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Displaying 15 of about 89 resultsGENEVA, 15 October – As UNISDR makes its final call for input to the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR15) the role of open data and risk information is emerging as an essential element of sustainable development.
Preparations for the UN flagship report are gathering pace and there is growing research into the modeling of disaster…
GENEVA, 31 October 2012 - UNISDR Chief Margareta Wahlstrom spoke to the opening session of this week's extraordinary session of the World Meteorological Congress which is discussing the implementation plan and governance model for the Global Framework for Climate Services.
Ms. Wahlstrom congratulated the World Meteorological Organization on the initiat…
This paper investigates past and possible future magnetic storm intensifications. As part of this work, a dataset is developed of the most intense and second most intense storms for each of the past eleven solar cycles (1902-2016) – augmenting a traditional dataset that only covers the past six solar cycles (1957-2016) with recently published intensitie…
By Jon Kelvey
Shortly before dawn on 8 November 2018, a fire erupted in the dry mountain grass in Butte County, Calif. By sunset, driven by dry winds, the fire had consumed the town of Paradise, its 20,000 citizens struggling to flee before the flames as official evacuation calls were outpaced by the speed of the conflagration. The Camp Fire…
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has published a new report about the use and opportunities of ICTs and disruptive technologies for disaster risk reduction and management. The publication was announced during the third ITU Global Forum on Emergency Telecommunications, which took place from 6 to 8 March 2019 in Balaclav…
By Shannon Cunniff
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1. Upstream Tech
California-based Upstream Tech uses satellite data and machine learning to show if a conservation project is delivering results. Environmental Defense Fund is exploring whether this tool can be used to validate the performance of wetland restoration in Louisiana, work now done by peop…
It is well recognized that long-term precipitation measurements are necessary for understanding and monitoring regional precipitation characteristics. This includes characteristics crucial for monitoring water resources and hazards, like floods and droughts. TRMM was the first NASA mission dedicated to observing precipitation. It operated from November…
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Asia and the Pacific (Affiliated to the United Nations) are launching a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on “Geospatial Applications for Disaster Risk Management”. This MOOC is a free and flexible online training programme available…
GENEVA, 30 December 2015 – Hundreds of science and technology specialists from around the globe will come together next month to harness their expertise to help reduce disaster risk.
The 27-29 January UNISDR Science and Technology Conference, in Geneva, will draw around 800 delegates from disciplines spanning the natural and social sciences, medicine a…
By Stephanie Allen
Researchers at the University of Sussex have developed a system which can accurately predict a period of drought in East Africa up to ten weeks ahead.
Satellite imagery is already used in Kenya to monitor the state of pastures and determine the health of the vegetation using a metric known as the Vegetation Condition Index. These ar…
By Rebecca Moore
For the past 15 years, billions of people have turned to Google Earth to explore our planet from endless vantage points. You might have peeked at Mount Everest or flown through your hometown. Since launching Google Earth, we've focused on creating a 3D replica of the world that reflects our planet in magnificent detail with features th…
Every year, landslides – the movement of rock, soil, and debris down a slope – cause thousands of deaths, billions of dollars in damages, and disruptions to roads and power lines. Because terrain, characteristics of the rocks and soil, weather, and climate all contribute to landslide activity, accurately pinpointing areas most at risk of these hazards a…
Flash floods cause more than 5,000 deaths worldwide annually, exceeding any other flood-related event. They have enough power to change the course of rivers, bury houses in mud, and sweep away or destroy whatever is on their path.
They are among the world’s deadliest disasters and result in significant social, economic and envir…
By Lara Streiff, Science Communication Program Graduate Student, University of California, Santa Cruz
Conical clues of volcanic activity speckle the Aleutian Islands, a chain that spans the meeting place of the Pacific Ring of Fire and the edge of the Arctic. (The chain also spans the U.S. state of Alaska and the Far Eastern Federal District…
By Michael McHugh, PA
A researcher has invented a low-cost telecommunication system using drones which provides early warning on natural disasters and acts as a WiFi hotspot when phone signal is disrupted during extreme weather.
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It is known as a “Catastrophe-Tolerant Telecommunications Network” (CTTN) and is critical to emergency missions such…