This course will provide a fundamental introduction to natural hazards and the disaster risk concept, as well as the role of geomatics, in particular remote sensing (RS). It builds on the knowledge students gained in the core courses on basic RS and GIS principles, and expands it. The course aims at creating a knowledge base for the other hazard modelling and risk management courses and electives in the NHR specialization, by enabling the students to develop a solid understanding of the main geohazard types, and all relevant conceptual aspects of disaster risk. Students will learn how geo-information and geomatics tools are uniquely suited to study, monitor and quantify each aspect of risk and disasters. Following an introduction to the main hazard types and their core properties, students will dissect past disaster events to discover the nature and properties of the underlying hazards and vulnerabilities, and learn how in particular RS provides comprehensive and specifically tailored means to gain insights into the risk components for different hazards and environmental settings. The course runs in parallel to the Statistically-based Hazard Modelling course (Q2.2), and both are closely coupled. Particular attention will be given to the generation of input data for hazard modelling, including image-based indices and topographic derivatives. Relevant background information on soils, geology and landforms as drivers of hazards will also be provided. Academic skills will be taught together with this course in an integrated manner.