listed expected benefits of the Ministry of Emergency Management of the People's Republic of China. • Introduced the key responsibilities of the Ministry of Emergency Management of the People's Republic of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]