Open Data for Resilience Initiative

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Increasing resilience through open data

Started in 2011 by GFDRR, the Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI) applies the concepts of the global open data movement to the challenges of reducing vulnerability to natural hazards and the impacts of climate change. OpenDRI supports teams to build capacity and longterm ownership of open data projects with client countries that are tailored to meet specific needs and goals of stakeholders.

A suite of complementary programs:
Open data platforms

To increase public access to risk information, OpenDRI engages in dialogue with governments on the value of open data through working groups, pilot projects that evolve into long-term locally owned open data projects. OpenDRI provides technical solutions and assistance for the project implementation through GeoNode (www.geonode.org), a free and open source data sharing platform. Open data platforms allow for the storing, analyzing and managing of data that is critical for planning, policies and decision-making. Partners can collate and share layers of geospatial data, combine those layers into visualizations and exchange both the raw data and collaborative maps.

Community mapping and crowdsourcing

To engage communities in the creation of accurate and timely data about the rapidly evolving urban and rural environments in the place they live, OpenDRI works with governments and local communities to utilize simple, collaborative, crowdsourcing mapping tools such as OpenStreetMap (www. openstreetmap.org). Often using OpenStreetMap, OpenDRI’s community mapping projects mobilize the residents of a place to collect and maintain geospatial data about their built environment and its exposure to natural hazards. Mapping projects also take advantage of remote mapping and crowdsourcing by engaging the international community through partnerships with development organizations and universities.

Risk communication and analysis

To communicate risk more effectively to decision-makers in planning, preparedness and response activities, OpenDRI worked with the Indonesian and Australian governments to develop InaSAFE software (www.inasafe.org). By combining data from scientists, local governments and communities, InaSAFE provides insights into the likely effects of disaster events. InaSAFE is a targeted, flexible tool that can provide targeted impact calculations to disaster scenarios, ultimately engaging communities and decision-makers by advancing their understanding of risk. With a consistent and easy-to-use interface, InaSAFE allows users, with minimal training, to load new data for analysis.

Website: OpenDRI

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