Enhancing Disaster Risk Reduction at School Through the Integration of Geographic Information System: Insights from Taiwan’s School Safety GIS Platform

This study investigates the integration of geographic information systems (GIS) into school disaster risk reduction (DRR) practices, with a specific focus on Taiwan’s School Safety GIS platform. Drawing comparisons with current practices in Japan, this paper highlights the central role of Web-GIS in visualizing hazard risks, enhancing school safety management, and promoting spatial thinking among educators. The case study of Taiwan demonstrates a centralized and systematically updated GIS platform that facilitates comprehensive risk assessments, real-time hazard alerts, and the integration of multi-source governmental data. These findings underscore the importance of geographic literacy, data integration, and inter-agency collaboration for effective DRR in schools. The implications for Japan point to the need for unified GIS adoption and expanded teacher training.