Acknowledgements
The development of this Knowledge Portal (KP) from the original concept to the release of version 1.0 has been an excellent joint effort by a large community that generously contributed their time and expertise.
We gratefully acknowledge first of all the substantial input in developing the web design and site architecture by the FHP Fachhochschule Potsdam, University of Applied Sciences, Department for Interface-Design (fh-potsdam), Stefanie Elsholz, Volker Max Meyer, Mirko Merkel, Dorit Mielke under the supervision of Frank Heidmann and Matthias Beyrow (Department of Product Design).
Our deep appreciation and thanks go also to Brian Tomaszewski, Assistant Professor at the Department of Information Sciences & Technologies, Rochester Institute of Technology, U.S.A.. After contributing substantially to the successful launch of the KP beta version, he continued to dedicate his time and expertise for developing and helping implement the Space Application Matrix (SAM), together with his students Matt Pangrazio, Vishal Goradia, Nathan Green, Jospeh Spens, and Beytullah Sarcia. Portions of the Space Application Matrix were developed via student research projects funded by the Rochester Institute of Technology.
We also thank Chris Nicholas, senior expert based in San Francisco, U.S.A. for his valuable contributions to the launch of the beta version, his support in implementing our Contact Catabase (CiviCRM), and his dedication to the Programme as a whole.
Our thanks go to Dietrich Vennemann, who contributed significantly to the content compilation and structuring of the Space Application Matrix with his experience and knowledge.
We thank Richard Beck of the University of Cincinnati for use of a server and bandwidth during our bootstrapping phase, without which we would have taken several additional months to where we are today.
We further acknowledge and are grateful for the great support of our interns in Bonn and in Vienna throughout this period, who have spent countless hours in compiling and uploading content to the various parts of the KP and without whom we would be far from the current state of development.
And finally we acknowledge the valuable work of the KP Core Team that was established after the First International UN-SPIDER Bonn Workshop. A large group of international scientists and practitioners provided comprehensive assistance and encouragement to the establishment of this portal, which is intended to serve as an internationally recognized platform for information and communication, bridging the gap between the space and the disaster management communities.
Our thanks go to all of you!