A GEOINFORMATION SYSTEM FOR ESTIMATING THE HAZARDS OF CATASTROPHIC VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

Abstract

Researchers from the Laboratories of Geoinformation and Petrology are engaged in developing a geoinformation system, named "Volcanic Hazard'''', for the purpose of predicting volcanic hazards over the territory of Russia. The system enables the user to match digital maps of different scales to see specific patterns in the spatial and tectonic settings of the volcanoes, their morphology and structure, to collect and accumulate information on changes in their states, and to model volcanic situations for the purpose of assessing the hazards of catastrophic eruptions. The choice of software for the system was guided by its comparative simplicity and low cost.