Revista Geográfica de Chile Terra Australis

CURRENT OVERVIEW OF THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN NATURAL DISASTERS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

PEDRO GUSTAVO MONTESINOS BERROCAL — 2026-10-22

Natural disasters have increased in recent years due to climate change, resulting in a significant number of victims and a growing need for efficient monitoring and classification systems. This study presents an overview of the main artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and automated monitoring applied to the risk assessment phase of disaster management. It describes the main types of natural disasters, such as floods, forest fires, earthquakes, landslides, tropical cyclones, drought, hurricanes, tsunamis, deforestation, and avalanches. It also examines the technological tools and AI algorithms used for their analysis, including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), computer vision, decision support systems (DSS), and LiDAR. Furthermore, it identifies the most commonly used AI models in research, such as support vector machines (SVMs), random forests (RF), LSTM neural networks, and decision trees (DTs). Understanding the types of disasters and the technologies used to predict and detect them will allow for the identification of new research areas. Likewise, familiarity with the models and technologies described in the scientific literature guides the development of intelligent risk management systems and improves the effectiveness of emergency response teams.

URBAN ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE AND PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS: PERSPECTIVES FROM PEDESTRIANS ON HIGH-TRAFFIC ROADS IN CHICLAYO, PERU

Aldo Eleazar Altamirano Quispe — 2026-10-22

WILDFIRE RISK IN THE WILDLAND–URBAN INTERFACE OF SAN JUAN BAUTISTA. JUAN FERNANDEZ ARCHIPELAGO.

Alexander Davidovich Barra — 2026-10-22

Wildfires have increased in frequency and severity in recent decades, becoming one of the most critical threats to biodiversity, ecosystems, and communities worldwide. In insular territories such as the Juan Fernández Archipelago, these events pose severe risks due to their ecological fragility, limited firefighting capacity, and isolation from mainland support. Previous studies have highlighted the vulnerability of island ecosystems to fire but have rarely integrated hazard and vulnerability assessments in a spatially explicit way for the Robinson Crusoe Island context.

This research evaluates wildfire risk in the wildland–urban interface of San Juan Bautista village, combining qualitative and quantitative spatial analyses. The study follows a methodology for hazard assessment based on vegetation susceptibility, climate, topography, fire history, and accessibility, while vulnerability is measured according to exposure of the population, infrastructure, and critical services. Semi-structured interviews with residents complement the quantitative data, integrating local perceptions and knowledge.

The working hypothesis posits that the spatial convergence of highly flammable vegetation, favorable climatic conditions, and limited emergency access increases the probability and potential impact of wildfire events in the study area. Results confirm that 47.05% of the assessed territory is classified as high risk, due to fast-spreading plant species, steep slopes, restricted road access, and insufficient firefighting infrastructure.

It is concluded that San Juan Bautista is highly susceptible to wildfires, and that current territorial planning instruments and community preparedness are insufficient. The study provides technical tools to support land-use planning, prevention strategies, and community-based risk management tailored to insular environments.

SIT-ANTOFAGASTA: TOOL FOR DECENTRALIZED TERRITORIAL PLANNING

Paulina Ponce Philimon — 2026-10-22

Decentralization in Chile has sought to strengthen regional autonomy and improve the efficiency of public management; however, its implementation has been slow and fragmented, with persistent territorial gaps and limitations in subnational capacities. In this context, the article analyzes the Territorial Information System of Antofagasta (SIT-Antofagasta) as a sociotechnical infrastructure that articulates geospatial data, actors, and planning instruments to support territorial governance and regional decentralization. Using methods that combine documentary analysis, interviews with key stakeholders, and geospatial examples, the study examines its operation, governance model, practical applications, and contribution to evidence-based decision-making. The results show that SIT-Antofagasta facilitates the territorialization of the Sustainable Development Goals, strengthens transparency and participation, and contributes to reducing urban–rural gaps through the generation and democratization of information at the local scale, highlighting the case of the Observatorio Salar de Atacama. Furthermore, the role of capacity building and multi-actor collaboration in the system’s sustainability is evidenced. Despite limitations related to costs, technical capacities, and data updating, SIT-Antofagasta is consolidated as a replicable model for sustainable territorial planning and decentralized governance in contexts of regional inequality in Chile.

