Kousik Das Malakar – författare

In the intricate web of socio-environmental crises across diverse geographical landscapes, grasping the intricacies of geographies and socio-spatial ecologies in disaster risk reduction practices is indispensable for global socio-ecological sustainability. In response to this imperative, this volume pioneers the development of disaster risk reduction understanding within the disaster research domain. This authored volume is structured into two parts. The initial part extensively explores the fundamentals of geographies in disaster risk reduction practices, encompassing concepts, methodologies, and challenges in disaster management, disaster preparedness, response, relief operations, resource allocation, disaster medicine, information dissemination, recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. It also delves into various applications and emerging trends, management techniques, applied practices through contemporary case studies, socio-ecological challenges in disaster risk reduction, and sustainability considerations in management practices. The latter part focuses on real-world case studies within geographies and socio-spatial ecologies to examine scenarios of disaster risks, management practices, and community challenges specific to coastal regions. These case studies encompass topics such as mangrove vegetation health risks and stress, climate change adaptation strategies at the local level, shoreline change and vulnerability assessments, geographies of coastal hazards, societal vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as analyses of natural hazards and disaster risks, among others. This work enriches the scientific and practical understanding of mitigating disaster risks, and advocating for stakeholder integration in disaster policy planning among planners, scientists, researchers, professionals, government officials, students, and anyone else engaged in disaster research globally.

Participatory GIS (PGIS) is important in social science research because it provides a powerful tool for exploring and comprehending various socio-spatial phenomena. It makes it easier to investigate intricate spatial relationships, community dynamics, and the effects of policies and interventions on local populations. Researchers can also use it to map and analyze the spatial distribution of social concerns, resources, and assets within a community. This Brief delves into the transformative potential of Participatory GIS (PGIS) in empowering communities and amplifying their voices through geospatial technologies. This book provides an in-depth discussion of PGIS, including approaches, data collection techniques, participatory mapping, critical discussions, the concept and thinking of geospatial citizenship, applications of participatory GIS in terms of socio-ecological concern, geographies and socio-spatial ecologies of a societal space, community cartography, challenges, and future directions. The book also offers real-world case studies that leverage PGIS technology to map the voices of ordinary people. Case studies include mapping natural resource management, modelling mangrove forest ecologies, indigenous technical knowledge of fish catching, social vulnerability to climate change in the coastal community, and identification of traditional coastal fishing sites. The book emphasizes the necessity of community involvement in decision-making processes, as well as the awareness of their perspectives in formulating policies and programs, through the lens of PGIS. It highlights how geospatial technologies can be a strong tool for community empowerment, allowing individuals to actively shape their surroundings and build a sense of ownership over their shared spaces.

This book contributes to the advancement of scientific knowledge by demonstrating how geospatial technologies can support more effective coastal planning and management. These technologies, such as remote sensing, GIS, and GNSS, play a vital role in monitoring coastal ecosystems and offer powerful tools for data collection, analysis, visualization, and decision-making. They enhance the understanding of coastal needs and enable more informed and sustainable management strategies.Intended for scientists, professionals, researchers, planners, students, and the general public, the book promotes a deeper understanding of how geospatial tools address contemporary coastal challenges. It also emphasizes inclusive decision-making and supports the development of strategies for sustainable socio-ecological coastal systems.The book is structured into six parts. Part One introduces the fundamentals of remote sensing, including sensor networks, satellite systems, aerial imaging, photogrammetry, and air photo interpretation. Part Two covers key GIS concepts, data analysis, database management, digital image processing, and participatory GIS. Part Three explores GNSS and GPS techniques. Part Four discusses the application of geospatial tools in coastal ecological monitoring and management. Part Five presents real-world case studies and field narratives that explore a range of topics, including climatic trend analysis, shoreline dynamics modelling, mangrove canopy health, coastal land use and land cover changes, land surface temperature variations, ecological transformations, mangrove-human conflicts, climate adaptation strategies, the management of climate gaps, spatial considerations in coastal zone management, and the role of climate communication in shaping coastal narratives. And finally, Part Six examines the evolving nature of coastal research, highlighting the role of GIScience in transdisciplinary approaches and strategic decision-making.

