On December 7 the RIESGOS project was officially launched with a kickoff meeting at the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt . The GFZ sections Seismic Hazard and Risk Dynamics, Geodynamic Modelling and Hydrology are strongly involved in the project.

The RIESGOS project, Spanish for 'risks', deals with natural hazards like flood situations, landslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and their interaction: For example an earthquake triggering a volcanic eruption. RIESGOS aims to improve the information base for natural disaster management and to develop strategies to avoid or reduce risks.

In future, web-based application services will enable decision makers and stakeholders to prepare risk and to simulate scenarios with complex risk chains. A new multi-risk information system is being developed as a prototype for the Andean region in Chile, Ecuador and Peru, which is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and multi-hazards. Additionally to advance in research it might be an important contribution to minimising the risks of natural hazards .

Approximately 40 national and international research institutions, government agencies and companies are contributing to the project, managed by Elisabeth Schöpfer. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). (jh)