[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 121 (Tuesday, October 3, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S9690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  GLOBAL DISASTER INFORMATION NETWORK

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise to commend employees of the many 
Federal departments and agencies responsible for the impressive 
preliminary work on establishing a Global Disaster Information Network, 
GDIN.
  As a member of the Governmental Affairs Committee, which authorizes 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, I take a keen interest 
in the way in which institutions in the federal government respond to 
disasters. I am struck by the tremendous potential advanced 
technologies, including satellite imaging, the Worldwide Web, and 
computer data systems can play in improving our responsiveness to 
natural disasters.
  Much of the credit is due to the visionary leadership of Vice 
President Gore for directing GDIN's development and for recognizing the 
potential for harnessing current day technologies in an unprecedented 
and innovative way.
  GDIN represents a coordinated effort among the Nation's federal 
disaster agencies, intelligence agencies, the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration, academia, and industry, and their international 
counterparts, to utilize existing and emerging information technology 
more effectively to provide key decision makers with information 
critical for reducing loss from natural disasters. As a result of GDIN, 
the availability of critical disaster response, recovery, mitigation 
and preparedness information is now greater than ever before.
  Domestic disasters are estimated to cost an average of $54.3 billion, 
causing 510 deaths per year. International disasters kill more than 
133,000 people and cost more than $440 billion in property damage. The 
added costs of widespread human suffering and political instability are 
incalculable.
  The current capabilities of GDIN are impressive, but future 
capabilities and possibilities hold even greater promise. GDIN's 
development exemplifies the best international collaborative efforts 
between government and industry and illustrates the innovation possible 
only in this great technological age. Surprisingly, GDIN has received 
scant attention by the American public or the media.
  Prior to GDIN, there was no common approach to accessing a single 
source for the broad range of information needed for natural disaster 
reduction or aids to help integrate information from many diverse 
sources. Relevant information was difficult to locate or use 
effectively. Disaster managers worldwide were consistently frustrated 
by poor telecommunications and inadequate infrastructure.
  In February 1997, Vice President Gore wrote to key Federal 
departments and agencies requesting a feasibility study for 
establishing a global disaster information network, through the 
integration of the Internet and other emerging technologies, to improve 
preparedness and responsiveness to natural or environmental disasters. 
A Federal task force was formed to explore public/private partnerships 
to make the concept a reality. In April 2000, President Clinton issued 
Executive Order 13151, formally creating GDIN and setting operational 
objectives.
  A key objective of GDIN is to promote the United States as an example 
and leader in the development and dissemination of disaster 
information, both domestically and abroad, and to seek cooperation with 
foreign governments and international organizations. Continued Federal 
leadership is essential to its continued success. The creation of a 
highly sophisticated and widely distributed knowledge base, 
encompassing common systems of measurements, methods of data 
visualization and exploitation, information analysis, event 
forecasting, knowledge modeling, and data and information management, 
remains key to successful future development.
  For example, in 1997, the region of Grand Forks, North Dakota 
suffered losses greater than $400 million when the Red River rose. In 
order to predict flood areas accurately, we need a system that can 
overlay information not only on water levels and rates but also the 
surrounding infrastructure of levies and roads, which affect the flow 
of water.
  A positive example of data integration was in the 1996 fire in 
Mendocino, California, in which data from the Landsat Thematic Mapper, 
Digital Elevation Models, infrared scanners, information from National 
Technical Means, and field reports were used to assess fire damage, as 
well as the potential for erosion and new growth. Additional 
information on rangeland, wildlife habitats, and recreational needs 
were included to build a comprehensive plan for re-vegetation resulting 
in a plan by the U.S. Forest Service, which is estimated to have saved 
$250 million by more efficient planting.
  These are isolated examples. The program, both nationally and 
internationally, is still in its infancy. The information is there but 
the way to access it is still a work in progress. Unfortunately, on the 
domestic front there has been a lack of support in some circles for 
this program. Such lack of support is deplorable. The need to find more 
effective ways to respond to disasters in the United States must be 
above partisan politics.
  We live in truly amazing times. Rapid improvements in communications, 
the Internet, space imagery, remote sensing, global positioning 
technologies, and early warning forecasting hold promise to continue to 
revolutionize disaster management and therefore save lives and reduce 
human suffering in very significant ways.

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