Development and implementation of disaster reduction technology in Taiwan

In order to improve the efficiency of disaster reduction, the government of Taiwan has taken a number of initiatives in the development of disaster reduction technology since 1982, including the 1st, 2nd and 3rd 5-year plans for hazards prevention research, and the National Science and Technology Program for Hazards Mitigation (NAPHM). In this article, the contents and achievements of the 5-year plans and the NAPHM are briefly reviewed. On the one hand, the 5-year plans have produced meaningful research results; on the other hand, the NAPHM has provided a mechanism for integrating and translating the research results into technologies that can be implemented. The NAPHM was transformed in 2003 into the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) to further enhance the development and implementation of disaster technology. The mission and major future works of the NCDR are discussed.