From a nowcast-forecast information system to an oil spill risk assessment and response tool

Abstract

This paper presents a custom developed WebGIS tool tailored for oil spill risk assessment and emergency response in coastal areas, built on a nowcast-forecast information system. The latter system was based on the custom deployment of a generic forecasting platform that integrates a suite of forecast models, as well as on the recent improvement in the models outputs visualization. Further developments have been made to support real-time monitoring through remote sensors and automatic comparison between data and model predictions. The system has now evolved to an integrated system that can assist in oil spills risk assessment and the rapid response to a possible emergency, as oil spills can have catastrophic effects both social-economic and environmental, endangering the sustainability and development of the coastal regions affected. The tool presented herein addresses the oil spills problem in two ways: a detailed risk assessment through risk maps and georeferenced information related with coastal areas, ports and estuaries to support the prevention and mitigation of accidents; and the visualization of georeferenced oil spill predictions produced by a real-time oil spill forecasting system