This book examines coastal ecologies under the growing pressures of climate change and climate-related disasters. It explores coastal vulnerability, disaster risk reduction, resilience, and socio-ecological sustainability. Bringing together theory, policy discussion, and empirical case studies, the book highlights how coastal communities, ecosystems, and governance systems respond to climate risks and environmental changes.The book is organized into five parts. The first part introduces key ideas related to climate disasters and socio-ecological vulnerability in coastal regions. The second part discusses coastal resilience and management strategies, including infrastructure resilience, risk perception, communication and early warning systems, ecosystem-based adaptation, and community participation. The third part focuses on policy frameworks, sustainable coastal management, and future challenges in reducing climate-related risks. The fourth part highlights participatory research approaches and field experiences from coastal communities in the Global South. The final part presents case studies demonstrating the use of geographic information systems, community knowledge, nature-based solutions, and participatory planning in coastal disaster risk reduction.The book enhances disaster policy planning by integrating coastal community perspectives into geographic analysis, benefiting policy planners, scientists, researchers, professionals, students and those working in disaster studies.

This book presents a comprehensive and accessible account of coastal ecosystem monitoring and management using open-source remote sensing data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), with a strong focus on community engagement and sustainability. It is organised into three interconnected parts that move from foundational concepts to applied analysis and finally to emerging technologies, providing a clear and logical progression from basic understanding to practical implementation and further innovation. The first part introduces the concept and technical foundations of coastal remote sensing and open-source GIS, focusing on the spectral characteristics of key coastal ecosystem components and outlining preprocessing techniques to improve satellite data quality. It also introduces open-access geospatial databases and explains how diverse datasets can be integrated using open GIS platforms. The second part moves into practical applications, focusing on coastal mapping and analytical approaches using open remote sensing data and GIS tools such as QGIS, SAGA GIS, Google Earth Engine, and GRASS GIS. It presents case studies on land use change and habitat dynamics, land surface temperature trends, spatio-temporal spectral analysis of coastal vegetation, canopy water and nitrogen, soil-based contents, coastal agro-environmental assessment, coastal urban landscape dynamics, shoreline change detection and dynamics, and mangrove dynamics and management. This section also places clear emphasis on participatory GIS approaches, drawing attention to the contributions of citizen science, indigenous knowledge, and collaborative GIS in improving data reliability and supporting more inclusive forms of coastal governance through real-world examples. The final part highlights emerging trends such as IoT-enabled monitoring, cloud-based geospatial processing, web-based decision support systems, and citizen-driven environmental tracking. The book offers significant academic and practical value by bridging theory and application, supporting evidence-based policy, and equipping researchers, practitioners, decision-makers, scientists, professionals, students, and coastal studies enthusiasts with accessible tools and frameworks to address contemporary coastal challenges and promote resilient and sustainable coastal futures.

This book focuses on various psycho-social and socio-physical aspects of climate change and includes a wide range of case studies. Included topics are notable climate-related social thinking; climate vulnerability; transformation in socio-ecological subsystems; bioclimatological, urban bioclimatological and socio-bioclimatic ideas; disasters; policy instruments; climate justice; human rights; and sustainability. The book distinguishes itself from similar works by including a wide variety of topics and assists policy management in the current and upcoming climate crisis era. This book also addresses the Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Take Urgent Action to Combat Climate Change and Its Impacts), highlighting resilience, recovery potential and adaptive capacity, climate change measures integrated into policies and planning, and knowledge and capacity to mitigate climate change.The ideas covered in this book evolved in response to the current climate crisis, ideas that the authors believe will aid in societal management and development in the present and future. The book is a useful source for planners, geographers, professionals, academics, government officials, laypeople, and others interested in climate change.