Geotechnologies for Surveys and Catastrophic Events of Rio de Janeiro Geological Survey: A Case Study

Automatic collection of field data enhances task speed and reduces the number of database input errors. The Geological Survey of Rio de Janeiro (DRM-RJ) has accumulated a large volume of information regarding mass movements in the state during recent years. A huge volume of surveys are requested by the Municipal and State Civil Defenses, generating an even larger amount of reports, photographs, sketches and other documents associated with these field activities every year. In recent years, the volume has significantly increased as a result of major disasters that occurred in the state (in Angra dos Reis, the Morro do Bumba in Niterói and a “Megadisaster” in Mountain Region) which demanded thousands of surveys. Resulting from technical cooperation between the DRM-RJ, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, a data management system related to the geological risk of the Rio de Janeiro State was developed to support field teams and bring more practicality and organization during field assessment activities. The system consists of the assemblage of a georeferenced database to organize field-collected data related to mass movement assessments. The GIS VICON/SAGA—Vigilance and Control (http://​www.​viconsaga.​com.​br) was designated to support this database. It provides interfaces for data collection, querying, filtering, and report and map generation. The database was structured to store the event location, measure susceptible or affected areas, retrieve information such as number of people affected or killed, and buildings affected or destroyed by mass movements. GIS brings two specific interfaces for data input: from a PC, using web browsers or from the field, using mobile devices, on an Android OS application. For information retrieving, some interfaces were developed, such as a query system for alphanumeric-tabular reports and for other spatial query procedures for map generation.