Stiltwalkers welcome UR Forum attendees to kick off the third global event.
Rowan Douglas, chairman of the Willis Research Network and speaker at this year’s opening and closing ceremonies, poses with a colleague and stiltwalkers before making their way to registration.
Members of the UR team don this forum’s color of red.
A team from the World Bank arrives on the first day.
The UR Forum plenary stage
The setup in the Plenary Room before events kicked off
Emily Wilkinson from ODI checks the schedule
Stiltwalkers provide a smile for the morning sessions
Michael Bonte and Sofia Bettencourt from the World Bank in discussion
A participant in the Small Island Developing States group, Colonel Mamy Razakanaivo, Direteu Executif, Cellule de Prevention et Gestion des Urgences Primature, Republic of Madagascar, engages in conversation with World Bank staff member, Benedikt Signer
Getting attendees ready for the opening ceremony
Francis Ghesquiere (center), Head of GFDRR, welcomes this year’s attendees with UCL Provost, Professor MIchael Arthur (left0, and Willis Research Network Chairman, Rowan Douglas (right)
The convivial Rowan Douglas (right), Chairman of Willis Research Network, gets a few laughs at the opening ceremonies from UCL Provost, Professor Michael Arthur (left), and Head of GFDRR, Francis Ghesquiere (center)
On a more pensive note, Rowan Douglas (right), Chairman of Willis Research Network, shares some thoughts with attendees and UCL Provost, Professor Michael Arthur (left), and Head of GFDRR, Francis Ghesquiere (center)
Dr. Roman Frigg, Director for the Centre for Natural and Social Science and Co-Director for the Centre for the Analysis of Time Series at LSE, reminds us of the rule of thumb in London
Honorable Mayor Patricia De Lille shares with attendees her experience at mayor of Cape Town
Honorable Mayor Lianne Dalziel discusses the City of Christchurch’s road to recovery and resilience after the city’s devastating earthquakes. From left, Patricia De Lille (Honorable Mayor of Cape Town), Dr. Aris Alip (Managing Director, CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institution, The Philippines), Dr. Roman Frigg (Director, Centre for Natural and Social Science, Co-Director, Centre for the Analysis of Time Series, LSE), Sir Edward Lister (Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor of London, Policy and Planning), Moderator Matt Frei (Journalist, Channel 4)
Moderator Matt Frei, Journalist at Channel 4, engages the crowd during the inaugural plenary on Understanding Urban Risk and Building Resilient Cities. From left, Lianne Dalziel (Honorable Mayor of Christchurch), Patricia De Lille (Honorable Mayor of Cape Town), Dr. Aris Alip (Managing Director, CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institution, The Philippines), Dr. Roman Frigg (Director, Centre for Natural and Social Science, Co-Director, Centre for the Analysis of Time Series, LSE), Sir Edward Lister (Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor of London, Policy and Planning)
Google demonstrates geospatial tools
Some Code for Resilience award winners demonstrate their recent project
Code for Resilience award winners
Rebecca Moore, Engineering Manager for Google Earth Outreach and Earth Engine, addresses a session on scaling up open data for disaster and climate resilience
Some of the creative challenge entries on display at the UR Forum
Jo Mummery, Special Advisor for Climate Science in Australia’s Department of the Environment, provides an overview of Pacific and Australia partnership programs
A representative from GEM Foundation gives a demonstration on structural engineering
UCL hosts Dr. Natasha McCarthy (left), Senior Research Fellow at UCL STEaPP, and Dr. Joanna Faure Walker (second left), Lecturer at UCL STEaPP, introduce panelists during a session on Educating Future Leaders in Understanding Risk
UCL and UR Team member Clio Heslop directs people at the UCL booth
Life is a bit better with coffee and tea, as GFDRR team members, Jon Walton (second left) and Annegien Tjissen (middle) await their turn
Noel Gorelick of Google demonstrates mapping in Haiti
GFDRR hosts the second World Reconstruction Conference in September 2014
Never a dull moment, drummers rally people before a plenary session
Francis Ghesquiere, Head of GFDRR, introduces the keynote speakers
Professor Robert Spiegelhalter from the University of Cambridge gets attendees thinking
Ed Parsons, Google’s Geospatial Technologist, discusses new innovations on the horizon
To kick off Ignite presentations, Lou Gritzo, Vice President and Head of Research at FM Global, previews the session “The future is not what it used to be – The economic risk of climate change”
Vica Bogaerts, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist at GFDRR, previews the session “Game of drones – Exploring the potential of drone technology”
Dr. Massimiliano Pittore, Senior Research Scientist, Research Manager, Coordinator of FP7 Project SENSUM, GFZ-Potsdam, previews the session “Rome may not have been built in a day, but urban exposure now changes daily – Towards capturing and fusing dynamic information with exposure models through new technology”
Jo da Silva, Director of ARUP, engages in discussion during the reception
Dr. Massimiliano Pittore, Senior Research Scientist, Research Manager, Coordinator of FP7 Project SENSUM, GFZ-Potsdam, engages in discussion during the reception
Robert Soden of GFDRR previews the session “The power of the crowd – Harnessing communities and opening data”
Dr. Alanna Simpson, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist at GFDRR, previews the session “Can we determine today, the potential loss of tomorrow and change our future?”
