The article presents the description of the designed information systems «Volcanoes» on the example of the Central American region, which is intended for accumulation, processing, storage of data about the status of active and potentially dangerous volcanoes which are located on this area. Why Central America? Because here it is concentrated about 80 percent of the world’s active volcanoes (Pacific Ring of Fire). The system based on as platforms as GIS «Map 2011» and MC Access.
The system «Volcanoes» is relevant because of the emergency
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associated with volcanism are global. It includes an inventory map of volcanoes with a linked database and a digital elevation model.
In the system «Volcanoes», the user can view summary information about all volcanoes in the region of Central America (name, alternative name, volcano type, height, composition of species, date of last eruption), and more detailed information about twenty active volcanoes (character and consequences, video and photos, links to resources on the Internet about eruptions).
The nature of the eruptions affects the height of the volcano, the position and shape of the crater, so for the purpose of modeling the eruptions and their consequences it was decided to create a digital elevation model several of the most typical volcanoes. Image some of them are presented in this article.
The article considers perspective of using the system to monitor the activity of volcanoes, spatial planning and management, use as educational material in the learning of specialists in GIS and geography in general. The creation of detailed methodological recommendations in this direction is currently underway at the Department of Physical Geography and cartography V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. The resulting system is not limited in its own resources, it integrates the achievements of the world scientific society. It is implied that the data system will be expanded to the entire world. That is, a prototype of the information system «Volcanoes of the World.»
Keywords: volcanism, database, GIS, Central America, digital elevation model, emergency situation.