Trends in volcano response and capacity building by the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP): Looking back at 2010 and forward to 2030

Abstract:

With 34 years of experience responding to volcanic unrest, our group, VDAP, has contributed to eruption response and risk reduction at volcanoes around the world. Our efforts in the last decade have focused on building capacity of volcano observatories through technical trainings, hazards assessments, infrastructure developments, and exchanges among scientists, local authorities, and first responders. Recently we hired staff to develop software, build and analyze volcano databases, measure gas discharge, use satellites and UAS to make multi-purpose DEMs, calculate risk, track and report on global volcanic unrest, and apply new geodetic and seismic tools. Importantly, VDAP maintains its core philosophy of working in the background to support counterpart needs through donations of sustainable equipment and either on-site or remote technical guidance. Over the next ten years, we will continue our work on eruption response and capacity building; we’ll also increase efforts to collaborate with global and regional organizations to improve volcano preparedness and risk-reduction programs. Such collaborations will allow global developments to be integrated into observatory-level, decision-making systems. We see a critical need for accessible volcano-information and “event” databases that allow users to improve unrest analyses, identify analogues, and inform probabilistic forecasts. In order for observatories to benefit from access to this information, they will need to increasingly share their data. Desired consequences of enhanced data availability are creation of a daily global volcano report, standardized terminology, and improved interactions among observatories, VAACs, and academia. We foresee a need to continue development of open-source tools for data analysis, visualization, and dissemination to be utilized even in remote locations with limited bandwidth, and variable levels of staff training. In addition, we will strive to diversify our staff to reflect national and global populations, and make our products available in multiple languages. Finally, we will continue to support collaborations among neighboring countries to aid each other during volcanic crises. Communications tools increasingly utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic may prove crucial toward these goals.