• Category 4: Information technology and database development
  • Developing National Park GIS for planning and monitoring and developing a national park management supporting system.
  • Developing information and database systems to support the environmental and natural resource recovery in the tsunami affected areas

On December 26, 2004 a colossal earthquake in Indian Ocean created a gigantic tsunami that brought a horrible disaster to 6 southern provinces along the coast of Andaman Sea (Ranong, Phangngna, Phuket, Krabi, Trang, Satoon). The impacts of the disaster tremendously affected people, communities and the environment. Providing vast expertise and resources, Chulalongkorn University established a center for tsunami disaster recovery and mitigation. The center mission is to support the effort of government agencies especially the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment in recovering, mitigating and developing the affected areas. At the point of departure, Chulalongkorn University has organized tremendous effort in into 10 major activities which can be categorized in 4 categories and Developing Digital Color Ortho Photo Data project as follow.

• Category 1: exploring and assessing tsunami damages · Geological and physical environment impact assessment · Hydrological exploration and assessment · Cooperative surveys on the effects of Tsunami on coastal ecosystems: coral reefs, seagrass, water quality and endangered rare marine animals. · Damage and self-recovery potential of the terrestrial ecosystem such as mangrove, peat swamp, and coastal forest of the tsunami. · · Tsunami risk assessment and tsunami monitoring system.

• Category 2: National parks and affected areas recovering and mitigation · Developing recovery plan for National Parks in the tsunami affected areas of 6 provinces. · Developing settlement and community recovery plan, including environmental and natural resources development plan, land use plan, and water resources plan in Ranong, Phangngna, Phuket, and Krabi

• Category 3: Establishing protected areas · Establishing protected areas in the tsunami affected areas in Ranong, Trang, Satoon and revising the existing protected areas in Phuket, Krabi and Phangnga.