The Responsible AI for DRM report highlights the ethics and responsibility concerns in AI- and ML-supported projects, such as algorithmic bias, transparency and privacy issues, and reduced roles for local participation and expert judgment.
Collecting Data
Tout le monde a un rôle à jouer : comment les différents acteurs contribuent à accroître la résilience urbaine au Cameroun
Au Cameroun, les contributions d’un large éventail d’acteurs ont permis d’accroître la disponibilité des données et de produire un Atlas des risques.
Everybody has a role: How stakeholders are contributing to increase urban resilience in Cameroon
The Ngaoundéré City Council (NCC) is using a stakeholder-driven Risk Atlas to inform urban management and planning.
Quand résilience des villes rime avec épanouissement professionnel des jeunes
Jusque-là, les données urbanistiques étaient rares, souvent obsolètes et difficilement accessibles. Lorsque les étudiants congolais ont appris que le projet Villes ouvertes mobilisait les ressources locales pour pallier cette pénurie de données, en promouvant ainsi la production d’informations gratuites, accessibles et collaboratives, ils y ont vu une opportunité. Ces jeunes ont réalisé qu’ils pouvaient collecter des données inaccessibles autrement, les partager librement et les analyser afin d’améliorer la situation de leurs quartiers, et se sont investis avec ferveur et fierté dans ce défi.
Making cities resilient helps youth thrive professionally: A tale of resilience from Congo
City data was scarce, often obsolete, and hardly accessible. So, when Open Cities made efforts to tap into local resources and fill the data gap—introducing opportunities for free, accessible, and collaborative data—Congolese students jumped on the chance.
Quand les communautés africaines s’emparent du numérique pour cartographier leurs villes
Grâce au projet Open Cities Africa, les autorités municipales travaillent avec des universités locales, des ONG et des membres des communautés pour recueillir des données géographiques précises afin de bâtir un avenir plus résilient.
African communities are closing the digital map gap for cities
Sub-Saharan Africa’s urban areas are among the world’s least mapped and most vulnerable. Through the Open Cities Africa program, municipal governments work with local universities, NGOs, and community members to collect detailed geographic data for a more resilient future.
Open Cities Africa Final Report
The Open Cities Africa final report documents the successes, challenges, and lessons learned under the ADRF funded program
Comment combler l’écart numérique entre les sexes : l’exemple d’Open Cities Africa
Que se passe-t-il quand les cartes sont créées de manière disproportionnée par des hommes ? Les caractéristiques qui sont importantes pour les femmes, telles que les zones de marché, les espaces sûrs, comme les abris, ou les services spécifiques aux femmes, peuvent ne pas figurer sur les cartes.
How to Close the Digital Gender Gap: Lessons from Open Cities Africa
What happens when maps are disproportionately created by men? Features that are important to women such as market areas, safe spaces like shelters, or gender-specific services may not be included on the map.
HOT Supporting the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project to Protect Communities from Flooding
Flooding has plagued the Ghanaian capital of Accra for years, so HOT worked with Mobile Web Ghana and OpenStreetMap Ghana to develop data on local buildings, drainage, and infrastructure that communities and municipal authorities could use to make vulnerable neighborhoods more resilient.
When community mapping meets artificial intelligence
Artificial Intelligence can help with geospatial data collection — and those data can save lives. But AI can also have unintended consequences for marginalized groups. That’s where Responsible AI comes in.
