-
UN-SPIDER conducts Institutional Strengthening Mission to Lao People's Democratic Republic
Wed Mar 20 2019
As part of the technical advisory support it provides to countries worldwide on accessing space-based information for disaster management and emergency response, UN-SPIDER carried out an Institutional Strengthening Mission to Lao People’s Democratic Republic from 18 to 22 March 2019 upon the request of the Ministry of Science and Technology. This activity was jointly organized by the United...
-
UN-SPIDER carries out Institutional Strengthening Mission to Myanmar
Tue Mar 19 2019
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...
-
UN-SPIDER high-level workshop strengthens use of Earth observation for disaster management in Myanmar
Mon Mar 18 2019
The United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) and the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) carried out a joint high-level advocacy workshop in Myanmar under auspices of the country’s Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement (MSWRR). Experts from the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education...
-
UNOOSA activates International Charter for Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe
Mon Mar 18 2019
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), as part of the support it provides to Member States through its UN-SPIDER programme, has requested the activation of the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" for monitoring the impact of Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe, which hit the country's eastern provinces on 15 and 16 March. The Charter was activated on behalf of the United...
-
New studies use machine learning models to predict earthquakes
Wed Mar 13 2019
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.
In a recent study, researchers used Gradient Boosted Regression Trees, a machine learning technique for regression and classification...
-
Sentinel-1 imagery maps Norway ground movement
Thu Mar 7 2019
A consortium of Norwegian institutions has used Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data in combination with the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) remote sensing technique to map ground movements in the country. The Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) and the Norwegian Space Centre (NSC) make results freely accessible through...
-
Satellite data powers flood early warning system
Wed Mar 6 2019
Vietnamese and American researchers joined efforts to develop a satellite-based system approach to monitor and manage transboundary flooding.
The teams from the Viet Nam National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI) and the University of Washington co-developed and implemented an advanced water forecasting system. Recently, Viet Nam launched the satellite-based system...
-
Radar imagery supports analysis of Bali volcano eruption
Wed Mar 6 2019
A team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences, has used Sentinel-1 satellite imagery to analyze the ground deformation of the Agung volcano in Bali, Indonesia, and explain why it erupted in November 2017 after 50 years of dormancy.
The previous eruption of Agung in 1963 killed nearly 2,000 people and was followed by a small eruption of its neighbouring volcano...
-
UNOOSA and SGAC launch Space for Youth Competition
Mon Mar 4 2019
To support the first priority of the 'Youth 2030' strategy, namely "Engagement, Participation and Advocacy to Amplify youth voices for the promotion of a peaceful, just and sustainable world", the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs decided to launch the Space for Youth Competition together with the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC).
What are the objectives of this competition?...
-
Centre for Geospatial Information Science opens at Edo State Polytechnic in Nigeria
Wed Feb 27 2019
The Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, has concluded preparations to unveil the Centre for Geospatial Information Science (CGIS), a research and teaching unit that will utilize computer software and tools such as geographic information systems among others, to gather information for use in mining, agriculture, urban planning and health care.
CGIS will provide training and consulting services in the...
-
World Bank releases new practical guide on machine learning in disaster risk management
Tue Feb 26 2019
The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), a grant-funding mechanism managed by the World Bank, has released a new report that analyzes how machine learning (ML) can be applied in disaster risk management (DRM) projects. The publication provides a concise, demystifying reference that readers - from project managers to data scientists - can easily use. It includes key...
-
ICIMOD report highlights role of disaster risk reduction for sustainable development in Hindu Kush Himalaya region
Fri Feb 22 2019
The Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP), under the coordination of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), has recently brought together the collective knowledge of over 300 leading researchers, experts and policymakers to develop the first comprehensive assessment of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. The report aims to inform...
-
Satellite and airborne InSAR data to investigate landslides transition from stable to unstable motion
Wed Feb 20 2019
While several studies have already highlighted how global warming and its consequences are predicted to increase the frequency and magnitude of geohazards such as landslides, the relation between ongoing climate shifts and landslide behaviour is still difficult to assess, especially due to uncertainties in both models. In a new research paper, researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and...
