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Safety in touristic destinations is of utmost importance since tourists’ preferences change frequently in response to emerging threats. Natural hazards are a significant risk and, as such, they need to be considered in the effort for safe tourism. Services and systems monitoring and predicting extreme natural phenomena and disasters in sites of special tourist and cultural interest can lead to more effective risk management and incident response. This paper presents Xenios, a system under development in Greece that provides early warning and risk communication services via web-based and mobile phone applications. We present the user requirements analysis contacted, which led to the design of a modular system architecture through a formal Business Process Model procedure. Currently, early warning systems for wildfire, floods, and extreme weather events are offered, based on a fusion of information from satellite imagery, meteorological forecasts, and risk estimation models. Moreover, visitors’ dispersion monitoring via unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and Wi-Fi connection signals is also offered, along with emergency response planning and ticketing system’s interfacing. The system is built around a modular architecture that permits the easy integration of new subsystems or other danger forecasting modules, depending on the site’s actual needs and limitations. Xenios also provides a mobile app for site visitors, which establishes a communication link for sending alarms, but also serves them with useful tourist information, so that they are encouraged to download and use the app. Finally, the opportunities for supporting a viable business model are also discussed. The results of this study could prove useful in designing other natural risk management systems for sites of cultural and natural interest.
Chrysostomos Psaroudakis; Gavriil Xanthopoulos; Dimitris Stavrakoudis; Antonios Barnias; Vassiliki Varela; Ilias Gkotsis; Anna Karvouniari; Spyridon Agorgianitis; Ioannis Chasiotis; Diamando Vlachogiannis; Athanasios Sfetsos; Konstantinos Kaoukis; Aikaterini Christopoulou; Petros Antakis; Ioannis Gitas. Development of an Early Warning and Incident Response System for the Protection of Visitors from Natural Hazards in Important Outdoor Sites in Greece. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5143 .
AMA StyleChrysostomos Psaroudakis, Gavriil Xanthopoulos, Dimitris Stavrakoudis, Antonios Barnias, Vassiliki Varela, Ilias Gkotsis, Anna Karvouniari, Spyridon Agorgianitis, Ioannis Chasiotis, Diamando Vlachogiannis, Athanasios Sfetsos, Konstantinos Kaoukis, Aikaterini Christopoulou, Petros Antakis, Ioannis Gitas. Development of an Early Warning and Incident Response System for the Protection of Visitors from Natural Hazards in Important Outdoor Sites in Greece. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (9):5143.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChrysostomos Psaroudakis; Gavriil Xanthopoulos; Dimitris Stavrakoudis; Antonios Barnias; Vassiliki Varela; Ilias Gkotsis; Anna Karvouniari; Spyridon Agorgianitis; Ioannis Chasiotis; Diamando Vlachogiannis; Athanasios Sfetsos; Konstantinos Kaoukis; Aikaterini Christopoulou; Petros Antakis; Ioannis Gitas. 2021. "Development of an Early Warning and Incident Response System for the Protection of Visitors from Natural Hazards in Important Outdoor Sites in Greece." Sustainability 13, no. 9: 5143.
This work introduces a methodology for assessing near-future fire weather pattern changes based on the Canadian Fire Weather Index system components (Fire Weather Index (FWI), Initial Spread Index (ISI), Fire Severity Rating (FSR)), applied in touristic areas in Greece. Four series of daily raster-based datasets for the fire seasons (May–October), concerning a historic (2006 to 2015) and a future climatology period (2036–2045), were created for the areas under consideration, based on high-resolution climate modelling with the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP), PCR 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. The climate model data were obtained from the European Coordinated Downscaling Experiment (EURO-CORDEX) climate database and consisted of atmospheric variables as required by the FWI system, at 12.5 km spatial resolution. The final datasets of the abovementioned variables used for the study were processed at 5 km spatial resolution for the domain of interest after applying regridding based on the nearest neighbour interpolating process. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) spatial operations, including spatial statistics and zonal analyses, were applied on the series of the derived daily raster maps in order to provide a number of output thematic layers. Moreover, historic FWI percentile values, which were estimated for Greece in the frame of a past research study of the Environmental Research Laboratory (EREL), were used as reference data for further evaluation of future fire weather changes. The straightforward methodology for the assessment of the evolution of spatial and temporal distribution of Fire weather Danger due to climate change presented herewith is an essential tool for enhancing the knowledge for the decision support process for forest fire prevention, planning and management policies in areas where the fire risk both in terms of fire hazard likelihood and expected impact is quite important due to human presence and cultural prestige, such as archaeological and tourist protected areas.