DECENTRALIZATION AND TERRITORIAL PLANNING IN COLOMBIA: A FOCUS ON REGIONAL AND INTERCULTURAL DIVERSITY

Sandra Lorena Rosero Ordoñez — 2026-10-22

Decentralization has become a key component of territorial reorganization in Colombia in the current context, characterized by persistent regional inequalities and increasing demands for greater local autonomy. Specialized literature has shown that these processes generate differentiated effects depending on institutional, social, and territorial conditions, highlighting the need for situated analyses that go beyond homogeneous approaches. Within this framework, the objective of this research was to analyze how decentralization has reconfigured territorialities and socio-spatial dynamics in the regions of Atlántico, Chocó, Amazonas, and Nariño, considering the impacts of local autonomy on regional identity, spatial appropriation, and intercultural interaction. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach that combined surveys with qualitative work conducted with territorial actors, based on the hypothesis that decentralization tends to strengthen centralities and institutional capacities in regions with greater connectivity, while structural limitations persist in territories with high ethnic diversity. The results confirm this hypothesis by revealing regional contrasts, tensions between planning scales, and inequalities in the spatial distribution of resources. As its main contribution, the research provides a situated understanding of decentralization as a process of multiple territorialization and offers analytical insights for the design of differentiated territorial planning policies sensitive to regional specificities.

WHEN THE GROUND STARTS TO MOVE: RAPID SEISMIC MAGNITUDE ESTIMATION IN CHILE USING MULTI-STATION PEAK DISPLACEMENTS AND ENSEMBLE MODELS

Eliecer Peña-Ancavil — 2026-10-22

Rapid magnitude estimation is essential for early earthquake response and automated modules that require a consistent event size shortly after detection. Recent work shows that early ground-motion amplitudes combined with source–station geometry can approximate magnitude, and that ensemble models capture nonlinear relations with strong robustness. Yet many studies provide limited reproducible detail on the full chain that converts miniSEED and StationXML into comparable physical variables under explicit quality control. We present a reproducible FDSN-based workflow for Chile. Our hypothesis is that a physically consistent pipeline using scalar sensitivity calibration, filtering, numerical integration (single or double depending on units) and drift correction can produce early displacement features that generalize over time. The workflow automates station selection within 500 km, construction of consistent N/E/Z trios, integrity checks for downloads and metadata, and extraction of per-component peak amplitudes, horizontal/3D metrics, and source–station distances. The final dataset includes 6641 event–station pairs from 316 events (2020–2025) with Mww as target. We compare tree-based ensembles against baselines using event-grouped cross-validation and a 2025 temporal hold-out. At event level, median aggregation yields typical 2025 performance MAE 0.15, RMSE 0.23 and R2 0.7. The main contribution is a traceable module for rapid/operational magnitude estimation conditioned on external detection/location, not an end-to-end seconds-latency EEW validation.

Risk prevention and resilience in Chile: a systematic literature review

Ana Huaico Malhue — 2026-10-22

Risk prevention and resilience are two interrelated concepts, as the former consists of a set of actions to avoid or reduce damage from different threats, thus contributing to building resilience. A systematic literature review identifies the contribution of risk prevention research to the different dimensions of resilience. This article analyzes the themes that build resilience and that should be strategically strengthened for risk prevention in Chile. The results show that 41% of research focuses on assessments of different types of risks; however, the least researched dimensions are knowledge and education (12.5%) and disaster preparedness and response (12.5%). The article concludes that the least explored areas are those that academia should strategically strengthen to improve the contribution of risk prevention to building resilience in Chile.

MAPPING INFORMATION GAPS IN ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING AMONG ECUADORIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Edgar Leonardo Salas Luzuriaga — 2026-10-22

