Dear Colleagues,

According to the updated “2009 UNISDR Terminology” (Terminology of UNISDR, 2016) and modified Terminology of UN DRR (2019), disaster risk management (DRM) is the application of disaster risk reduction policies and strategies to prevent new disaster risk, reduce existing disaster risk, and manage residual risk, contributing to the strengthening of resilience and reduction of disaster losses. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is aimed at preventing new while reducing existing disaster risk and managing residual risk, all of which contribute to strengthening resilience and, therefore, to the achievement of sustainable development. In other words, DRR is the policy objective of disaster risk management, and its goals and objectives are defined in disaster risk reduction strategies and plans.

New concepts and strategies are being developed and also improved by changing the scientific and data frameworks in which new approaches are applied. We are now living in the big data era, with efforts toward creating smart solutions and developing data-driven geography and new approaches in various disciplines, like cyberspace questions. Taken together, these have led to the creation of new knowledge and a technological situation with new potentials for solving early warning (EW), DRM, and DRR problems. Very important fundamental aspects of the mentioned processes are various data concepts and the development of new quality data arsenals. Critical efforts for the contemporary world are sustainable development goals (SDGs) defined by the UN in 2015 as “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, defining 17 tasks and newly accompanied by sets of indicators and DRR Sendai goals and global indicators. Both initiatives are newly accompanied not only by goals but also by two kinds of indicators.

In the Third UN World Conference on DRR, March 14, 2015, in Sendai, Japan, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 was adopted. The UN DRR conference is a culmination of contemporary state-of-the-art approaches to solving problems of risks and disasters on our planet. As never before, the conference, in its materials, mentioned the role of Information and Communication Technologies, GIScience, GIS, remote sensing, mapping, sensors, and volunteer geographic information, amongst other aspects.

In the Sendai Framework, four new priorities of action were defined:

• Priority 1: Understanding disaster risk
• Priority 2: Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk
• Priority 3: Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience
• Priority 4: Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

Though already established and described, systems of SGD indicators and global indicators of Sendai Framework are still being developed.

A very important presumption of the realization of the abovementioned steps is creation of the so-called Global Data Ecosystem which should be realized during the pre-existing UN Geospatial Global Information Management (UN GGIM) which is already a mature initiative. There are also other important data initiatives, like GEO and GEOSS, Digital Belt and Road (DBAR), COPERNICUS (formerly GEOSS), and INSPIRE, with ambitions to contribute to the creation of the Global Data Ecosystem.

Along these lines, this Special Issue aims to capture recent efforts and advancements in harnessing the power of GIScience for risk management in the big data era.

The first group of possible topics is to inspire potential authors to deal with basic and new trends related to the big data era. The contribution of novel approaches to spatial data collection (social networks, sensors, citizen science, VGI, etc.), disaster big data processing and sharing, real-time data-centric intelligence based on sensors, harmonization of heterogeneous data into a single structure, cybersecurity of geographical information systems and others, is welcomed, along with analyses and commentary.

The second thematic block will cover cartography and GIS theories such as mobile disaster cartography, concepts, ontologization and standardization, cross-cultural aspects of disaster cartography, investigation of the psychological condition of end-users given by their personal character and situation, and the psychological condition of rescued persons are offered together with questions that are still open on the mapping methodologies and technologies for EW&CM from children and senior perspectives.

The third group of topics aims to address mapping and visualization techniques. Dynamic and real-time cartographic visualization concepts and techniques for enhanced operational activities for selected EW, DRM, and DRR purposes are highlighted. Included in the same group are both virtual environments for EW, DRM, and DRR as well as 3D analysis and visualization of disaster events.

The last group of topics is devoted to services and applications, and may include analyses and descriptions of location-based services for emergencies (web services, etc.), multimodal emergency positioning, mapping based on social big data, internet of things for solutions and visualizations, and disaster chain modeling.

In particular, potential inspiring topics for authors include the following:

1. Big data

• Novel approaches to spatial data collection (social networks, sensors, citizen science, VGI, etc.)
• Geospatial big data computing, analytics, and sharing for disaster management
• Real-time data-centric intelligence based on sensors for purposes of DRM and DRR harmonization and homogenization of heterogenous data.
• Searching and calculations of anomalies in geospatial big data in DRM and DRR process
• Cartographic use of remotely sensed and other geospatial data for early warning, DRM, and DRR
• Cybersecurity of geographical information systems (of data flows from sensor networks to GIS platforms)

2. Cartography and GIS theories

• Mobile disaster cartography
• Concepts, ontologization, and standardization for early warning, hazard, risk, and vulnerability mapping
• Mechanisms of command and control systems integration
• Cross-cultural aspects of disaster cartography (traditions, universality, and conventions and their integration)
• Investigation of the psychological condition of end-users given by their personal character and situation and the psychological condition of rescued persons
• Mapping methodologies and technologies for EW&CM from the perspectives of children and seniors. Designing, understanding, and using maps for EW, DRM, and DRR for children and seniors

3. Mapping and visualization techniques

• Dynamic and real-time cartographic visualization concepts and techniques for enhanced operational early warning and DRM activities for selected purposes (various government levels, inter-state cooperation, first aid, etc.)
• Virtual environments for EW and DRR (geographic, indoors, underground, etc.)
• 3D disaster (floods, fires, slides, tsunamis, etc.) analysis and visualization

4. Services and application

• Location-based service for emergencies
• Multimodal emergency positioning
• Disaster risk analyses and mapping using social big data
• Internet of things (IoT) in disaster solutions and visualizations
• Disaster chain modeling

Guest Editors of the Special Issue do not wish to limit the possible topics to only those listed. The Special Issue is also open to other topics related to the theme.

Prof. Dr. Milan Konecny
Prof. Dr. Jie Shen
Prof. Dr. Zhenlong Li
Guest Editors

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• big data
• GIScience
• disaster management
• cartography