The United Nations Workshop on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Risk Reduction was organized jointly by the Office for Outer Space Affairs (UN-SPIDER) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in close cooperation with the Ministry of Emergency Management of People's Republic of China, Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organisation (APSCO), Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), Thailand, and Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).
This is an excerpt from a press release from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) published on 12 January 2023. Find the full press release here.
The past eight years were the warmest on record globally, fueled by ever-rising greenhouse gas concentrations and accumulated heat, according to six leading international temperature datasets consolidated by the World Meteorological Organization.
Floods are among the most deadly and destructive disasters worldwide, and climate change has only increased their severity. To make matters worse, many smaller communities lack the tools they need to detect and respond to floods, leaving them vulnerable to the full force of their impacts.
This is event is available for participation on an ongoing basis
The Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) is organising the ‘2nd Global Flood Forecasting and Monitoring Meeting’ which will be hosted online via Zoom Webinar and the Gather.Town platform on Wednesday 08 and Thursday 09 February 2023.
This is event is available for participation on an ongoing basis
The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) was set up by the General Assembly in 1959. Since its establishment, the Committee's membership has continued to expand.
The Egyptian Society for Environmental Change, Matrouh University, Delta State University together with UN-SPIDER organised a workshop on "Combating Disaster and Climate Change in Arid Regions Using Space-based and Geospatial Technologies".
This is event is available for participation on an ongoing basis
The future of Earth is at stake as the world grapples with a climate changing at rates unprecedented in human times. Climate change is fueling a growing gulf of economic and social inequity, shrinking the scope of biodiversity, turning fallow the agricultural lands needed to feed humanity, and eating away at our common heritage through the destruction of world heritage sites.
At the request of the Philippines Space Agency (PhilSA) the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), through its Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) organized the Technical Advisory Mission (TAM) to the Philippines. The purpose of the mission is to support the PhilSA, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and other organizations in strengthening their work related to Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Emergency Response (ER) by effective use of space-based information. The mission team took an account of current strategies, use of Earth observation (EO) and geospatial information, data sharing practices and institutional capacity related to disaster risk management to propose relevant recommendations. The UN-SPIDER intends to work with PhilSA and development partners to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations, which ultimately would contribute to building resilience in the Philippines.
The team of 10 experts, under the leadership of UN-SPIDER, visited the Philippines from 26 to 20 September 2022. The mission team was composed of representatives of the following organizations: University of Central Lancashire, Saint Xavier University, USA, Institute of Technology, GEO Secretariat,Continuum Foundation, Pacific Disaster Centre, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (ISRO), BlackSky and International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka.
At the request of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) of the Republic of Armenia, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), through its Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) organized the Technical Advisory Mission (TAM) to Armenia. The purpose of the mission is to support MES and other organizations in strengthening Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Emergency Response (ER) by effective use of space-based information. The mission team took an account of current strategies, use of Earth observation(EO) and geospatial information, data sharing practices and institutional capacity related to disaster risk management to propose relevant recommendations. The UN-SPIDER intends to work with MES and development partners to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations, which ultimately would contribute to building resilience in Armenia.
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Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) of the Republic of Armenia
The team of eight experts, under the leadership of UN-SPIDER, visited Armenia from 27 June to 1 July 2022. The mission team was composed of representatives of the following organizations: UN-SPIDER/UNOOSA, Group on EO, Earth and Planetary Image Facility of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel), Delta State University (USA), Iranian Space Agency, Oklahoma State University (USA) and Geoinformatics Center of the Asian Institute of Technology. The mission team was ably supported by colleagues from MES.
The mission team conducted meetings with the following organisations to carry out in-depth discussions: Ministry of Emergency Situations, Ministry of Economy, United Nations in Armenia, Cadastre Committee, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Ministry of High Technological Industry, Space Museum, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures and RA Police.
In addition, a national workshop on ‘Space technologies for disaster management and emergency response’ was organized on 30 July with the participation of over 50 officials representing various organisations from Armenia.
The mission was concluded with the ministerial-level debriefing sessions chaired by MES.
In recent years, Paraguay has experienced severe floods, droughts and forest fires which impacted communities and their livelihoods. The Paraguayan Space Agency (AEP), established in 2014, supported the National Emergency Secretariat (SEN) in disaster response efforts through the generation of relevant space-based information and as project manager in two activations of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters.
To enhance its capacities to generate relevant space-based information in a timely manner, and to continue promoting the use of space-based information and space technologies in disaster management applications, the Paraguayan Space Agency requested UN-SPIDER to carry out a technical advisory mission. The mission, carried out from 21 to 25 November 2022, included institutional visits to SEN, the National Forestry Institute (INFONA), and other government agencies, as well as courtesy visits to the WMO regional office for the American Hemisphere, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the UN country office.
The mission was carried out with the support of experts from INPE and the Federal University of Santa Maria from Brazil, CONAE from Argentina, and IGAC from Colombia. The experts provided suggestions to AEP, SEN, and other government agencies on how to take advantage of the opportunities made available by the space community. For example, the expert from INPE raised awareness regarding the high-resolution satellite imagery available for Paraguay from the joint Chinese/Brazilian satellite CBERS 4a. Together with staff of the GeoLAB of AEP, the expert generated a 2-meter resolution map of Asuncion City and a 55-meter resolution map of the Republic of Paraguay. The Brazilian software TerraView, developed by experts at INPE, was used to generate these products.
The mission took note that several government agencies are using space-based information in their tasks, and the interest on behalf of other government agencies to continue using space-based information and technologies. Most institutions recognized the need for capacity building efforts to enhance their capacities to make use of such technologies.
