Indonesia fights volcanic risk to air travel

Indonesia is taking steps to curb disruptions to air travel after a series of volcanic eruptions near popular tourist destinations sparked havoc in this fast-growing air travel market. Volcanic eruptions in 2015 shut airports in parts of Indonesia’s vast archipelago, stranding tens of thousands of passengers, forcing the postponement of an international family-planning conference and costing local industry tens of millions of dollars. Now, Indonesia is taking a leading role on volcano monitoring as data becomes more prevalent and accessible. It is tapping into next-generation satellite technology that provides more frequent, high-resolution images, offering a more precise measurement of the size and danger of ash clouds that make advisories more accurate. <br/>