Open Cities AI Challenge: Segmenting Buildings for Disaster Resilience
The Open Cities AI Challenge, put on by GFDRR with Azavea and DrivenData, recently concluded with over 1,100 participants, 2,100 submissions and $15,000 in total prizes awarded. Along two competition tracks, the Challenge produced global public goods — open-source data, code, research, and know-how — that will support mapping efforts for disaster resilience. This includes: Increasing… Read more »
Perspectives on Responsible AI for Disaster Risk Management
Machine learning (ML) can improve data applications in disaster risk management, especially when coupled with computer vision and geospatial technologies, by providing more accurate, faster, or lower-cost approaches to assessing risk. At the same time, we urgently need to develop a better understanding of the potential for negative or unintended consequences of their use. The… Read more »
The Open Cities AI Challenge
Segment buildings in African cities from aerial imagery and advance Responsible AI ideas for disaster risk management
Sustainability in OpenStreetMap
The white paper explores the many facets of OpenStreetMap (OSM) in development and the challenges of striving for “sustainability” in the wider mapping ecosystem – the paper also examines the factors that influence long term success of work involving OSM in a development context.
How participatory mapping can make Brazzaville’s poor neighborhoods safer
In Congo, over 300 people—half of them women— received trainings on community planning and leadership change.
Capturing an archipelago: Open Cities Zanzibar
Open Cities Zanzibar has generated and visualized datasets critical to disaster risk management, building the capacity of government staff, university students, and communities in the process.
Uganda Open Mapping for Resilience Completes Ggaba Parish Pilot
The Uganda Open Mapping for Resilience project team have completed fieldwork in Ggaba Parish, gathering important information for the lakeside communities to highlight and analyze disaster risk. This follows up on the capacity development on open mapping for resilience methodology across Ugandan authorities. This OpenDRI initiative has seen residents and GIS professionals collaborating shoulder to… Read more »
À Saint-Louis, Sénégal, open source et cartographie libre pour s’adapter à la montée des eaux
Les données sont nécessaires pour la prise de décision. Elles sont utiles si elles sont à jour, précises et exhaustives, encore faut-il qu’elles soient accessibles et partagées !
Kinshasa en lutte contre les inondations grâce aux données libres d’accès
La métropole centrafricaine de Kinshasa (RDC), abrite aujourd’hui plus de 12 millions d’habitants et s’étend sur des vastes zones de faible altitude ou à flanc de collines souvent soumises à l’érosion et touchées par les inondations.
A Brazzaville, la population se met en marche pour cartographier les risques
A Brazzaville, Republique du Congo, l’urbanisation s’est faite depuis les années 60 sans respecter un véritable plan et au gré des opportunités foncières. En conséquence aujourd’hui, les quartiers précaires sont aussi les plus exposés aux aléas climatiques.
GFDRR invites you to celebrate International Open Data Day
Taking place on Saturday March 2nd is the 9th annual International Open Data Day, a community led event celebrating and promoting free access to information around the world. Are you running or participating in an Open Data Day event? GFDRR is offering you tools and resources to focus on Open Data for Resilience to help… Read more »
À Antananarivo, la cartographie libre comme outil de gestion collective des Fokontany
Open Cities vise à répondre à ce défaut d’information en appuyant les communautés locales – les Fokontany – à mieux collecter, partager et utiliser les données de leur territoire.
Leveraging OpenStreetMap to improve disaster risk management in the Seychelles
Open Cities Africa Seychelles is targeting the coastal areas of the archipelago’s three main inner islands to gather information on the risk of urban and coastal flooding.
Machine Learning for Disaster Risk Management
This guidance note explains how the World Bank Group uses machine learning algorithms to collect better data, make more informed decisions, and, ultimately, save lives.
Au Cameroun, la cartographie libre pour aider Ngaoundéré à s’adapter au changement climatique
L’urbanisation de Ngaoundéré a eu lieu, en grande partie de façon spontanée, entraînant une occupation croissante de nombreuses zones humides exposées aux inondations chaque année et des versants des montagnes aux risques d’éboulement de blocs rocheux sans aménagements préalables.
My Experience as a Student Mapper for Open Cities Accra
Anyone can contribute to OpenStreetMap. But few gain the chance to see the other side of the collaborative mapping process: when field mappers take to the streets.
