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Displaying 75 of about 89 resultsGENEVA, January 29 2016 – Hundreds of scientists and policymakers today pledged to step up action on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, a 15-year global agreement that aims to curb deaths and economic losses from natural and man-made hazards.
The first-ever UNISDR Science and Technology Conference, which drew 750 delegates to Geneva from…
GENEVA, 24 April 2012 - Innovations in technology have made it easier in the last decade to reduce disaster risks and plan for the future. The internet combined with technologies, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), now makes it possible to better understand and communicate the social and physical complexities of disasters.
This was clearly e…
GENEVA, 5 March 2012 - The UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, and HE Yoichi Otabe, the Japanese Ambassador to the International Organizations in Geneva, announced today the start of consultations on a new international blueprint for reducing disaster losses in advance of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction…
GENEVA, 17 April 2013 - Outer space isn't a place organizations usually think of when looking to build resilience and reduce disaster risks. Yet, this is exactly where participants' minds were when experts were invited by UNISDR and the UN's Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) to discuss the incorporation of space technology into the post-2015 disas…
Just over a year ago, one of the most destructive rock-ice avalanches in Indian Himalaya hit a small township, tragically wiping out more than 200 lives, several bridges, roads and two hydroelectric power plants.
Known as the Chamoli disaster, it was unique in its magnitude. Despite consisting of 80% of rock and only 20% of ice, the avalanche mass was…
Every year, disasters kill an average of 60,000 people, affect 200 million and cause US$150 billion in damage. To combat these devastating impacts, governments and other stakeholders routinely rely on images captured by satellites and crewed aircraft for crucial tasks such as identifying and monitoring areas most at risk, evacuation routes, damage sever…
Background and Objectives
There is undisputable evidence to strong linkages between development, environment, and disasters. Sustainable development (SD) can reduce pressure on the environment and results in fewer disasters and eventual impacts. In turn, a well-prepared disaster risk reduction (DRR) approach and/or environmental management can red…
The Regional Research Strategy presents a work plan for the Digital Belt and Road (DBAR) Initiative to support sustainable development and disaster risk reduction. The initiative advocates for the use of big Earth data and demonstrates possible applications for more than sixty countries. It also promotes cooperation between countries as p…
By Sarah Jerving
Climate change is expected to increase water scarcity in Africa. Already, 1 in 3 people in Africa face water scarcity and about 400 million lack access to safe drinking water.
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Satellite imagery offers a potential solution for better management. A new partnership launched on Thursday between IWMI and Digital Earth…
By Matthew Trask
Drone Amplified, a business born out of Nebraska University, has developed a new drone system called Ignis that allows firefighters to start small, prescribed fires to burn away potentially dangerous vegetation preventing future forest fires.
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Alongside the payload delivery system, Ignis comes with a thermal imaging camera allowin…
By Robin McKie
The introduction of 5G mobile phone networks could seriously affect weather forecasters’ ability to predict major storms.
That is the stark warning of meteorologists around the world, who say the next-generation wireless system now being rolled out across the globe is likely to disrupt the delicate satellite instruments they u…
CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) was awarded by the European Space Agency (ESA) a contract to develop a new wildfire mapping service that combines recent advances in Earth Observation (EO), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud computing to help better map and monitor the impact of wildfires.
CGI and its project partner, the University of…
By Giriraj Amarnath
Unsustainable land-use practices, such as deforestation, the excessive use of agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, and the over exploitation of water resources all contribute to desertification, which, in turn, is exacerbated by drought. With climate change already increasing the frequency, duration and severity of drought…
By Bart C. Weimer and Darwin Bandoy
Genomic surveillance programs have let scientists track the coronavirus over the course of the pandemic. By testing patient samples, researchers are able to diagnose COVID-19. But they’re also able to use genetic changes in the virus to recreate its travel routes and identify the emergence of new viral variants.
As…
Satellites and on-the-ground sensors are helping Kenya, Ghana and Zambia tackle inundation risks and farmers cope with drought.Like most people, Mark Noort reacted with horror to images last month of devastating floods in Libya. Unlike most others, Noort had a professional reason to follow the drama.An expert in Earth observation technology, he took par…