UN-SPIDER November 2009 Updates
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1. UN-SPIDER mission to Kenya raises awareness of UN-SPIDER Programme
From 21to 25 October, UN-SPIDER staff visited Kenya with the aim of raising awareness of the UN-
SPIDER Programme. On that account, UN-SPIDER gave a presentation on its activities to the Kenya
Humanitarian Forum, which was attended by over 45 United Nations staff members and Government
officials who had gathered to discuss contingency planning topics. This visit generated a greater
awareness of the UN-SPIDER activities and of its contribution to African states, and strengthened the
link with local United Nations offices with the purpose of helping implement further UN-SPIDER
activities, such as Technical Advisory Missions, and for the provision of support during crisis response
situations. UN-SPIDER staff also met with representatives of the Rift Valley provincial Disaster Risk
Reduction Platform in Nakuru City, an office which is in charge of 68 landslide- and drought-prone
districts of the Rift Valley. The meeting strongly highlighted the need to connect with provincial
authorities to extend the benefits of the UN-SPIDER Programme at the provincial level, and stressed
the importance of holding Technical Advisory Missions (TAM) that include provincial DRR platforms as
well.
2. UN-SPIDER chairs session on Disaster Management during AfricaGIS 2009, Uganda
AfricaGIS, the premier international conference focusing on geo-information technologies and
applications in Africa, was held this year from 26-30 October, in Kampala, Uganda. UN-SPIDER
delivered a keynote address and also chaired the special session on Space-based Information for
Disaster Management. The conference programme also included a presentation of the International
Charter Space and Major Disasters and the showcasing of the latest DMC (Disaster Monitoring
Constellation) international initiatives in Africa. An expert from Zimbabwe and another one from
Lesotho were sponsored by UN-SPIDER to attend and present case studies demonstrating the use of
remote sensing and GIS for flood monitoring. Moreover, a formal meeting between UN-SPIDER and
Ms. Rose Nakabugo Bwenvu, the Focal Point for the Disaster Risk Reduction Platform in Uganda
(located at the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Office of the Prime Minister) was
held, to generate awareness about UN-SPIDER activities at the Governmental level and to introduce
the UN-SPIDER Programme.
3. UN-SPIDER partakes of UNRCC AP and the 23rd CEOS Plenary in Thailand
UN-SPIDER actively participated in the 18th United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for the
Asia-Pacific Region (UNRCC-AP) in Bangkok, Thailand, held from 25 to 27 October at the UNESCAP
premises. One of the conference focus areas was disaster management and geospatial data
availability. The conference this year also heard an important and timely keynote on
“Spatial
Enablement and the Response to Climate Change and the Millennium Development Goals”. Seeing
that it addressed the ways in which spatial information could contribute to addressing current major
challenges, UN-SPIDER was bound to assume a weighty role. First of all, it was requested in the
adopted resolutions to support capacity building efforts in the Asia-Pacific region, by providing specific
training in the use of space technologies, space-based information and geospatial data for disaster
management activities. It was furthermore compelled to invest efforts in acquiring and widely
distributing space-based data such as satellite imagery for disaster management purposes, in a timely
and effective manner.
For more information on the Conference >>
Following the UNRCC-AP, UN-SPIDER staff participated in the 23rd Committee on Earth Observation
Satellites (CEOS) Plenary hosted by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development
Agency (GISTDA) in Phuket, Thailand. Discussions covered the various CEOS activities supporting
GEO, the Virtual Constellations progress, work planning and various other equally important topics.
The Working Group on Information Systems and Services (WGISS) Chair highlighted in her
presentation the newly-established Disaster Response Interest Group which is led by UNOOSA/UN-
SPIDER.
For the Plenary presentations and more info >>
4. UN-SPIDER hosts GMES workshop to bridge United Nations offices with European
geospatial communities
On 12 November
the “Global Monitoring for Environment and Security”
(GMES) workshop was held at
the United Nations Campus in Bonn. Organised by Bridge2Geo - European Geoinformation Network,
the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the City of Bonn, its purpose was to
strengthen cooperation between the geospatial community and the United Nations. The Workshop
was attended by members of six Bonn-based United Nations organizations who sought to establish
and deepen working relations with experts from the geospatial industry and research institutions.
For more information >>
5. United Nations and Google explore partnership prospects during New York Workshop
A United Nations-Google Workshop was held in New York from 19 to 20 November. UN-SPIDER staff
(on behalf of the United Nations Geographic Information Working Group, UNGIWG as well) helped co-
organize the event in collaboration with Google. This event brought together over 80 United Nations
staff members from various organizations, as well as about 15 Google staff members. Google Vice-
President Alfred Spector inaugurated the workshop, followed by a welcome note from Assistant
Secretary General and Chief Information Technology Officer for the United Nations Secretariat, Mr.
