As part of the technical advisory support it provides to countries worldwide, UN-SPIDER carried out an Institutional Strengthening Mission to Myanmar from 11 to 15 March 2019 upon the request of the government. This activity was jointly organized by UN-SPIDER and the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), under auspices of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement (MSWRR) of Myanmar. It was hosted by the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC).
Representatives from UN-SPIDER, the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement (MSWRR) of Myanmar, the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Maxar.
During the five-day mission, UN-SPIDER held a high-level advocacy meeting at ministerial level and carried out two training programmes, one for 25 officials of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) of MSWRR and one for 25 officials from key line ministries.
Mission Outcome:
The training for DDM staff provided an overview of the use of space technology in disaster risk management, the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” and coordination during an emergency situation. The course strengthened the skills of EOC and DDM staff in analyzing maps and making use of emergency response maps produced as part of International Charter activations.
The training for officials from key line ministries was more comprehensive and covered a wide range of theory and hands-on session for using Earth observation technologies and tools for flood and earthquake disaster response.
The five-day-long institutional strengthening mission improved the capacity of using space-based technologies for sustainable development and disaster management of more than 50 participants and deepened the engagement of UN-SPIDER with MSWRR, EOC, United Nations agencies and other stakeholders in the country.
Release earlier this year at the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction 2019, the Africa Earthquake Model paints a complete picture of earthquake risk to the continent in terms of damage to buildings and direct human and economic losses. The model lays out the African portion of the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation global maps released in December 2018.
Earthquakes are a major concern in increasingly populated regions, however their prediction is a difficult task. Researchers have recently made progress in the use of complex simulation and modeling techniques to better forecast the occurrences of earthquakes.
The GEM Foundation is a public-private partnership that drives a global collaborative effort in which science is applied to develop high-quality resources for transparent assessment of earthquake risk and to facilitate their application for risk management around the globe.
Following a tsunami that hit coastal areas around the Sunda strait between the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java on 22 December, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has requested the activation of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters on behalf of the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) of Indonesia. LAPAN is a UN-SPIDER Regional Support Office (RSO).
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 International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” has been activated on 6 August after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Lombok, Indonesia.
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are giving scientists in North America new insights into detecting potential earthquakes before they strike.
Accurate early warning of earthquakes is challenging because of earthquakes’ unpredictable nature. They often strike on otherwise normal days and frequently strike with fatal force. In spite of recent advances in seismology, the prediction of earthquakes remains difficult.
A study conducted by engineers from Tohoku University in Japan sees promising opportunities for LiDAR applications in the context of informing responders after earthquakes. The team investigated the use of LiDAR for earthquake damage assessments following two earthquakes which hit the Island of Kyushu within in 28 hours in April 2016.
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