Pakistan launched an Earth observation satellite into space on 9 July which will assist the country to monitor natural disasters.
The Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite-1 (PRSS-1) was propelled into space on a Chinese Long March 2C rocket which lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Center in northwest China.
PRSS-1 is equipped with two panchromatic/multispectral cameras, with a resolution up to one metre and a... read more
Countries experience multiple climate-related risks that vary spatially and in time, with the combined impact of such risks carrying severe consequences for the population. A new collaborative research study by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) identifies the need to carry out regional level assessments of these risks in South Asia.
The IWMI Research Report 170 suggests methods for mapping such climate-related risks and estimating their subsequent impacts. Space-based information is a key component in this context and supports efforts to estimate the impact on people and agriculture in South Asia.
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A joint project between DigitalGlobe and many volunteers has helped in the eradication of polio through mapping of villages in developing countries during vaccination campaigns. The mapping of the often isolated settlements was complicated and apart from analysing big data captured by satellites, DigitalGlobe had to rely on volunteers and crowdsourcing based on the Tomnod programme. The final result is a map covering 285,103 villages in Nigeria, Somalia, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
These maps are used to ensure that vaccination campaigns have the required data to search for everyone who needs to be immunized against the illness and know the amount of medical doses and human staff that ought to be sent. In the past two months polio was finally eliminated from the whole African continent after it disappeared... read more
The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) of Pakistan announced that all rivers of Punjab will be monitored by satellites operated by SUPARCO. The aim is to receive updated information of flow of water in rivers and nullahs in order to monitor floods.
According to Chief Relief Commissioner Punjab and Senior Member Board of Revenue Nadeem Ashraf "modern software had been developed to obtain information regarding the flow of water and its impact on surrounding areas. Information will also be received regarding rains through satellite before time so that planning... read more
An agreement signed by all South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) states (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and India) is underway to promote a rapid response to natural disasters.
A Saarc monitoring system including tools for early warning system and risk... read more
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Office in Nepal, is co-organising a workshop with the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) on using satellite imagery to better manage freshwater resources
"Nurturing Satellite Remote Sensing Applications for Water Management in South Asia" is taking place in Islamabad, Pakistan from 16 to 20 February 2015. Distinguished professors from the University of Washington, the University of Houston, and Ohio State University are training participants from key water resource management agencies in the country, including PCRWR, IRSA, PMD, and PARC.
At the inaugural session, Kamran Ali Qureshi, Federal Secretary at the Ministry of Science and Technology, emphasized that the use... read more
UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Office (RSO) in Pakistan, SUPARCO, has elaborated a booklet on lessons learnt from floods in the country. The booklet is part of a new series of publications on experiences and best practices by UN-SPIDER's RSOs in the application of Space-based information in disaster risk reduction and emergency... read more
Following heavy floods and landslides in Pakistan's Punjab and Kashmir provinces, the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters was activated to provide satellite-based disaster maps. The mechanism was triggered by UNITAR/UNOSAT on behalf of UNOCHA.
The International Charter reported: "The Punjab and Kashmir Provinces, on the border with India, have suffered the worst of the flooding, and the majority of the deaths in Pakistan took place in Punjab. After the heavy rain, rivers - including the Chenab - in Pakistan and India rose and flooded, sweeping downstream. The surge of water inundated villages and agricultural areas, as well as parts of nearby... read more
On 20 May 2014, Pakistan’s Agriculture Secretary, Ahmed Bakhsh Narejo, inaugurated the country's first satellite remote sensing laboratory specifically dedicated to monitoring crops in the province Sindh.
The remote sensing lab is a collaboration between Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) - one of UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Offices - and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It will serve to gather, monitor and forecast crop data. The experts will monitor crop conditions, estimate yields and aid planners and policy makers with timely measurements in order to maintain... read more
UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Office in Pakistan supported emergency response efforts following the massive landslide in Afghanistan on 2 May 2014. The experts prepared impact and damage maps for Ab Barek in the Province Badakhshan.
The maps depict an analysis based on SPOT 5 satellite imagery from 17 January 2014 received at SUPARCO's Satellite... read more
The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), which hosts one of UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Offices, will support the Pakistani Capital Development Authority (CDA) in preventing encroachments in Islamabad and improve urban planning and monitoring in Pakistan's capital. This was reported by the website The News.