Dr. Pablo Suarez, Associate Director for Research and Innovation at the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre, encourages us to step outside our comfort zone as he previews the session “Game over – Exploring the complexity of actionable information through gaming”
The dice comes out as Dr. Pablo Suarez, Associate Director for Research and Innovation at the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre, previews the session “Game over – Exploring the complexity of actionable information through gaming”
In honor of the World Cup, entertainment included a show of tricks by football players
Attendees get on their feet as part of the Ignite presentation for “Game over – Exploring the complexity of actionable information through gaming”
Showing off their skills at the UR Forum
Dr. Akshay Gupta, Senior Vice President and Director, Catastrophe Risk Engineering Services, AIR Worldwide, previews the session “Models as the universal currency for disaster risk financing and management”
Prof. Arthur Petersen, Chief Scientist at the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, previews the session “Recognize and act upon your risk – Perspectives from chief scientists”
Dr. Adam Cooper, Deputy Head of Department and Lecturer in Social Science and Public Policy at UCL STEaPP, previews the session “Science and emotion – Acting on risk”
Attendees sit in on a technical session
Dr. Greg Holland, Chair of the Tegional Climate Prediction Program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, speaks during the session “Plug and play – Challenges and opportunities for a joined up modeling world”
Colonel Mamy Razakanaivo, Direteu Executif, Cellule de Prevention et Gestion des Urgences Primature, Republic of Madagascar, speaks during the session “Big numbers, small states – Lessons form the SIDS on risk assessment for financial protection and beyond”
Panelists from the session “Big numbers, small states – Lessons form the SIDS on risk assessment for financial protection and beyond”
The 2014 Insurance Modeling & Data Expose
The 2014 Insurance Modeling & Data Expose
The 2014 Insurance Modeling & Data Expose
Christiaan Adams of the Google Earth Outreach team demonstrates a Google product
Time between sessions
Andrew Burton, Chief of Tropical Cyclone Forecasting, Bureau of Meteorology Australia, discusses his work in the session “Back to the future – Innovation in forward looking hazard modeling”
Ivo Menzinger, Head of Global Partnerships, Asia-Pacific, Swiss Re, presents in the session “Models as the universal currency for disaster risk financing and management”
Chris Tyler, Director at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, addresses attendees to the session “Recognize and act upon your risk – Perspectives from chief scientists”
Panelists from the session “Back to the future – Innovation in forward looking hazard modeling”
From left, Alanna Simpson (Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, GFDRR), Lianne Dalziel (Honorable Mayor of Christchurch), Emma Phillips (Disaster Risk Management Specialist, GFDRR), Chris Tyler (Director, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology)
An active GFDRR booth
An active GFDRR booth
During the lunch break a group of attendees participate in a game led by Dr. Pablo Suarez, Associate Director for Research and Innovation at the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre
During the lunch break a group of attendees participate in a game led by Dr. Pablo Suarez, Associate Director for Research and Innovation at the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre
Deciding what session to attend next
It runs in the family, Emma Phillips, Disaster Risk Management Specialist, GFDRR, with mom Lisa Phillips
The 2014 Insurance Modeling & Data Expose
The 2014 Insurance Modeling & Data Expose
The 2014 Insurance Modeling & Data Expose
The Secretary of Finance of the Republic of the Philippines, Cesar V. Purisima gives the keynote speech during “A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”
The Secretary of Finance of the Republic of the Philippines, Cesar V. Purisima gives the keynote speech during “A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”
Capturing the moment at “A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”
Professor Ngaire Woods, Professor of International Political Economy, Director of the Global Economic Governance Programme, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government at University of Oxford, moderates the session “A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”
“A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”
“A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”, from left, Ngaire Woods (Professor of International Political Economy, Director of the Global Economic Governance Programme, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government at University of Oxford), Kristalina Ivanova Georgieva (European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response), Justine Greening (UK Secretary of State, UK Department for International Development), Helen Clark (Administrator, United Nations Development Programme), Rachel Kyte (World Bank Group Vice President, Special Envoy Climate Change), and Cesar V. Purisima (Secretary of Finance, Republic of the Philippines)
Helen Clark, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme, answers a question during “A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”
Rachel Kyte, World Bank Group Vice President, Special Envoy Climate Change, addresses attendees “A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”
Attendees listen during “A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”
Justine Greening, UK Secretary of State, UK Department for International Development, discusses her work during “A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”
“A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”
“A Conversation with Champions for Disaster Resilience”, from left, Ngaire Woods (Professor of International Political Economy, Director of the Global Economic Governance Programme, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government at University of Oxford), Kristalina Ivanova Georgieva (European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response), Helen Clark (Administrator, United Nations Development Programme), Justine Greening (UK Secretary of State, UK Department for International Development), Cesar V. Purisima (Secretary of Finance, Republic of the Philippines), and Rachel Kyte (World Bank Group Vice President, Special Envoy Climate Change)
Hayley Gryc, Senior Structural Engineer at ARUP, presents during the sessions “Back to the drawing board – Engineering and planning to manage risk”
The session “UNISDR Global Risk Assessment – Towards an enhanced vision of global disaster risk”
Dr. Tom de Groeve of the Joint Research Centre, European Commission, presents during “UNISDR Global Risk Assessment – Towards an enhanced vision of global disaster risk”
Francis Ghesquiere, Head of GFDRR, introduces closing speakers
Robbie Schingler, Co-founder of Planet Labs, provides a different perspective during the closing ceremony
The Understanding Risk community sets sail as Rowan Douglas, Chairman, Willis Research Network, presents during the closing ceremony
Francis Ghesquiere (center), Head of GFDRR, thanks Forum organizers Alanna Simpson (left), Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, GFDRR, and Emma Phillips, Disaster Risk Management Specialist, GFDRR
A rousing show by a group of Indian performers rounds out the Forum
Everyone on their feet during a performance by a group of Indian dancers
A rousing show by a group of Indian performers rounds out the Forum
An impressive performance by a group of Indian dancers
