Hermann Fritz, associate professor in Georgia Tech's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has traveled to Japan several times since last year's historic earthquake and tsunami. He has used eyewitness video and terrestrial laser scanners from atop buildings to map the tsunami's height and flood zone to learn more about the flow of the devastating currents.

Although the wave killed nearly 20,000 people, Fritz says Japan's preparedness may have saved hundreds of thousands of additional lives.