A GIS for the evaluation and the control of the asbestos-cement coverings"

The territory dynamics interfering with the environment requires careful studies aimed to the mitigation of the risks both natural and induced by the incessant man?s activity. Inputting remotely sensed images into GIS enables to describe the actual territorial situation which often is very heterogeneous, and to point out complex assessments in short times so as to plan adequate actions of land management. A multidisciplinary research carried out by a group of researchers of LARA (Laboratorio Aereo Ricerche Ambientali) Airborne Laboratory for Environmental Research) has been focused to the classification by means of MIVIS (Multispectral Infrared Visible Imaging Spectrometer) data of the asbestos-cement roofing, regulated by the Law 257/92, and a GIS has been developed. To meet the provisions of the recent D.M. 101/03 by the Ministry for the Environment and the Territorial Safeguard concerning the mapping of asbestos-cement roofing, the above research group has proposed a procedure based on the integration of remote sensed data with GIS. As already known, the latter is the ideal software environment to manage complex systems where coexist parameters and elements of different nature. This work will present the further developments of a former research activity aimed at mapping asbestos-cement roofing by means of MIVIS hyperspectral data in a sample area with a significant presence of this kind of roofing (Fiumi et al., 2004). In particular it will describe the first results obtained so far while developing a GIS system for the monitoring of asbestos-cement roofing, which allows through the geo-coding of MIVIS data, to pose spatial and logical queries in order to assess the different interactions according the scale of analysis. Finally this work will also face a preliminary risk assessment involving the health of both residents in the neighbouring areas, and of people working in the buildings inspected.