Choi Soon-hong. A number of interesting presentations set the tone for the afternoon breakouts and
discussions, as well as the summarizing panel. Important announcements were also made, such as
the availability to the United Nations and for non-profit use of much of the South-East Asia Google
MapMaker GIS data. The second day consisted of a more technical workshop where United Nations
staff members were able to bring up questions or concrete technology problems and then identify
solutions together with Google experts. Overall, the workshop proved to be a great success, and
especially the informal and practical setting was appreciated by most participants. Suggestions to hold
similar events in Geneva and Vienna were also made by United Nations staff who could not participate
in New York.
For more information >>
6. UN-SPIDER hosts the 10
th
Forum on Disaster Reduction
From 23 to 24 November UN-SPIDER hosted the 10
th
Forum on Disaster Reduction in Bonn,
Germany, which was organized under the auspices of the German Committee for Disaster Reduction
(DKKV). The Forum wa
s titled “Disasters –
Data Background and Information” and brought together
more than 170 participants from disaster management authorities, technical services, industry, and
research and development sectors. UN-SPIDER presented its mission and co-chaired two sessions,
one on Data and Information Collection in Emergency Situations and the other on Advances in
Remote Sensing. Further sessions were dedicated to Risk Mapping, Long Term Data Safeguard, and
Data Collection in the Cultural and Social Sciences.
For more information >>
7. UN-SPIDER gives keynote address during EARSeL Workshop
The Third Workshop of the EARSeL Special Interest Group on Land Use and Land Cover was held in
Bonn, Germany, from 25 to 27 November. The European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories
(EARSeL) and the Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces (ZFL) at the University of Bonn
organized this biannual workshop which covered the following topics: land use and land cover
mapping (LULC), land use cover change (LUCC), ecological aspects of LULC/LUCC, land degradation
and desertification, integration of LULC products into modeling, and multi-sensor approaches, just to
name a few. UN-SPIDER was invited to give a keynote during the opening session of the workshop.
Under the title “Space
-based solutions in support of impact assessment and global disasters
management: the UN-SPIDER P
rogramme” the work of UN
-SPIDER was presented to the
participants.
For more information >>
8. UN-SPIDER funds trainers of West Africa Sub-regional Training Workshop on Risk
Assessment in Dakar, Senegal
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the World Bank Global Facility for
Disaster Reduction Recovery (GFDRR) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UNISDR) held a three-day training workshop, from 25 to 27 November, on mitigating
disaster risk to improve the resilience of West African states against disasters. Seeing that West
African countries have become highly vulnerable to the increase of disasters triggered by natural and
man-made hazards over the last decades, this training was meant to help government officials and
practitioners from civil society and the private sector to better understand the role of hazard
assessment, risk analysis and vulnerability mapping in reducing the impact of disasters.
The workshop on disaster risk reduction brought together more than 40 participants from ECOWAS
Member States, sub-regional organization, United Nations agencies, international organizations, donor
countries, scientific sectors and civil society institutions. UN-SPIDER contributed to this training by
funding two trainers from the Regional Centre for Training in Aerospace Surveys (RECTAS) who were
tasked with giving lectures on space-based information for disaster management. The training
contributed to facilitating cooperation between different stake-holders within the sub-region, enhancing
the exchange of regional information, data and knowledge on natural hazards and trans-boundary
issues, and encouraging risk identification, assessment, early warning and preparedness.
For more information >>
9. SpaceAid in Action: UN-SPIDER offers ample support to Philippines and El Salvador
In the wake of the El Salvador and the Philippines floods, two major disasters that cost many lives and
displaced even more during the month of November, UN-SPIDER was again active in providing expert
assistance, confirming the utility of the SpaceAid framework now being developed. All throughout, UN-
SPIDER played a major role in connecting the space data providers with the users on the ground, and
its work was especially recognized by the Government of Philippines during the United Nations 4th
Committee meetings in New York, as well as in the national press. Other resources from within the
United Nations system, including system contracts for imagery acquisition, were brought to use as part
of the support, in strong collaboration with a number of United Nations agencies involved in the
response, as the situation demanded. The subsequent deployment of an aerial survey team from
Geovantage to the Philippines, with support from Google, was constantly backed up and supported by
the UN-SPIDER staff. It is also worth mentioning at this point that the Knowledge Portal was providing
constant updates on the availability of space-based imagery and other resources that were of
relevance to the response process.
10. UN-SPIDER National Focal Points: Nominations received from more Member States
The number of UN-SPIDER National Focal Points (NFP) has expanded to thirty-nine countries. The
latest countries to nominate NFPs are Burkina Faso, Croatia, Tajikistan and Cote d'Ivoire. NFPs are
the gateway that UN-SPIDER needs and uses to reach out to the countries and initiate joint activities
as needed for their own benefit.
