Event Summary
Session Lead
- Robert Soden, GFDRR
Description
In order to build resilient societies, policy-makers and the public must have access to the right data and information to inform good decisions – decisions such as where and how to build safer schools, how to ensure farmers against drought, and how to protect coast cities against future climate impacts. Too often, this data and information is fragmented across government ministries and the private sector and unavailable to decision-makers and at-risk populations. Sharing data and creating open systems promotes transparency, accountability, and ensures a wide range of actors are able to participate in the challenge of building resilience.
The joint UN/World Bank flagship publication, “Natural Hazards, Unnatural Disasters: the Economics of Effective Prevention,” highlights the importance of data sharing to reducing vulnerability to natural disasters. Likewise, the Hyogo Framework for Action calls for governments to create and “widely disseminate risk maps and related information to decision-makers, the general public, and communities at risk.”
What are the specific challenges that the open data movement are facing in the disaster risk management context? What have we learned from early attempts at building open data initiatives around hazard, exposure, and risk information? What partnerships can be built at the international level to help countries open their own data? What challenges and opportunities will these efforts face in years to come?
Session Resources
Open Access to Geo-spatial Information – Dr. Derek Clarke
Chief Director, National Geo-spatial Information, South Africa
Geo-spatial information is fundamental to planning and decision making in most situations, including disaster and risk management. Fast and ready access to geo-spatial information helps in saving lives in times of disaster but preferably in preparedness and mitigation. There are numerous issues encountered to access this information, including restrictions to access or use and the affordability of the information. These issues are discussed from the perspective of the primary custodian of fundamental geo-spatial information, namely the National Mapping Agency, in South Africa and other African countries. Many of which are issues being addressed in the Mapping Africa for Africa initiative.
Open Data for Africa Platform – Mr Beejaye Kokil
Division Manager, Economic & Social Statistics Division, African Development Bank
The presentation gives a brief overview on data dissemination at the AfDB, the launch of the Open data for Africa Platform, the main functionalities of the system and future extension of the system to other African countries.
Building a Caribbean GeoNode Platform in Support of Climate Risk Management – Jacob Opadeyi, PhD
Department of Geomatics Engineering and Land Management, Faculty of Engineering, The University of the West Indies
The Caribbean is the second most vulnerable region in the world that is highly expose to the harsh impacts of natural hazards and climate variability. The small islands of the region are located in the midst of vast ocean waters. They are exposed to hurricane storms, earthquake, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, and drought hazards. The incidence of these hazards has caused enormous leakages in the social and economic development of the region. The ability of the region to effectively develop risk management responses for these hazards is however hampered by inadequate policy, data, tools and skilled personnel. Strategic climate resilience programmes within the region are challenged with inadequate data and risk model to guide policy decisions and monitor policy effectiveness.
In response to these challenges, the Caribbean GeoNode (Carib_GeoNode) is designed as a platform that facilitates the collection, management, dissemination, and analysis of climate risk related data in an open environment and free of cost to end-users. It is designed with the aim of improving access to climate and exposure data with tools that will help improve the knowledge-base of policy makers, professionals, and the general public.
This presentation will share the design parameters of Carib_GeoNode, as well as the technical and managerial issues that need to be address in order to ensure the sustainability of the platform.
Latest Advancements in the Use of geoSpatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) for Disaster Management: The Experience Case from Indonesia geoSpatial Data Infrastructure (Ina-SDI) – Mr.Ir.Dodi Sukmayadi
Head of Center of Networking System and GeoSpatial Data Standardization, Indonesian National Information and Geospatial Agency
Indonesia is a nation with fourth largest population and longest coastline in the world, hosting subductions, plate tectonic movements, floods and forest fires incident, has always been serious on its geospatial information development to support Nationwide Disaster Management programs. Indonesian Spatial Data Infrastructure (Ina-SDI) taking important role in sharing and delivering accurate and up to date geospatial data needed for every phase of disaster in timely fashion, namely mitigation, preparedness, emergency response, relief, rehabilitiation and reconstruction. Law Number 4 Year 2011 on Geospatial Information gives ability for Indonesian government to manage and administer geospatial data and information before, during, and after disaster. This law also embolded state to regulate national one-map and one-gate policy, collaborative institutional arrangement, geospatial information standards, the use of knowledge and technology, and human resources. Currently, we are improving Ina-SDI with state of the art GeoPortal technology which allows local communities improving on coping capacity and disaster resiliencies in order to live peacefuly with disaster. This improvement consist of collaborative mitigation analyses and simulation, participatory mapping, and real-time accessible early warning spatial monitoring capabilities with the advancement of remote sensing, cloud computing, mobile GIS, and web-based applications.