-
High-resolution satellite images show more wildfire in Africa than expected
Mon Feb 18 2019
Using imagery of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite, researchers from Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany have discovered that more areas in Sub-Saharan Africa are affected by wildfire than previously estimated. In their open-access paper, published in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment, the researchers delineate how they created the first detailed continental map of burnt areas caused...
-
Soil moisture data sets become fertile ground for applications
Mon Feb 18 2019
An integrated data platform has been created to bring together a wide variety of in situ and remotely-sensed soil moisture data sets to better inform disaster response planners, climate scientists and meteorologists, farmers, and others. The Soil Moisture Visualizer (SMV) is provided as an open and free data access tool from the NASA Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center...
-
UN-SPIDER attends DLR Humanitarian Tech Days
Mon Feb 11 2019
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), through its UN-SPIDER programme, attended the DLR (German Aerospace Center) Humanitarian Technology Days on 6 and 7 February at the DLR Earth Observation Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.
DLR has conducted research on disaster management and civil security for many years, with humanitarian action in complicated working conditions and...
-
World Bank project receives new funding for disaster risk reduction in Central Asia
Mon Jan 28 2019
The Central Asia Hydrometeorology Modernization Project (CAHMP), funded by the World Bank and co-financed by United Nations agencies and other development partners, receives new funding after reinforcing weather forecasting and early warning efforts in Central Asia. The five countries of the region, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, are exposed to an increasing...
-
24th postgraduate programme in remote sensing and geographic system commences this summer at CSSTEAP
Mon Jan 28 2019
The Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP), which is affiliated to the United Nations, will run its 24th postgraduate programme in Remote Sensing & Geographic System (RS & GIS) starting this July. The two-year programme open for 20 participants will be held at the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), which is a unit of the Indian Space...
-
Japan prepares to test early warning system using Michibiki satellites
Fri Jan 25 2019
The Japanese government is preparing to test a disaster early warning system that uses one of its Quasi-Zenith’s satellites this year. The system aims to better predict disasters in the Asia-Pacific region.
Through the new early warning system, the Government of Japan seeks to prevent “potential impacts of natural disaster on Japanese manufacturers and supply chains”, the Asian Disaster Reduction...
-
International Charter activated for dam collapse in Brazil
Fri Jan 25 2019
The International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” has been activated for floods in Brazil following the collapse of a mining dam. The activation was requested by the Brazilian Disaster and Risk Management National Centre (CENAD). The country’s Ministry of Regional Development is acting as project manager for the activation.
A dam at an iron ore mine in the south-eastern town of Brumadinho...
-
UN-SPIDER carries out Institutional Strengthening Mission to Nepal
Tue Jan 29 2019
As part of the technical advisory support it provides to countries worldwide, UN-SPIDER carried out an Institutional Strengthening Mission to Nepal from 17 to 21 December 2018 upon the request of the government. The mission was a follow-up activity to the Technical Advisory Mission (TAM) to Nepal in July 2017 that assessed use of space-derived information in all aspects of disaster management and...
As part of the technical advisory support it provides to countries worldwide on accessing space-based information for disaster management and emergency response, UN-SPIDER carried out an Institutional Strengthening Mission to Lao People’s Democratic Republic from 18 to 22 March 2019 upon the request of the Ministry of Science and Technology. This activity was jointly organized by the United...
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...
The United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) and the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) carried out a joint high-level advocacy workshop in Myanmar under auspices of the country’s Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement (MSWRR). Experts from the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education...
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), as part of the support it provides to Member States through its UN-SPIDER programme, has requested the activation of the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" for monitoring the impact of Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe, which hit the country's eastern provinces on 15 and 16 March. The Charter was activated on behalf of the United...
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. In a recent study, researchers used Gradient Boosted Regression Trees, a machine learning technique for regression and classification...
A consortium of Norwegian institutions has used Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data in combination with the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) remote sensing technique to map ground movements in the country. The Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) and the Norwegian Space Centre (NSC) make results freely accessible through...
