The Centre for the Assessment of Natural Hazards and Proactive
Planning was recently established at
the National Technical University of Athens,
as a multidisciplinary initiative of
the School of Rural and Surveying
Engineering.
The main objective of the Centre is to become a multidisciplinary scientific unit devoted to the study of natural and human-induced hazards such as drought, water-scarcity, desertification, floods, earthquakes, landslides, forest fires, sea-water intrusion etc. To assist the society against such phenomena, the Centre promotes the approach of proactive planning. In order to achieve its goal the Centre engages in the following activities:
- Conducts multidisciplinary scientific research
- Cooperates with various institutions in Europe and the rest of the world
- Supports governmental and regional organisations for rational decision making
- Organises courses, seminars and symposia
- Publishes books, reports, articles and leaflets to assist the scientific community and to provoke public awareness for various hazardous phenomena
The centre comprises of the following University Laboratories:
- Cadastre
- Cartography
- General Geodesy
- Geo-Informatics
- Geography & Spatial Analysis
- Higher Geodesy & Dionysos Satellite Observatory
- Photogrammetry
- Physical Geography & Environmental Impact
- Reclamation Works & Water Resources Management
- Remote Sensing
- Structural Mechanics & Technical Works
- Trasportation Engineering
The School of Rural and Surveying Engineering has a long-standing experience on issues related to natural hazards and management of natural systems. There are about forty-five successfully completed projects – many of them of global significance and with many international partners. Representative examples of completed or running projects related to the topics of water scarcity and water resource management are:
- EPOCH Programme: Droughts Effects on Vegetation and Soil Degradation in Mediterranean Countries (Contract EPOC-CT90-0028, coordinator NTUA with partners from Italy and Greece)
- STEP Programme: European Soil Erosion Model (EUROSEM)
- National Regional Development Programme: Integrated Water Resources Management of Eastern Crete
- MEDA Programme: Mediterranean Drought Preparedness and Mitigation Planning (MEDROPLAN) (in progress)
- Two INTERREG projects: Drought and Desertification in Mediterranean Basins (SEDEMED II) and Land-sea interaction: coastal state and evolution in CADSES (CADSEALAND) (in progress)
The Centre is administered by a seven member Scientific Council chaired by the Scientific Director. All administrative decisions of the Council are ratified by the General Assembly of the School. The Research Committee of NTUA performs the central economic management of all research projects in the University. Economic management is periodically subject to fiscal inspection by State auditors.