Impacts by Earth-approaching asteroids and comets pose a significant hazard to life and property. Although the annual probability of the Earth being struck by a large asteroid or comet is extremely small, the consequences of such a collision are so catastrophic that it is prudent to assess the nature of the threat and to prepare to deal with it. The first step in any program for the prevention or mitigation of impact catastrophes must involve a comprehensive search for Earth-crossing asteroids and comets and a detailed analysis of their orbits. At the request of the U.S. Congress, NASA has carried out a preliminary study to define a program for dramatically increasing the detection rate of Earth-crossing objects, as documented in this workshop report. Morrison, David (Editor) Ames Research Center...

In this book, space systems are situated in the global processes of the 21st century’s information society and the role that space information systems could play in risk management is determined; methods of detecting and forecasting of both natural disasters and technogenic catastrophes and existing global and regional monitoring systems are described; and the IGMASS is introduced with its architecture and design concept and social and economic aspects and estimates of its creation, development, and utilization. Finally, results of the international symposium held in Limassol, Cyprus, in November 2009 in preparation of the IGMASS project’s submission to the United Nations are discussed.

Full Title: Water — Pollution, Biotechnology — Transgenic Plant Vaccine, Energy, Black Sea Pollution, AIDS — Mother-Infant HIV Transmission, Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy, Limits of Development — Megacities, Missile Proliferation and Defense — Information Security, Cosmic Objects, Desertification, Carbon Sequestration and Sustainability, Climatic Changes, Global Monitoring of Planet, Mathematics and Democracy, Science and Journalism, Permanent Monitoring Panel Reports, Water for Megacities Workshop, Black Sea Workshop, Transgenic Plants Workshop, Research Resources Workshop, Mother-Infant HIV Transmission Workshop, Sequestration and Desertification Workshop, Focus Africa Workshop

Full Title: Water OCo Pollution, Biotechnology OCo Transgenic Plant Vaccine, Energy, Black Sea Pollution, AIDS OCo Mother-Infant HIV Transmission, Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy, Limits of Development OCo Megacities, Missile Proliferation and Defense OCo Information Security, Cosmic Objects, Desertification, Carbon Sequestration and Sustainability, Climatic Changes, Global Monitoring of Planet, Mathematics and Democracy, Science and Journalism, Permanent Monitoring Panel Reports, Water for Megacities Workshop, Black Sea Workshop, Transgenic Plants Workshop, Research Resources Workshop, Mother-Infant HIV Transmission Workshop, Sequestration and Desertification Workshop, Focus Africa Workshop. Contents: Opening Session (T D Lee, K M B Siegbahn, A Zichichi, J K-C Ma, D Bodansky, R G Will, W P T James, C M Wilfert, A D Lopez & L G Everett); Water OCo Pollution (A A Keller, S M Hassanizadeh & D I Norman); Biotechnology OCo Transgenic Plant Vaccine (F Sala, R-X Fang, J-P Kraehenbuhl & C J Arntzen); Energy (J Ongena, A Yu Gagarinski & Y P Huo); Pollution OCo Black Sea (V I Mikhailov, I Salihoglu & K Thompson); AIDS OCo Mother-Infant HIV Transmission (G de Th(r), F Barre-Sinoussi, M F Rea, H Pratomo & L Wood); Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (P Brown & M Ricketts); Limits of Development OCo Megacities (W J Cosgrove, K C Sivaramakrishnan, J M Borthagaray & G G Serra); Missile Proliferation and Defense OCo Information Security (L Wood, V Tsigichko, A Kroutskikh, A Lehmann, A Piontkovsky & G Canavan); Cosmic Objects (W F Huebner, A Cellino, A F Cheng & J M Greenberg); Desertification, Carbon Sequestration and Sustainability (N J Rosenberg & L L Tiezen); Climatic Changes OCo Cosmic Objects, Global Monitoring of Planet, Mathematics and Democracy, Science and Journalism (T Dyson, W M Washington, R Walgate, K C Sivaramakrishnan & D R O Morrison); Permanent Monitoring Panel Reports (K M B Siegbahn, D Johnson, R Ragaini, Z Rudzikas, G Palshin, H Schubert, J Pozela & G de Th(r)); Megacities Workshop OCo Water as a Limit to Development (W J Cosgrove, J M Borthagaray, A G Pozo, G G Serra, P F Ricci, K C Sivaramakrishnan, I A Amer & G O Rogers); Workshop on Environmental Impacts of Oil Pollution in the Black Sea (R Ragaini, V Mikhailov, L Mirianashvili, I Salihoglu, K Thompson, E Okandan, D Dorogan & V Ragaini); Transgenic Plants as Vaccines: Impact on Developing Countries Workshop (G Levi, C J Arntzen, M Pezzotti, J-P Kraehenbuhl, J K-C Ma, Z Eshhar, Z-K Xu, R-X Fang & F Sala); Research Resources Workshop (W Sprigg, P Uhlir & G Tallia); Mother-Infant HIV Transmission Workshop (G de Th(r), C M Wilfert, H Pratomo, M F Rea, R ZetterstrAm, D Birx & A Coutsoudis); Linking the Conventions: Soil Carbon Sequestration and Desertification Control Workshop (L Olsson & P Bartel); Limits of Development: Focus Africa (C A Reynolds, J F Kuka, M Farah & M Diop). Readership: Ecologists, meteorologists, biotechnologists, AIDS researchers, doctors, physicists and social scientists."