UN-SPIDER Updates August 2018

UN-SPIDER at a glance

News from the community

  • 28/08/2018

    The European Space Agency (ESA) launched the much-awaited Aeolus satellite into orbit on 22 August. It will provide data expected to improve weather forecasting and contribute to better disaster management.

    Aeolus - the “Keeper of Winds” in Greek mythology - aims to track and profile global wind better. Aeolus uses the Active Doppler Wind Lidar (DLR)… Read more

  • 24/08/2018

    In May 2018, Planet joined the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” as an approved data contributor, providing the Charter with 3.7 million Planetscope data from the largest fleet of miniature Earth imagery satellites operated by Planet. Planet's constellation of microsatellites will add to the Charter's ability to respond effectively to calls after… Read more

  • 20/08/2018

    The United Nations (UN) Statistics Division and the World Bank have published a new guide aimed at supporting nations worldwide, in particular, developing nations, in better utilizing geospatial data in the decision-making process. The “Integrated Geospatial Information Framework”, launched on 24 July 2018, provides a strategic guide on establishing national geospatial… Read more

  • 17/08/2018

    A break in the heat wave that hit Europe in the summer of 2018 is giving a reprieve to many people who had been suffering from the heat. However, great damages to the vegetation and harvest remain. In Germany, the Association of Farmers Read more

  • 16/08/2018

    The International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” has been activated for floods in Venezuela on 15 August and in India on 16 August.

    Floods in Venezuela

    In Venezuela, persistent heavy rain and swollen rivers have caused severe flooding, which has affected over 10,000 people in the Venezuelan provinces of Amazonas, Apure, Bolivar and… Read more

  • 10/08/2018

    A new European Space Agency (ESA) project aims to allow developing countries to have greater access to powerful Earth observation tools in order to reduce risks linked to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods or volcanic eruptions.

    ESA’s Earth Observation for Sustainable Development initiative (EO4SD) will encourage International… Read more

  • 08/08/2018

    The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Authority (JAXA) has released a collection of good practices in disaster emergency observation using data captured by the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 "DAICHI-2" (ALOS-2) from 2014 to 2017. The publication showcases the contributions of space technology to disaster risk reduction and demonstrates Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)… Read more

  • 07/08/2018

    The International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” has been activated on 6 August after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Lombok, Indonesia.

    At least 98 people have been killed and 10,000 have been evacuated after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Lombok, destroying buildings and cutting power. The neighbouring islands of… Read more

  • 02/08/2018

    The African Union (AU) Commission signed a Cooperation Arrangement with the European Commission (EC) in Brussels on 12 June 2018 to facilitate AU’s access to Earth observation data from the Sentinel satellites of the Copernicus Programme.

    Under the agreement, the AU Commission, African public users and African disaster management agencies will be able to access… Read more

News from our Regional Support Offices

Title Organized by City Country Date
Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2025)

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

Government of Switzerland

Geneva Switzerland 06/02/2025 to 06/06/2025