Location: Washington, DC
Duration: 50 – 150 days
BACKGROUND
GFDRR
The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) is a partnership of the World Bank, United Nations, major donors and recipient countries under the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) system to support the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). Launched in September 2006, GFDRR provides technical and financial assistance to help disaster-prone countries decrease their vulnerability and adapt to climate change. GFDRR works closely with UN agencies, client governments, World Bank regional offices, and other partners.
GFDRR implements the majority of its activities in countries through the World Bank, in partnership with national, regional, and other international agencies. It is organized along three tracks of operation to achieve its development objectives at the global, regional and country levels. In addition, GFDRR also has thematic tracks to support country engagements. They are: the Innovation Lab, Hydromet, Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (DRFI), Resilient Recovery, Inclusive Community Resilience, Urban Resilience, Safer Schools, and the Small Island States Resilience Initiative (SISRI). These provide grant recipients with specialized knowledge and quality assurance in the design and implementation of activities. The thematic tracks allow GFDRR to collaborate with a broad array of partners, facilitate global engagements and capacity building, and produce innovative knowledge.
GFDRR is currently seeking a Short Term Consultant (STC) who will work primarily in the GFDRR Innovation Lab (www.gfdrr/innovation-lab).
INNOVATION LAB AND OPEN DATA FOR RESILIENCE INITIATIVE
To meet the needs of a rapidly changing world, GFDRR Innovation Lab supports the use of science, technology, and open data in promoting new ideas and the development of original tools to empower decision-makers in vulnerable countries to strengthen their resilience. Recent innovations in the field have enabled better access to disaster and climate risk information and a greater capacity to create, manage, and use this information. Innovation Lab activities are designed and implemented in partnership with government institutions and key international and local partners, ensuring that all activities add value in planning, operational, and recovery activities.
In 2011, GFDRR Innovation Lab launched the Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI) to apply 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 World Bank Regional Disaster Risk Management Teams to build capacity and long-term ownership of open data projects with client countries that are tailored to meet specific needs and goals of stakeholders. The OpenDRI team, in partnership with international and national agencies, has developed a suite of complementary activities to support the client governments:
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, a free and open source data sharing platform.
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.
Risk visualization and communication: To communicate risk more effectively to decision-makers in planning, preparedness and response activities, OpenDRI works with governments and partners to develop InaSAFE software. By combining data from scientists, local governments and communities, InaSAFE provides insights into the likely effects of disaster events.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
SCOPE OF WORK
S/he will work under the direct supervision and oversight of the OpenDRI team leader and report to the Innovation Lab leader. S/he will work in close collaboration with the Bank’s Regional Coordinators, GFDRR Team Leaders, and relevant network focal points in the Bank.
The Consultant will support the use of risk information and open source technologies to inform and support disaster risk management activities,. Specifically, s/he will focus on the development and deployment of the Open Data for Resilience Initiative.
Generally, the Consultant will support:
- Enhanced collaboration and sharing of ideas and approaches in the identification, communication and application of natural hazard risk information to increase resilience;
- Continued adoption of the Open Data for Resilience (OpenDRI) program which includes promotion of open data, geospatial data sharing, participatory mapping and user-friendly analytical tools to improve generation, use and communication of disaster risk information;
- Development of robust risk information, that considers current and future climates, for use in risk-sensitive decision making;
- Improving the accuracy and efficacy of damage assessments after disasters through appropriate use of earth observation technologies, ex-ante exposure datasets, and ground survey tools; and
- Developing and promoting innovative open-source software, supported by global user communities, for use in ex-ante and ex-post disaster and climate adaptation planning.
Further information about the programs is available at www.gfdrr.org and at www.opendri.org.
SPECIFIC TASKS
- Support WBG teams to incorporate best practices in open geospatial data collection, management and application and the utilization of open-source software into disaster risk management projects, especially those focused on the creation and use of risk identification products.
- Build relationships across the World Bank Group, establish new OpenDRI projects with regional Disaster Risk Management Teams.
- Present OpenDRI work publicly, to different sectors across the World Bank group, and to government counterparts.
- Assist in development and supervision of contracts related to OpenDRI deployment.
- Foster the creation and growth of international and national communities of practice for developers and users of open-source software tools as well as participatory mapping (eg. OpenStreetMap).
- Contribute to the OpenDRI publications by developing strategic guidelines, knowledge and communication products, training materials/programs and technical guidelines – in line with expertise and demand – on the use of crowdsourcing and participatory mapping to collect data, best practices in geospatial data sharing, and open-source analytical tools.
- Perform other duties and functions as assigned by supervisor and/or task team leader.
SELECTION CRITERIA
- A minimum of Master’s degree or equivalent in some of the related fields such as international relations, natural resource management, geospatial technology, or disaster risk management required.
- Demonstrated understanding or experience working with disaster risk, urban, or environmental data
- Demonstrated understanding or experience in open source software communities and development approaches, and open data concepts and approaches;
- High degree of motivation, initiative, flexibility, reliability, and responsiveness to changing demands
- Capacity for effective multi-tasking with demonstrated ability of being an independent starter with minimal supervision, and a high capacity to persevere for results
- Familiarity with international development and disaster risk management desired
- Strong communication and advocacy skills, including ability to write concisely and clearly and synthesize complex documentation and ideas for a range of audiences.
- Excellent inter-personal skills and proven ability to work in a team and intercultural environment
- Written and spoken fluency in English is required. Written and spoken fluency in French and/or Spanish is highly desirable.
TO APPLY
Send cover letter, cv, and any online resources you wish to be considered to Vivien Deparday (vdeparday@worldbank.org) on or before July 1st, 2017.
Organization: GFDRR
Deadline to Apply: July 1, 2017