Represent disasters

[pbuttigieg]

From EM-DAT: the International Disaster Database, in particular their grouping here

Ontologise the following:

complex disaster

• famine

natural disaster

• biological -> animal accident -> epidemic --> bacterial disease --> parasitic disease --> viral disease -> insect infestation --> grasshopper infestation --> locust infestation
• climatological -> drought -> wildfire --> forest fire --> land fire (brush, bush, pasture
• extraterrestrial -> impact
• geophysical -> earthquake --> ground movement --> tsunami -> mass movement (dry) --> avalanche --> landslide --> rockfall --> subsidence -> volcanic activity -> ash fall -> lava flow
• hydrological -> flood --> coastal flood --> riverine flood --> flash flood -> landslide --> avalanche --> rockfall --> subsidence
• meteorological -> extreme temperature --> cold wave --> heat wave --> severe winter conditions -> storm --> convective storm --> extra-tropical storm --> tropical cyclone

technological

• technological

-> industrial accident --> chemical spill --> collapse --> explosion --> fire --> gas leak --> oil spill --> other --> poisoning --> radiation -> miscellaneous accident --> collapse --> explosion --> fire --> other -> transport accident --> air --> rail --> road --> water

"Disaster" should probably reside in SDGIO. Most natural disasters will probably reside in ENVO process. They will not be called disasters in ENVO, but merely processes. The logic that makes them disasters will likely be in SDGIO. Technological disasters could be linked to anthropogenic environmental processes, but there may be a better ontology for this.

[pbuttigieg]

GEMET terms of relevance: hazard disaster

[pbuttigieg]

cf. https://github.com/EnvironmentOntology/envo/issues/92, https://github.com/EnvironmentOntology/envo/issues/193, https://github.com/EnvironmentOntology/envo/issues/171, https://github.com/EnvironmentOntology/envo/issues/247

[pbuttigieg]

-> epidemic --> bacterial disease --> parasitic disease --> viral disease

IDO has infectious disease epidemic and infectious disease pandemic along with other relevant processual entities. Subclasses such as bacterial disease epidemic can be created using crossproducts with NCBITax.

GEMET:epidemic is relevant here.

[pbuttigieg]

The following are in ENVO's domain. Check marks indicate that they are present in or have been added to ENVO.

geophysical

• [x] earthquake
• [ ] ground movement
• [x] tsunami
• [x] mass movement (dry) (as mass wasting; no distinction between dry and wet)
  • - [x] avalanche
  • - [x] landslide
  • - [x] rockfall
  • - [x] subsidence
• [x] volcanic activity (as volcanic eruption)
  • - [x] ash fall
  • - [x] lava flow (both a process and a feature present)

[pbuttigieg]

A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society causing widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources [Source: ISDR Terminology of disaster risk reduction]

Perhaps we should add something like 'disaster' after the definition of WMO (see above) to SDGIO. It sounds like the realisation of some disposition of an anthropogenic system linked to vulnerability and (lack of) resilience.

Perhaps: disaster - a state (quality?) of an anthropogenic environmental system in which the bearer's functions are severely disrupted and cannot be restored without exogenous intervention.

Classes from ENVO (environmental processes like flooding), IDO and DOID (epidemics) etc are all perturbations that can trigger a disaster should a system not have sufficient resilience.

[ramonawalls]

Are disasters unique to anthropogenic systems?

[ramonawalls]

Certain biological process like insect infestation and subclasses could probably live in PCO.