GIS 4048 Module 3: Natural Hazards - Tsunamis

Figure 1: Map showing radiation and runup evacuation zones surrounding the Fukushima II plant and along the coastline.

Module 3 of Applications in GIS continues the theme of natural hazards with a focus on the 2011 tsunami that struck Japan and created a radiation hazard from the Fukushima II nuclear power plant. This necessitated incorporating two hazard zones in the analysis and final map: the multiple perimeters of radiation exposure surrounding the plant and the runup from the tsunami along the coastline. An additional component of the module involved the proper organization of multiple datasets within geodatabases. This organization becomes crucial as the number of datasets and complexity of analyses increase, especially if projects will be worked on my multiple people and returned to over time. Finally, we utilized Modelbuilder to create a workflow that produced the needed datasets and that could be shared and modified.

The simplest step of the analysis depicted in the map above was the creation of the five radiation hazard zones using the Multiple Ring Buffer tool. This created a powerful visual of the potential radiation hazard facing populations and infrastructure at various distances. The tsunami runup hazard zones required more steps to create. In simplified terms, it is the result of combining layers depicting the lands affected by the tsunami with a DEM and categorizing the result into three zones based on elevation (0-10 meters, 11-40 meters, and 41-78 meters).

While the analysis portion of the assignment was a challenge, the requirements for the final map were just as challenging. The need to efficiently display two different hazard zones on the same map created many opportunities for symbologies to clash. After some experimentation, I decided to go with a patterned symbology for the radiation zones while keeping a simple color-based symbology for the runup zones. Each were given moderate transparency. This created a layout that communicated the information while not becoming cluttered. Major Japanese cities were added to the locator data frame to give context for the location of the Fukushima plant and tsunami damage.