11. WorldView-2 First Images
It is now possible to view the spectacular first images from WorldView-2, the first eight-band, high-
resolution commercial satellite, beginning with images taken over Texas on October 19, 2009 just 11
days after its successful launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
For more information >>
12. DigitalGlobe & eMap launch Disaster-related collection of high-resolution imagery
In conjunction with its business partner DigitalGlobe, eMap International announced disaster-related
collection events around the globe. DigitalGlobe has a proven track record of collecting high resolution
imagery after disasters and promises to invest every effort to capture useful high-resolution satellite
imagery of most prominent crises. (e.g. Hurricane Katrina, the Southern California Wildfires and 9/11
recovery efforts).
For more information >>
Conferences and Workshops:
We maintain a Calendar of Events with upcoming Conferences, Meetings and Events relevant to the area of space-based
solutions for disaster management and emergency response. The Calendar can be viewed at:
Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction 2010, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, 17-19 January 2010
The Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction 2010 (ACDR 2010) to be held in January 2010 will
provide a good opportunity to review the progress made and achievements of the implementation of
the priority actions of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA) and clarify specific issues
and challenges in achieving its goals in the remaining 5 years in Asia. Accordingly, the ACDR 2010 is
expected to contribute to encouraging the strengthening of efforts and commitment for disaster risk
reduction by each country in Asia. Furthermore, it aims at sharing good practices and common
challenges for disaster risk reduction and building a more solid foundation of regional cooperation in
Asia which will facilitate the realization of the societies which convey the experiences and lessons
learned from past disasters, strengthen systems to be prepared for future disasters, and foster a
“Culture of Disaster Prevention”.
For more information and registration >>
The 16
th
Session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-16), Phuket,
Thailand, 26-29 January 2010
The APRSAF is designed to serve as an active forum to promote concrete cooperative activities to
address common issues at the regional level with the aim to contribute toward solving problems not
only of the Asia-Pacific region but also of the entire world, as well as to exploit space technology
development and utilization for sustainable development of countries in the Asia-Pacific region. As
usual, the APRSAF-16 is going to have the plenary session and sessions of the four working groups
(WGs): Earth Observation (EO) WG, Communication Satellite Applications (CSA) WG, Space
Education and Awareness (SEA) WG and Space Environment Utilization (SEU) WG.
For more information and registration >>
"International Training Course on Application of Space Technology for Disaster Management
Support with Emphasis on Geological Risk Management".
The course will take place from 12 April until 7 May, the venue is the Indian Institute for Remote
Sensing, Dehradun, India. It is organized by the UN-affiliated CSSTEAP, the Indian Institute of
Remote Sensing, and ITC.
For more information >>
Fourth Central Asia GIS Conference - GISCA 2010: Water: Life, Risk, Energy and Landuse - May
27-28, 2010, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
Call for Papers: The conference committee is inviting all those interested to submit scientific papers on
the stated conference themes with a focus on the Central Asian Region by 1 March 2010. UNOOSA
supported the previous GIS Conference in 2009 and will again provide support in 2010 recognising
this event as the major Geospatial Conference in Central Asia. It will be an opportunity to meet with
experts interested in working together in Central Asia.
For more information and registration >>
Upcoming UN-SPIDER Outreach Activities:
Information on upcoming events planned or supported by UN-SPIDER can be obtained from the outreach activities section of
the UN-SPIDER webpage:
UN-SPIDER will be present at COP15 in Copenhagen, Denmark, 7-18 December.
Upcoming UN-SPIDER Events
UN-SPIDER Regional Workshop "Building Upon Regional Space-based Solutions for Disaster
Management and Emergency Response for Africa", in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 2010
Upcoming Events Supported by UN-SPIDER
Pacific Islands GIS&RS User Conference 2009, in Suva, Fiji, 1-4 December 2009
The Third African Leadership Conference on Space Science and Technology for Sustainable
Development ALC-2009, Algiers, Algeria 7-9 December 2009
The Fourth Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management, Montego Bay, Jamaica
7-11 December 2009
Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction 2010, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, 17-19 January 2010
GI4DM 2010 Conference, 2-4 February 2010, Torino, Italy
Fourth Central Asia GIS Conference - GISCA 2010: Water: Life, Risk, Energy and Landuse, May 27-
28, 2010, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) implements the decisions of the General Assembly and of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses
of Outer Space and its two Subcommittees, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee. The Office is responsible for promoting
international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, and assisting developing countries in using space science and technology. Headquartered in
Vienna, Austria, UNOOSA maintains a website at .In its resolution 61/110 of 14 December 2006 the United Nations General Assembly agreed to establish the "United Nations Platform for Space-based
Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response - UN-SPIDER" as a programme within UNOOSA. UN-SPIDER focuses on the need to
ensure access to and use of space-based solutions during all phases of the disaster management cycle.