This research evaluates the critical information gap in environmental disclosure among Ecuadorian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through the lens of the circular economy. Utilizing a systematic methodology grounded in the PRISMA framework, the study initially screened 272 institutional records to focus on a rigorous sample of 63 universities and polytechnic schools with comparable administrative mandates. The results uncover a stark “Transparency Paradox”, despite their vast resources and academic influence, the primary urban hubs of Pichincha and Guayas exhibit reporting rates below 30%, suggesting that institutional density does not correlate with data accountability. Conversely, the Amazonía region, characterized by its ecosystemic fragility and smaller institutional scale, achieves a full 100% transparency rate, aligning institutional identity with environmental preservation. The investigation identifies composting as the dominant valorization strategy due to its low capital requirements, while technologies like biodigestion remain confined to isolated pilot projects in a select group of leader institutions. The analysis demonstrates that institutional funding models and campus size create significant "reporting shadows," where larger campuses generate vast waste volumes without equivalent public accountability. Consequently, the study advocates for the creation of territorial waste management networks and a national observatory to harmonize reporting metrics. By transforming universities from passive waste generators into active nodes of territorial governance, Ecuador can bridge the current data void and align its academic sector with the global 2030 Agenda, ensuring that sustainability moves beyond pilot-scale rhetoric toward a systemic, measurable reality.

DETERMINATION OF VOLCANIC HAZARDS ZONES IN THE NEVADOS DE CHILLÁN VOLCANIC COMPLEX THROUGH NUMERICAL MODELING.

Esteban Barra Pradenas — 2026-10-22

Volcanic eruptions represent one of the most complex natural processes with the greatest impact on Chilean territory. The interaction between geological, atmospheric, and human components creates scenarios in which volcanic hazards combine with varying degrees of social and territorial vulnerability. In this context, the Nevados de Chillán Volcanic Complex (CVNCh) stands out as one of the most active and closely monitored systems in the country, due to its location in an area with resident population, tourism, and economic activities.

This research aims to model two critical components of volcanic hazards: ash dispersion and landslide susceptibility in the CVNCh area. To this end, open-access numerical and geospatial tools were applied. Ash dispersion was simulated using the Ash3D model, which allows for the representation of volcanic material transport and deposition in the atmosphere, considering eruptive, meteorological, and topographic parameters. Meanwhile, landslide susceptibility was analyzed using the SHALSTAB model, which integrates hydrological and geomorphological factors to identify potentially unstable zones under eruptive or extreme weather conditions.

The results made it possible to delineate the areas with the greatest exposure to ashfall and landslides, highlighting the vulnerability of nearby tourist centers. This integrated approach provides a practical tool for territorial planning and preventive management in anticipation of future eruptions.

TRANSHUMANT HERDERS OF THE INDIAN HIMALAYAN REGION: LIVELIHOODS, ECOLOGICAL ROLES, AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES

ROOSEN KUMAR — 2026-10-22

The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) supports several distinct transhumant pastoral communities whose seasonal migrations between lowland winter pastures and high-altitude summer grazing grounds have shaped ecological and cultural landscapes for centuries. The study identifies six main groups which include Gujjar Bakarwal Gaddi Bhotia Changpa Van Gujjar and other communities who inhabit the regions of Jammu and Kashmir Ladakh Himachal Pradesh Uttarakhand and the northeastern hills. The paper uses published ethnographic studies and ecological survey literature and government reports to analyze migration patterns and herd management practices and livelihood systems and biodiversity maintenance. The study analyzes different kinds of pressures which cause system instability and assesses whether current policies can effectively address these challenges. The paper presents transhumant pastoralism as an environmentally sustainable practice which requires specialized policy backing.

THE CITY THROUGH OTHER SENSES: REVEALING LEVELS OF ACCESSIBILITY FROM THE URBAN EXPERIENCE OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Nicole Ruminot — 2026-10-22

This article explores the mobility experiences of people with visual impairments in relation to the accessibility of public space in the city center of Valdivia. Using a qualitative interpretive approach, walking interviews were conducted with six participants to understand their everyday mobility practices and the ways in which they perceive and navigate the urban environment. First, different public spaces are characterized based on mobility experiences. Subsequently, barriers and facilitators that influence access to and use of these spaces are identified. Finally, the subjective and affective construction of the urban environment is examined through the memories and emotions that different urban landmarks evoke in participants.The results show that mobility experiences vary according to the physical and sensory conditions of each spatial setting. While places such as Paseo Costanera and Paseo Libertad are perceived as safe and legible, others such as Arauco Street, Picarte Avenue, and the Bus Terminal are experienced as chaotic and unsafe. In response to these conditions, participants deploy strategies such as choosing alternative routes, adjusting schedules, or relying on support networks to sustain their spatial practices.In this context, mobilities are configured as situated and unequal experiences, in which the urban environment not only shapes possibilities of movement but also the ways in which people perceive, interpret, and engage with the city.