Vassiliki Varela; Diamando Vlachogiannis; Athanasios Sfetsos; Nadia Politi; Stelios Karozis. Methodology for the Study of Near-Future Changes of Fire Weather Patterns with Emphasis on Archaeological and Protected Touristic Areas in Greece. Forests 2020, 11, 1168 .
AMA StyleVassiliki Varela, Diamando Vlachogiannis, Athanasios Sfetsos, Nadia Politi, Stelios Karozis. Methodology for the Study of Near-Future Changes of Fire Weather Patterns with Emphasis on Archaeological and Protected Touristic Areas in Greece. Forests. 2020; 11 (11):1168.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVassiliki Varela; Diamando Vlachogiannis; Athanasios Sfetsos; Nadia Politi; Stelios Karozis. 2020. "Methodology for the Study of Near-Future Changes of Fire Weather Patterns with Emphasis on Archaeological and Protected Touristic Areas in Greece." Forests 11, no. 11: 1168.
Fire occurrence and behaviour in Mediterranean-type ecosystems strongly depend on the air temperature and wind conditions, the amount of fuel load and the drought conditions that drastically increase flammability, particularly during the summer period. In order to study the fire danger due to climate change for these ecosystems, the meteorologically based Fire Weather Index (FWI) can be used. The Fire Weather Index (FWI) system, which is part of the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS), has been validated and recognized worldwide as one of the most trusted and important indicators for meteorological fire danger mapping. A number of FWI system components (Fire Weather Index, Drought Code, Initial Spread Index and Fire Severity Rating) were estimated and analysed in the current study for the Mediterranean area of France. Daily raster-based data-sets for the fire seasons (1st May–31st October) of a historic and a future time period were created for the study area based on representative concentration pathway (RCP) 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios, outputs of CNRM-SMHI and MPI-SMHI climate models. GIS spatial analyses were applied on the series of the derived daily raster maps in order to provide a number of output maps for the study area. The results portray various levels of changes in fire danger, in the near future, according to the examined indices. Number of days with high and very high FWI values were found to be doubled compared to the historical period, in particular in areas of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region and Corsica. The areas with high Initial Spread Index and Seasonal Spread Index values increased as well, forming compact zones of high fire danger in the southern part of the study area, while the Drought Code index did not show remarkable changes. The current study on the evolution of spatial and temporal distribution of forest fire danger due to climate change can provide important knowledge to the decision support process for prevention and management policies of forest fires both at a national and EU level.
Vassiliki Varela; Diamando Vlachogiannis; Athanasios Sfetsos; Stelios Karozis; Nadia Politi; Frédérique Giroud. Projection of Forest Fire Danger due to Climate Change in the French Mediterranean Region. Sustainability 2019, 11, 4284 .
AMA StyleVassiliki Varela, Diamando Vlachogiannis, Athanasios Sfetsos, Stelios Karozis, Nadia Politi, Frédérique Giroud. Projection of Forest Fire Danger due to Climate Change in the French Mediterranean Region. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (16):4284.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVassiliki Varela; Diamando Vlachogiannis; Athanasios Sfetsos; Stelios Karozis; Nadia Politi; Frédérique Giroud. 2019. "Projection of Forest Fire Danger due to Climate Change in the French Mediterranean Region." Sustainability 11, no. 16: 4284.