Vietnamese and American researchers joined efforts to develop a satellite-based system approach to monitor and manage transboundary flooding. The teams from the Viet Nam National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI) and the University of Washington co-developed and implemented an advanced water forecasting system. Recently, Viet Nam launched the satellite-based system...
A team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences, has used Sentinel-1 satellite imagery to analyze the ground deformation of the Agung volcano in Bali, Indonesia, and explain why it erupted in November 2017 after 50 years of dormancy. The previous eruption of Agung in 1963 killed nearly 2,000 people and was followed by a small eruption of its neighbouring volcano...
To support the first priority of the 'Youth 2030' strategy, namely "Engagement, Participation and Advocacy to Amplify youth voices for the promotion of a peaceful, just and sustainable world", the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs decided to launch the Space for Youth Competition together with the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). What are the objectives of this competition?...
The Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, has concluded preparations to unveil the Centre for Geospatial Information Science (CGIS), a research and teaching unit that will utilize computer software and tools such as geographic information systems among others, to gather information for use in mining, agriculture, urban planning and health care. CGIS will provide training and consulting services in the...
The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), a grant-funding mechanism managed by the World Bank, has released a new report that analyzes how machine learning (ML) can be applied in disaster risk management (DRM) projects. The publication provides a concise, demystifying reference that readers - from project managers to data scientists - can easily use. It includes key...
The Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP), under the coordination of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), has recently brought together the collective knowledge of over 300 leading researchers, experts and policymakers to develop the first comprehensive assessment of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. The report aims to inform...
While several studies have already highlighted how global warming and its consequences are predicted to increase the frequency and magnitude of geohazards such as landslides, the relation between ongoing climate shifts and landslide behaviour is still difficult to assess, especially due to uncertainties in both models. In a new research paper, researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and...
Using imagery of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite, researchers from Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany have discovered that more areas in Sub-Saharan Africa are affected by wildfire than previously estimated. In their open-access paper, published in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment, the researchers delineate how they created the first detailed continental map of burnt areas caused...
An integrated data platform has been created to bring together a wide variety of in situ and remotely-sensed soil moisture data sets to better inform disaster response planners, climate scientists and meteorologists, farmers, and others. The Soil Moisture Visualizer (SMV) is provided as an open and free data access tool from the NASA Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center...
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), through its UN-SPIDER programme, attended the DLR (German Aerospace Center) Humanitarian Technology Days on 6 and 7 February at the DLR Earth Observation Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. DLR has conducted research on disaster management and civil security for many years, with humanitarian action in complicated working conditions and...
The Central Asia Hydrometeorology Modernization Project (CAHMP), funded by the World Bank and co-financed by United Nations agencies and other development partners, receives new funding after reinforcing weather forecasting and early warning efforts in Central Asia. The five countries of the region, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, are exposed to an increasing...
The Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP), which is affiliated to the United Nations, will run its 24th postgraduate programme in Remote Sensing & Geographic System (RS & GIS) starting this July. The two-year programme open for 20 participants will be held at the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), which is a unit of the Indian Space...
The Japanese government is preparing to test a disaster early warning system that uses one of its Quasi-Zenith’s satellites this year. The system aims to better predict disasters in the Asia-Pacific region. Through the new early warning system, the Government of Japan seeks to prevent “potential impacts of natural disaster on Japanese manufacturers and supply chains”, the Asian Disaster Reduction...
The International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” has been activated for floods in Brazil following the collapse of a mining dam. The activation was requested by the Brazilian Disaster and Risk Management National Centre (CENAD). The country’s Ministry of Regional Development is acting as project manager for the activation. A dam at an iron ore mine in the south-eastern town of Brumadinho...
As part of the technical advisory support it provides to countries worldwide, UN-SPIDER carried out an Institutional Strengthening Mission to Nepal from 17 to 21 December 2018 upon the request of the government. The mission was a follow-up activity to the Technical Advisory Mission (TAM) to Nepal in July 2017 that assessed use of space-derived information in all aspects of disaster management and...
Twitter
