Historical Memory and Natural Hazards in Neogeographic Mapping Technologies
In the last decade, interest in geoethics and the ethical, sociological, and cultural implications of Earth Sciences has increased considerably. This involves emphasizes the fundamental role of geological and geographical studies in finding solutions to p
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Historical Memory and Natural Hazards in Neogeographic Mapping Technologies Francesco De Pascale and Sebastiano D’Amico
Abstract In the last decade, interest in geoethics and the ethical, sociological, and cultural implications of Earth Sciences has increased considerably. This involves emphasizes the fundamental role of geological and geographical studies in finding solutions to practical problems which humans face and are also compatible with the preservation of nature and the planet. In this context any member of society can play an active role during natural catastrophes. This is illustrated by the results of a questionnaire which was given to students and adults in Calabria and Basilicata two regions in southern Italy with medium–high occurrences of seismic hazard. The questionnaire was aimed at evaluating the knowledge that people effectively possessed in reacting and adapting earthquakes (related to age, experience, and area of earthquakes origin.). As part of the evaluation, the same questionnaire was given to students in Malta, a zone of low-to-moderate seismic hazard where awareness of human action, decisive in turning an extreme event in a disaster emerged in the results. To effectively evaluate the risk, it is not enough to understand the hazard, but to assess the vulnerability of cultural heritage in the area, affected by natural disasters. In this work we present two case-studies. First, an open source GIS project conducted in Calabria, focusing enhancing cultural tourism, the historical memory of a region and seismic hazard risk education; and secondly on web applications concerning the perception of earthquakes in Maltese citizens. Keywords Central Mediterranean · Community integrated geographical information systems · Geoethics · Neogeography · Places of memory
F. De Pascale (B) University of Calabria, Rende, Italy e-mail: [email protected] S. D’Amico University of Malta, Msida, Malta e-mail: [email protected] © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 C. Travis and A. von Lünen (eds.) The Digital Arts and Humanities, Springer Geography, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-40953-5_7
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F. De Pascale and S. D’Amico
Introduction In recent years the term geoethics has emerged in scientific discussions on environmental protection and climate change. Geoethics is the study of the evaluation and protection of the geosphere in which the disciplines of geoscience, geography, history, philosophy, sociology, and economy intersect (De Pascale et al. 2015a). As a field, geoethics focuses its debates on the most pressing environmental emergencies, like the greenhouse gas effect and global climate change, in addition to pollution and problems of waste disposal. Geoethics encourages critical analysis of the use of natural resources, promotes accurate information on natural hazards, the development of environmentally friendly technologies, and focuses its concern to planetary protections (Martínez-Frías et al. 2011). It is a discipline that is designed primarily to provide guidelines
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