The use of multi-risk information systems is crucial in confronting the increasing risks posed by natural hazards. In some cases, risk is increasing due to inadequate land-use norms or regulations that allow for the construction of infrastructure in areas exposed to such natural hazards. In other cases, vulnerability increases due to lack of awareness or extreme poverty. The need to address risks from the point of view of multiple hazards is necessary to contribute to sustainable development and has been incorporated as an essential element of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. For this purpose, the RIESGOS 2.0 project was launched in March 2021. Under the coordination of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the project builds on the accomplishments of its predecessor - RIESGOS - as a multi-risk information system that models and simulates natural hazards to support disaster... read more
Ecuador
News
Spanish and Ecuadorian researchers have developed a new methodology to estimate faults and volcanoes that can be activated in a region after an earthquake. The approach consist in evaluating changes of static stress on the surrounding faults and volcanoes and producing maps of potentially activated faults and volcanoes.
The main goal of the study is to achieve an effective transfer of knowledge and scientific techniques to non-expert users who are responsible for the management of disasters and risks.
The study was led by researchers from the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in Topography, Geodesy and Cartography of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), along with the Complutense (UCM) and the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME).
These institutions are trying to improve the management of earthquakes and volcanoes through scientific methods using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture... read more
The 4th Session of the Americas Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction is held this week from May 27 to 29 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The aim is to review progress on reducing exposure to disaster risk in the Americas.
The conclusions of this session will contribute to build the new global agreement on disaster risk reduction which will replace the existing Hyogo Framework for Action and will be adopted in March 2015 during the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan.
Since the region actually faces various challenges, including economic development and population growth, reducing economic losses from disasters is one the main objectives of the region.
Margareta Wahlström, Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction believes that “the contribution of Latin America and the Caribbean to the post-2015 global framework for disaster risk reduction will be particularly important for how we tackle risk in urban areas this... read more
On 16 May, 2013, the first Ecuadorian Earth Observation satellite, Pegaso, transmitted its first live video signals with images of Earth. The images were broadcast from the Headquarters of the Integrated Security Service in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Pegaso is a nanosatellite weighing 1.2 kilograms, 75 cm long and 10 cm high. Pegasus orbits at an altitude of 650 kilometers above the Earth, with an inclination of 98.05 degrees and a beta angle of 22.05 degrees. It was launched on April 25 from the Jiuquan spaceport in China. It was built by the Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency, and finished in April 2011.
The first live images can be viewed online: http://www.earthcam.com/world/ecuador/ecsa/
The International Charter Space and Major Disasters was activated for a floods and landslides in India and fires in Ecuador.
The Charter for India was acticated by the Indian Disaster Management Support Programme (DMS) on Sunday, 16 September 2012. On Friday, 14 September 2012, a series of cloudbursts had struck the Himalayan state of Uttarkhand, triggering flash floods and landslides. At least 45 people have been killed and 35 others are missing whilst several more are injured. The worst affected areas include several villages: Chunni, Mangoli, Kimana, Sansari, Giriya, Brahmankholi, Premnagar and Juatok. Heavy rains are known to be deadly in this area and will continue until September.
The Charter for Ecuador was activated by Sistema Federal de Emergencies (SIFEM) on behalf of Secretaria Nacional de Gestion de Riesgos (ECUADOR) on Saturday, 15 September 2012. 22 fire fighters were wounded in Ecuador after an arson attack on Tuesday, 11 September 2012. The worst... read more
UN-SPIDER successfully conducted its Technical Advisory Mission to Ecuador between 29 Sept and 08 October of this year. The mission was conducted with the support of experts from INPE of Brazil, and CONAE of Argentina, and with two staff members from UN-SPIDER. The mission was coordinated at the national level with the National Secretariat for Risk Management, the Pro-Tempore Secretariat of the V Space Conference of the Americas, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador. The Mission benefited from the regional workshop conducted by UN-SPIDER a week earlier, as during the workshop many Ecuadorian agencies made presentations displaying how they were using space-based information for a variety of purposes targeting all phases of the disaster management cycle.
The mission was conducted through a series of institutional visits and meetings with representatives from the National Secretariat for Risk Management and with staff from the Pro-Tempore Secretariat in Ecuador. It... read more
UN-SPIDER conducted its regional workshop “Aplicaciones Espaciales en la Gestión para la Reducción del Riesgo y para la Respuesta en caso de Desastres” in Quito, Ecuador, between 29 September and 2 October of this year with the presence of more than 60 participants from 17 countries. The event benefitted considerably from the support provided by different agencies of the Governments of Spain and Ecuador.
The workshop was inaugurated by representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Integration; the Ambassador of Spain; the Lady Director of the National Secretariat for Risk Management; the Commander of the Air Force of Ecuador, and the representative from UN-SPIDER. The purpose of the workshop was to gather inputs to draft a plan of action for this region of the world, and to establish a regional thematic partnership on the use of space-based information to support the full disaster management cycle. The event included plenary presentations where experts... read more
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