[Research Institutes] Key Laboratory for Disaster Chain Monitoring, Assessment and Risk Prevention under the Ministry of Emergency Management Officially Inaugurated

(Reported by: Xiong Manjun and Liu Yanqing) On June 11, the official plaque unveiling ceremony for the Key Laboratory for Disaster Chain Monitoring, Assessment and Risk Prevention under the Ministry of Emergency Management was held. Lu Wei, Vice President of Wuhan University, Gao Yucheng, Deputy Director of the National Disaster Reduction Center of the Ministry of Emergency Management, and Zhou Hongliang, Deputy Director of the Hubei Provincial Department of Emergency Management, attended the ceremony.

Lu Wei emphasized that the establishment of the laboratory represents the concrete implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief. Wuhan University will provide full support to the laboratory’s development, leveraging its disciplinary strengths and interdisciplinary resources. The lab will focus on disaster chain monitoring, assessment, and risk prevention, aiming to build a comprehensive system that will provide all-round support for national emergency management.

Gao Yucheng noted that the laboratory is jointly established by the National Disaster Reduction Center of the Ministry of Emergency Management, Wuhan University, and the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. It will integrate Wuhan University’s academic strengths with the disaster management platforms and practical scenarios provided by the National Disaster Reduction Center, striving to create a practical and innovative platform for real-world application in natural disaster risk monitoring, early warning, and assessment that integrates industry, academia, research, and application.

Zhou Hongliang emphasized that the laboratory should focus on key technologies such as the risk formation mechanisms of disaster chains, monitoring and assessment, and risk prevention. The Hubei Provincial Department of Emergency Management will fully support its development, making it a crucial technological support platform for disaster early warning and prevention in Hubei Province, contributing to the protection of people’s lives and property.

Gao Yucheng and Lu Wei presented plaques to the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing and the School of Economics and Management.

The head of the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing introduced the lab’s technical framework, which includes building an integrated “sky-air-ground” remote sensing monitoring network. By combining remote sensing, geographic information, and artificial intelligence, the lab aims to construct a “holographic spatiotemporal information map” covering the entire disaster process. A representative from the School of Economics and Management stated that the laboratory will focus on intelligent monitoring and risk assessment of disaster chains, develop coordinated prevention and control technologies and decision-support systems, and build a high-level think tank for emergency management, creating a comprehensive innovation platform integrating research, consulting, and training.

Attendees also visited the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing and the Smart Decision-Making and Innovation Commons to observe the latest achievements in emergency management technology. The laboratory plaques were officially installed during the visit.

(Photos provided by: Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of Wuhan University; Edited by: Zhao Jifan)