# Presentation: 938435

## Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges

**Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges**
***USGS Natural Hazards Science in the Coming Decade***

**Dr. Mark Myers**
**March 7,  2007**

**U.S. Department of the Interior**
**U.S. Geological Survey**

**Notes:**
Introduction:

## A National Framework for Natural Hazards Risk Reduction and Management  Developing a Research Agenda 

**A National Framework for Natural Hazards Risk Reduction and Management ** *Developing a Research Agenda*** **

**  ****Enhancing the use of scientific information to reduce societal vulnerability and risk from hazards;**
**  ****Identifying how spatial data can most effectively enable and empower decision-making at the local, state and national levels; and **
**  ****Addressing the alignment of incentives and predicted behavior at both the national and local levels to advance public interest.**

## Grand Challenges for Disaster Reduction 

**Grand Challenges for Disaster Reduction**
*National Science and Technology Council*** **

**# 1 – Provide hazard and disaster information where and when it is needed.**
**# 2 – Understand the natural processes that produce hazards.**
**# 3 – Develop hazard mitigation strategies and technologies.**
**# 4 – Recognize and reduce vulnerability of interdependent critical infrastructure.**
**# 5 – Assess disaster resilience using standard methods.**
**# 6 – Promote risk-wise behavior.**

## Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges: USGS Science in the Coming Decade 

**Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges:** *USGS Science in the Coming Decade*** **

-   **Understanding Ecosystems and Predicting Ecosystem Change**
*        **Ensuring the Nation’s Economic and Environmental Future*
-   **The Role of the Environment and Wildlife in Human Health**
*        **A Warning System for Environmental Risk to Public Health in America*
-   **A Water Census of the United States**
*       **Quantifying, Forecasting, and Securing Freshwater for America’s Future*
-   **A National Hazards, Risk, and Resilience Assessment Program**
*       **Ensuring the Long-Term Health and Wealth of the Nation*
-   **Climate Variability and Change**
*       **Clarifying the Record and Assessing the Consequences *
-   **Energy and Minerals for America’s Future**
*       **Providing a Scientific Foundation for Decision-Makers*

## A National Hazards, Risk, and Resilience Assessment Program Ensuring the Long-Term Health and Wealth of the Nation 

**A National Hazards, Risk, and Resilience Assessment Program** *Ensuring the Long-Term Health and Wealth of the Nation*** **

***Strategic Science Actions:***
- Expand and modernize USGS monitoring and communications capabilities.
- Increase research into the causes and consequences of: 	coastal erosion 	earthquakes
- 		floods		geomagnetic storms
- 		landslides		tsunamis
- 		volcanoes		wildfires
- 		zoonotic diseases
- Enhance understanding of the linkages among natural hazards, the environment, climate, and society, and ways the climate influences the frequency and intensity of natural-hazard events.
- Form an intra-bureau hazards working group of scientists.

**Avian Influenza **
***Emerging Wildlife Disease***

** ****Fire Science **

## A National Hazards, Risk, and Resilience Assessment Program Ensuring the Long-Term Health and Wealth of the Nation 

**A National Hazards, Risk, and Resilience Assessment Program** *Ensuring the Long-Term Health and Wealth of the Nation*** **

***Strategic Science Actions:***
- Develop a core of USGS and partner researchers focusing on vulnerability science to:
- develop local, regional and national indicators and visualization tools.
- conduct case studies to assess vulnerability and resilience of communities, ecosystems and economies.
- Develop a national risk-monitoring program.
- Create a bureau-wide disaster assistance strategy.
- Develop communication strategies and decision-support products that focus on understanding societal risk and resilience to natural hazards.

***San Francisco Earthquake of 1906***

## Achieving the Vision: Extending Research Through Partnerships

**Achieving the Vision:** *Extending Research Through Partnerships*

- Build and strengthen the internal workforce through the development of external partnerships in environmental information science.
- Identify and leverage national and international efforts that promote comprehensive data and information management and foster greater sharing of knowledge and expertise.

## Slide 8