Grid Computing for Disaster Mitigation

The infamous 2004 Andaman tsunami has highlighted the need to be prepared and to be resilient to such disasters. Further, recent episodes of infectious disease epidemics worldwide underline the urgency to control and manage infectious diseases. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has recently formed the Disaster Research Nexus (DRN) within the School of Civil Engineering to spearhead research and development in natural disaster mitigation programs to mitigate the adverse effects of natural disasters. This paper presents a brief exposition on the aspirations of DRN towards achieving resilience in communities affected by these natural disasters. A brief review of the simulations of the 2004 Andaman tsunami, with grid application is presented. Finally, the application of grid technology in large scale simulations of disease transmission dynamics is discussed.