When using Space technologies for disaster risk management and emergency response, it is not only important to have access to the right data and software, it is also crucial to be aware of methods that have proven to be good practices in a certain context.
UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Offices and other partners are currently working on the development of Recommended Practices on the use of space technologies for various hazards. The aim is to describe successful methods that our partners have used and refined during the work in their regions in order to make these practices available to a global audience. The practices include a descriptive part and hands-on, step-by-step instructions on how to use satellite information for various hazards, in various phases of the disaster management cycle.
While these Recommended Practices are a work in progress, we are proud to present the first two Practices elaborated by the UN-SPIDER network.
A practice on Flood Mapping by NASU-SSAU is devoted to the use of SAR satellite imagery for flood mapping. The practice shows the use of ESA NEST software for pre-processing and processing of SAR imagery using a threshold method for deriving the flood extent. QuantumGIS is used as a software to visualize the results of image processing.
A practice on Flood Hazard Mapping by Purdue University shows how GIS and modelling is used to calculate simulated inundation areas based on land use, soil, elevation, and meteorological data. Flood simulations can be used to support decision making regarding potential land use changes.
Over the course of the next months, more Recommended Practices will be elaborated and published on the UN-SPIDER Knowledge Portal.