SUPARCO will compare archived satellite imagery with newly acquired imagery to detect changes. In the process of this measure all of Islamabad will be digitalised resulting in a... read more
UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Office in Pakistan, SUPARCO, has been participating in the international humanitarian satellite-aided search and rescue COSPAS-SARSAT Programme since 1990 as a ground segment provider. The programme provides global distress alert and location data free of charge and on non-discriminatory basis. It utilizes satellites and ground facilities to detect and locate ships, aircraft and land mobiles in distress. The Pakistan ground segment consists of Mission Control Center (PAMCC) and Local User Terminal (PALUT). It is... read more
An earthquake measuring 7.7 Richter scale struck Pakistan's South Western region in Balochistan province at 16:30 hours on 24 September 2013. The epicenter of earthquake was 10 km deep and 120 kilometers south-west of Khuzdar district. The tremors of the earthquake were felt across the country, seriously affecting Awaran and Kech Districts of Balochistan. According to National Disaster Management Authority about 375 individuals were confirmed deaths and 815 injured.
SUPARCO, host of UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Office in Pakistan, immediately requested for tasking of Pleiades satellite to capture images of the affected target areas. Additionally, the ... read more
The UN-SPIDER Regional Support Offices in Iran (ISA) and Pakistan (SUPARCO) through Inter-Islamic Network on Space Sciences and Technology (ISNET) jointly held a two week Workshop on Space Applications for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management during 7-19 September 2013 at Iranian Space Agency (ISA) in Tehran, Iran. The workshop was attended by 28 scientists and researchers from ISNET member states who work in matters related to applications of space technology for disaster risk reduction and management particularly on early warning,... read more
The International Charter: Space and Major Disasters was activated on 24 September 2013 to support emergency responders with satellite-based maps and products. A large and powerful earthquake struck the province of Balochistan, a remote, mountainous region of Pakistan, on the evening of 24 September 2013. The region is Pakistan's largest, but least populated province. Officials in the area report that major damage and loss of life has been averted due to the earthquake's location in a remote area.
The earthquake measured 7.8 on the Richter Scale and tremors were felt as far away as New Delhi. Aftershocks of up to 5 magnitude are... read more
Pakistan is currently facing medium to high level flooding in all the major rivers of the country. The flooding is mainly due to heavy monsoon rains combined with hill torrents from North-Western mountain ranges and heavy inflow of water in Eastern Rivers. According to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), heavy monsoon rains starting at the beginning of August 2013 caused widespread losses and damages across the country. About 139 lives are lost and one million people are affected across Pakistan.
Two Search and Rescue (SAR) exercises and a basic SAR training course were hosted by the Pakistan Rescue Coordinate Centre (PARCC). PARCC is a part of the satellite... read more
UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Office in Pakistan - the Pakistan space and upper... read more
A strong earthquake measuring 7.8 magnitudes on the Richter scale struck Southern Iran close to Pakistan-Iran border on April 16, 2013 at 1044 Hours GMT. The earthquake epicenter was 76 km deep and affected south-western bordering areas of Pakistan near Iranian border.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan requested SUPARCO - the National Space Agency of Pakistan and UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Office - to monitor and assess the damages caused by the earthquake. Within hours of the earthquake, SPOT-6 satellite was programmed over the affected area and images were acquired the very next day. Rapid maps based on pre and post... read more
Earlier this year, Pakistan has approved its first National Disaster Management Plan. The highly disaster-prone country seeks to improve and build on existing infrastructure in order to support emergency assistance. An earlier flood risk management program in the Lai Nullah Basin had become a great success, reducing flood damage in this region dramatically. With this accomplishment in mind, Ahmed Kamal, a Pakistani official and co-formulator of the plan, was convinced that these efforts could be expanded to the whole country. The National Disaster Management Plan was developed in cooperation withh the Japan... read more
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) jointly organized the United Nations/Pakistan International Workshop on Integrated Use of Space Technologies for Food and Water Security. The Workshop took place from 11 to 16 March 2013 in Islamabad, Pakistan.
The Workshop participants discussed how space tools could contribute to sustainable economic and social development programmes supporting food security and water management, primarily in developing countries, with the following objectives:
As flash floods hit Pakistan in February and caused damage over a wide area which also killed 29 people in various area in Peshawar, ICIMOD, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and host of a UN-SPIDER Regional Support Office, tries to help communities in understand and adapt to the impact of human development and climate change. ICIMOD also works together with the local authority, Province Disaster Management Authority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, to raise awareness within communities on minimizing damages.
Pakistan itself does not yet have a national strategy that specifically plans for dealing with flash flooding, but in late February the country's National Disaster Management Committee approved a new Disaster Risk Reduction policy to... read more