Planning An Open Cities Mapping Project
This Open Cities guide documents lessons learned from work in South Asia, providing an overview of the design and implementation of a community mapping program. To keep this guide up-to-date and truly open source, the online version of the document is hosted on GitHub welcoming comments and contributions.
Tackling Coastal Flooding in Monrovia Slums: Understanding through partnerships, one community at a time
In the informal settlements of Liberia’s largest city, Open Cities Africa is introducing a dynamic open data workflow to support urban planning and protect residents from flood.
The Rise of Local Mapping Communities
In the past few years, there has been a meteoric rise of locally organized OpenStreetMap communities in developing countries working to improve the map in service of sustainable development activities.
City planning and community mapping: Gathering people and data in Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo
In Pointe Noire, community mapping is used by Open Cities Africa to collect data, raise awareness and put people at the centre of city planning and infrastructure projects.
JOIN US! World Bank Mapathon for Development and Disaster Risk Reduction
OpenDRI and GFDRR invite you to participate in our mapping event in the World Bank Headquarters on Wednesday, November 14 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. This Mapathon seeks to bring attention to the numerous benefits of using geospatial data in providing solutions to development and disaster risk reduction (DRR) initiatives. Organized as part of… Read more »
Uganda Bureau of Statistics engages in open mapping for resilience with the OpenStreetMap community
A milestone in the evolution of open data collaboration: Uganda Bureau of Statistics have teamed up with MapUganda to become part of the digital revolution.
Understanding Niamey’s flood risk through open source mapping, drones, and modeling
For thousands of years, the Niger River has been the lifeblood for not only Niger, but also its neighboring countries in the Niger River Basin. Yet, even as many Nigeriens depend on the mighty waterway for food, water, and livelihoods, the Niger River also poses a severe flood risk to the West African country during… Read more »
Comprendre les risques d’inondation à Niamey grâce à la cartographie open source, aux drones et à la modélisation
Pendant des millénaires, le fleuve Niger a été le poumon socioéconomique du Niger, mais aussi des pays voisins du bassin du Niger. Pourtant, même si cette imposante voie navigable permet à de nombreux Nigériens de se nourrir, s’approvisionner en eau, et gagner leur vie, elle présente également un grave risque d’inondation en Afrique de l’Ouest… Read more »
One Challenge, Many Challenges: Machine Learning for Mapping
OpenDRI is in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania this week for the annual conference of Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G 2018). With over 1000 expected attendees, this large gathering of geospatial enthusiasts is a prime opportunity to learn and share about the latest technology in mapping. Part of the pre-conference program, Tuesday morning… Read more »
Open Cities Africa Kickoff 2018
The Open Cities Africa Kickoff hosted the largest gathering of teams in Open Cities history this summer in Kampala, Uganda. For a week in June, eleven Open Cities project teams represented by 55 delegates convened as a cohort to receive training in innovative, open, and participatory data collection and mapping processes to support management of… Read more »
Open Cities Africa
Creating open spatial data on the built and natural environment, developing tools to assist key stakeholders to utilize risk information, and supporting local capacity-building necessary for implementing urban resilience interventions.
Launch of the Design for Impact Framework: Integrating Open Data and Risk Communication for Decision-Making
The framework and publication provide a new organizational resource for project designers working to ensure risk data and information is developed, maintained, and communicated in ways that tangibly build resilience to natural hazards and the impacts of climate change.
Identifying success factors in crowdsourced geographic information use in government
The aim of this updated report is to review governmental projects that incorporate VGI and provide information that can be used to support its wider adoption of VGI. To this end, the report compiles and summarises lessons learned and successful models from government projects in different sectors and at different levels.
Identifying success factors in crowdsourced geographic information use in government
The adoption of crowdsourced geographic data, or volunteered geographic information (VGI), is growing within government. VGI is crowdsourced geographic information provided by a wide range of participants with varying levels of education, knowledge and skills.
