Networks & Communities

Confined Masonry Network

Confined Masonry Network is a network of experts from various countries who are committed to:
- Improving the design and construction quality of confined masonry in areas where it is currently used;
- Introducing confined masonry construction in regions where it can reduce seismic risks.

An alternative construction technology, using the same construction materials, is 'Confined Masonry' construction. Confined masonry is a construction system where the masonry walls are built first, and the concrete columns and beams are poured in afterwards to enclose (confine) the wall. It has typically performed well in past earthquakes worldwide, when built according to code requirements. Its satisfactory earthquake performance is due to the joint action of masonry walls and their confining elements.

Disaster Preparedness Network (DPNet)

Established in 1996, the Disaster Preparedness Network (DP-Net) is envisioned as a loose association of individual organisations within the development sector in Nepal, which are concerned with disaster management. The network aims to assist individuals and organisations to prepare for, and respond to and manage disaster should it strike. DP-Net works closely with Government of Nepal through its agencies, which are concerned with disaster preparedness and management. DP-Net complements the effort of these agencies to inform and prepare organisations and communities to deal effectively with disasters. DP-Net are concerned with natural disasters such as earthquake, floods, droughts and landslide. It will also cover disasters such as epidemic, flood and fire that occur often in towns and villages. DP-Net work closely with the Government institutions but as facilitator to Disaster Preparedness activities in Nepal. Thus, DP-Net allows and encourages promoting effective coordination and communication as well developing knowledge management with its all stakeholders in Nepal.

Earthquake Megacities Initiative

EMI is an international, not-for-profit, scientific organization dedicated to the reduction of disaster risk in megacities and major metropolises. It was founded in 1998 in response to the urgent need to stimulate urban earthquake preparedness and mitigation in developing countries. EMI serves as a catalyst for the delivery of scientific and technical knowledge to local government officials,policymakers, practitioners, and disaster management technical personnel.

EMI’s network of partners further includes about 20 of the largest cities in the world and many academic and professional institutions.

Geohazards Community of Practice

The GHCP is a Community of Practice (CoP) supporting the Group on Earth Observations (GEO, http://www.earthobservations.org). The GHCP originated from the IGOS Geohazards Theme, which formed in the frame of the IGOS-Partnership.

The GHCP brings together groups and individuals involved in various aspects of geohazards, including research, monitoring and risk assessments, mitigation, and adaptation. The GHCP aims to provide a link between the broad geohazards community of practice and GEO in order to:

- ensure that the needs of this community are taken into account in the development of Global earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS),
- facilitate support and participation of this community in the building of GEOSS, and
- promote the use of GEOSS for geohazards-related applications.

The GHCP also provides a communication and coordinating platform for high level policy makers and the broader geohazards community.

Knowledge sharing platform on disaster risk reduction

DisasterPreparedness.ICIMOD.org is a Knowledge Sharing Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) practitioners. The website is community driven, and mainly serves as a dynamic online repository for materials such as publications, reports, articles, links and news related to DRR.

For more information, visit: http://www.disasterpreparedness.icimod.org/dipecho-list.php We welcome you all to join our Group Mail which facilitates knowledge-networking among more than 400 DRR practitioners.

Learning from mega-disasters community of practice

Learning from Mega-Disasters Community of Practice (CoP) is a knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Exchange program that is established by the Government of Japan and the World Bank to collect and analyze information, data, and evaluations performed by academic and research institutions, nongovernmental organizations, government agencies, and the private sector, with the intent of sharing Japan’s knowledge on disaster risk management (DRM) and post disaster reconstruction with countries that are vulnerable to disasters. This CoP will serve as a venue where experts can share views, discuss new topics, upload documents and add comments and suggestions.

NEES

Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) is a shared national network of 15 experimental facilities, collaborative tools, a centralized data repository, and earthquake simulation software, all linked by the ultra-high-speed Internet2 connections of NEESgrid. Together, these resources provide the means for collaboration and discovery in the form of more advanced research based on experimentation and computational simulations of the ways buildings, bridges, utility systems, coastal regions, and geomaterials perform during seismic events.

PARSQUAKE: Earthquake education in the global Persian community (Teachers Without Borders)

This online group will collaborate on creating and collecting earthquake education resources that can be used by the global Persian-speaking community.

Probability, uncertainty and risk in the environment (PURE)

What is Probability, Uncertainty and Risk in the Environment (PURE)?

PURE has two elements: the PURE Network and the PURE Programme:

PURE Network

The PURE Network is a research and knowledge exchange network, which will run for four years (2011-2015) to stimulate good practice guidance and the standardisation of the assessment and quantification of uncertainty and risk across natural hazards science. The network will achieve this by bringing together researchers, industrialists and policy-makers through collaborative working and knowledge exchange. The network will help to shape the direction of future research and provide valuable information to practitioners in environmental risk management.

The network is hosted on the Technology Strategy Board's Connect-me platform which is open to all to join.

PURE Programme

The PURE Programme is a four year research programme which will run from 2012 until 2016. The aim of the programme is to improve the assessment and quantification of uncertainty and risk in natural hazards by developing new methods and demonstrating their applicability to enhance the uptake of natural hazards science.

A consortium group will deliver the programme and will focus on the following priority hazards:

Flooding hazards
Multi-phase fluid flow hazards such as avalanches, landslides, rockslides and pyroclastic flows
Earthquake hazards
Hydro-meteorological non-flooding hazards such as storms, droughts and heatwaves.

Who will Benefit?

- Academia, industry and government will benefit hugely from the sharing of techniques and methods used to quantify risk and uncertainty in natural hazards science.

What will PURE achieve?

Outputs:

- Enhanced interaction between industry, academia, Government Departments and Research Councils.

- The opening up of new commercial opportunities for UK businesses in the financial services and insurance sectors.

- Good practice user guidance for flooding.

- A web-based Knowledge Portal which willact as a directory of research and data for users of research. The Knowledge Portal may also contain an experimental zone where techniques and knowledge can be shared.

Outcomes:

- Good practice guidance and standardisation of uncertainty and risk assessment and quantification across the natural hazards community.

- Greater clarity and consensus about the most appropriate methods to quantify uncertainty and risk in natural hazards science.

- New and improved methods, tools and benchmarks for quantifying and assessing uncertainty and risk in natural hazards developed, accepted, disseminated and used.

Impacts:

- Improved assessment and quantification of uncertainty and risk in natural hazards science and also in other scientific areas.

- Improved communication of uncertainty and risk in natural hazards science increases public confidence in natural hazards information.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Start and End dates: 2011-2016