GIS-aided analysis of the seismic - volcanic risk in the Vesuvius coastal area

In this paper, a study on the damage scenarios due to seismic and volcanic risk in the Vesuvius coastal area is described. It is developed through a multidisciplinary approach based on urban, geological/geotechnical and structural analysis, leading to the definition of an efficient Emergency Plan. The Risk components, i.e. Hazard, Vulnerability and Exposure are evaluated through GIS support, while building clusters defined by Census Tracts were provided by the Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) Census. The processing of the collected data permitted to identify strategies for the reduction of damage and life losses. The study area includes five municipalities located downhill the Somma-Vesuvius volcano, i.e. San Giorgio a Cremano, Portici, Ercolano, Torre del Greco and Torre Annunziata. They are close to each other, identifying a large urban settlement with dense population, which requires a unique strictly interconnected emergency plan.