Disasters: detecting human life with remote technology

Flinders: The tragic earthquake in Nepal still reminds us all the value of a human life, and the importance of stubborness in the search for survivors. However, technology could help the rescuers. Flinders engineering students have developed ground-breaking new technology for detecting human life using remote cameras. The Iraqi students, who come from from Najaf, south of Baghdad, have developed technology which could be used in disaster and war zones for rescue operations. They have created a new algorithm for detecting people with thermal and colour cameras that is believed to be faster and more efficient than any other published technique.

150 days of healthy life lost for each person after earthquake in New-Zealand

Victoria: A new way of evaluating the immediate impact of natural disasters by a professor from Victoria University of Wellington shows that each person in Canterbury lost approximately 150 days of ‘healthy life’ in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake.

Earthquakes demonstrate people caught by surprise

Canterbury University. New-Zealand: The Christchurch earthquakes demonstrate that people generally do not take any notice of the likely occurrence of rare events, University of Canterbury natural hazards researcher Professor Tim Davies says.