There are reasons to believe that the utility of geographic information systems (GIS) for natural hazard risk and disaster management will expand as spatial databases become more widely available, the cost of software decreases and as risk managers acquire GIS expertise. It is also likely that GIS use will extend beyond mapping, towards a richer use of its spatial analytical capabilities. Invariably, risk managers will also demand access to decision support tools that allow them to manage and understand the complicated nature of disaster. It is likely that GIS-based risk and disaster management will become a feature of state and local