This year’s United Nations/Germany Expert Meeting on the Use of Space-based Information for flood and drought risk reduction will focus on the use of space technologies to improve Disaster risk reduction. Floods and droughts will serve as examples for hazard types that have recently affected countries around the globe. Recent examples are the UK floods in February 2014, floods in Central Europe in June 2013, the floods following super typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in November 2013, or the droughts in Eastern Africa 2011 and droughts in Bolivia in 2013.
In its current Situation and Outlook issued in January 2014, WMO foresees an enhanced possibility of the development of a weak El Nino around the middle of 2014. Its effects on floods and droughts need to be taken into account in national plans targeting Disaster Risk reduction. A recent article in Nature stated that El Niño events may start coming once every decade, doubling their frequency.
Effective disaster risk management helps preventing that natural hazards like floods and droughts turn into disasters. Space technologies, especially Earth observation and global navigation satellite systems, provide crucial information for hazard assessment, vulnerability analysis, and risk assessment. The potential contribution of space-based information to disaster risk management is not yet fully exploited – technical solutions are not tailored enough to the needs on the ground, and the information is rarely easily accessible for disaster managers. With this expert meeting, UN-SPIDER is aiming to fulfil one of its core functions: serving as a bridge between the different space and disaster risk management communities.
Objectives and Expected Outcomes
The main objective of the expert meeting is to promote the use of space-based applications to assess and to manage flood and drought risks.
Expected outcomes include:
- Recommendations for the improvement of flood and drought risk management through the use of space based information;
- Elements to contribute to the Post 2015 framework for disaster risk reduction (HFA2) and to sustainable development;
- Elements to contribute to the upcoming World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to take place in Sendai, Japan, in March 2015.
These outcomes will feed into UN-SPIDER’s outreach activities, capacity building, Knowledge Portal, and Technical Advisory Support.
Deadline for Submission of Applications
The application deadline for funded participation was 22nd April 2014. Application for non-funded participation is still possible. Please apply here.
Date: 05/06/2014 – 06/06/2014
Venue: UN Campus Bonn
Event Organisers: UNOOSA/UN-SPIDER
Co-organisers: German Aerospace Center, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), Secure World Foundation (SWF)
Language of event: English
More informationThis year’s United Nations/Germany Expert Meeting on the Use of Space-based Information for flood and drought risk reduction will focus on the use of space technologies to improve Disaster risk reduction. Floods and droughts will serve as examples for hazard types that have recently affected countries around the globe. Recent examples are the UK floods in February 2014, floods in Central Europe in June 2013, the floods following super typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in November 2013, or the droughts in Eastern Africa 2011 and droughts in Bolivia in 2013.
In its current Situation and Outlook issued in January 2014, WMO foresees an enhanced possibility of the development of a weak El Nino around the middle of 2014. Its effects on floods and droughts need to be taken into account in national plans targeting Disaster Risk reduction. A recent article in Nature stated that El Niño events may start coming once every decade, doubling their frequency.
Effective disaster risk management helps preventing that natural hazards like floods and droughts turn into disasters. Space technologies, especially Earth observation and global navigation satellite systems, provide crucial information for hazard assessment, vulnerability analysis, and risk assessment. The potential contribution of space-based information to disaster risk management is not yet fully exploited – technical solutions are not tailored enough to the needs on the ground, and the information is rarely easily accessible for disaster managers. With this expert meeting, UN-SPIDER is aiming to fulfil one of its core functions: serving as a bridge between the different space and disaster risk management communities.
Objectives and Expected Outcomes
The main objective of the expert meeting is to promote the use of space-based applications to assess and to manage flood and drought risks.
Expected outcomes include:
- Recommendations for the improvement of flood and drought risk management through the use of space based information;
- Elements to contribute to the Post 2015 framework for disaster risk reduction (HFA2) and to sustainable development;
- Elements to contribute to the upcoming World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to take place in Sendai, Japan, in March 2015.
These outcomes will feed into UN-SPIDER’s outreach activities, capacity building, Knowledge Portal, and Technical Advisory Support.
Deadline for Submission of Applications
The application deadline for funded participation was 22nd April 2014. Application for non-funded participation is still possible. Please apply here.
Date: 05/06/2014 – 06/06/2014
Venue: UN Campus Bonn
Event Organisers: UNOOSA/UN-SPIDER
Co-organisers: German Aerospace Center, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), Secure World Foundation (SWF)
Language of event: English