Management Systems to Follow the Evolution of Natural Disasters in Real Time. Case Study of Environmental Monitoring in Campania Region, Italy

Areas affected by natural hazards become highly risky territories in terms of accessibility and safety during an “ongoing event”. The use of Unmanned Aerial Systems tailored to the specific natural hazard being monitored contributes to addressing this issue. In some municipalities of the Campania Region (in southern Italy), which are densely urbanized and characterized by multiple hazards (volcanic, seismic, and hydrogeological events such as landslides and floods), the use of drones by monitoring institutions is becoming increasingly common. This case study demonstrates the use of UAS to survey certain areas of Campania affected by a flood in January 2023. Thanks to visible mapping conducted immediately after the event, it was possible to identify not only the extent of the damage but also the causes of the significant flooding in an agricultural area. In this area, the use of thermal infrared instrumentation was also necessary to identify territorial sectors with a persistently critical level of humidity for plant species. By rapidly combining all the information, a decision-making tool for risk management was provided to the competent authorities, enabling them to act with the appropriate priority and scale of actions. However it is not always possible to fly during an “ongoing event” in airspace marked by no-fly zones, as in this case due to the presence of an airport. In light of this experience, it was decided to experiment with the use of UAS through platforms such as Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM). This experiment has been initiated both in the area subject to environmental problems and in volcanic areas, both of which are affected by no-fly zones.