A Drone’s Eye View: UAV applications for a resilient Seychelles
In the Seychelles, life straddles the coastline. The 94,000 residents depend upon the sea for sustenance. The country relies on a mere 400 hectares of agricultural land, increasingly at risk of climate-related events. Inspired by the experience of Zanzibar, a neighboring island state with similar challenges, the Seychelles is now embracing drones as a tool to collect low-cost, highly accurate aerial imagery for resilient development.
RiskInfo – The new platform for Sri Lanka’s open geospatial data
RiskInfo was born out of efforts by the Disaster Management Centre and GFDRR to consolidate data for disaster risk management from various partners. It has served as a foundation for building a community of practice around open geospatial data in Sri Lanka.
How Afghanistan uses GeoNode to build resilience
Very little information on hazards and risk was available in Afghanistan a few years ago. A team set out to produce information essential to disaster risk management. They developed innovations on top of a standard GeoNode for visualization & cost-benefit analysis, enabling Afghanistan’s planning to incorporate disaster considerations.
‘Malawi Mappers’ Mobilize to Improve Open Geospatial Data
Author: Christine Mhone is the GIS Projects Leader at mHub, Malawi’s first technology and innovation hub. She was nominated by mHub to represent Malawi at the first State of the Map Africa conference in Kampala, Uganda in 2017. Christine has continued to lead the Malawi Mappers community in adding data to OpenStreetMap. Christine can be… Read more »
Demystifying Satellite Assets for Post-Disaster Situation Awareness
This is a living document that aims to demystify the numerous satellite assets available to the emergency response community. It is published openly on Google Docs, accepting comments, corrections, and criticisms from interested readers.
Open Mapping for the SDGs: A practical guide to launching and growing open mapping initiatives
This guide, drawing from the Open Cities guide, provides resources to help national bureaus of statistics, national mapping agencies, line ministries, and non-government partners foster the growth of participatory mapping in their countries and develop national roadmaps.
Niger
The PGRC-DU is developing state-of-the-art tools to identify flooding hot-spots and evaluate the added value of flood mitigation measures. These tools will lead to better knowledge of flood-exposed assets and people in the city of Niamey.
Addressing Flood Vulnerability in Niamey, Niger, West Africa
Authors: Dr. Ousmane Seidou is an associate professor of water resources engineering at the University of Ottawa, and an adjunct professor at the United Nations University, Centre for Water, Environmental and Health (UNU-INWEH). He is involved in research, teaching and capacity development activities related to water resources management, hydrological risk and adaptation to climate variability… Read more »
InaSAFE and OpenDRI at State of the Map Africa
In July 2017, the InaSAFE team had the opportunity to present another training course to DRR practitioners. The training integrates various disciplines, such as the creation and use of open data sets (in particular OpenStreetMap), fundamental GIS skills (through the use of QGIS) and skills in using InaSAFE. The course was presented in English and French at Makerere University in Kampala and was attended by thirty DRR practitioners from government agencies and universities in Niger, Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi and Uganda.
“When Women Rise, Mountains Move” – Women in Technology and Mapping
At the first African State of the Map Conference, women spoke about compiling code, making maps and breaking cultural barriers.
High Resolution Digital Surface Models Using Drones for Coastal Communities in São Tomé and Príncipe
To help reduce disaster vulnerability in São Tomé and Príncipe, the OpenDRI team is supporting the Government in coastline exposure projections and drone mapping activities.
Promoting Awareness of OpenStreetMap in Sri Lanka
To date, OpenDRI has engaged effectively with the public sector pushing for adoption of OSM. However, there is still a major gap in engagement with local businesses and tech start-ups that would expand and deepen OSM use and knowledge.
Mahatsangy: the start of a resilient open data movement in Madagascar
The OpenDRI project has catapulted discussions around data sharing in Madagascar, and productively problematized the lack thereof. It has engaged stakeholders to talk about best practices in geospatial data production and has reminded the country of the value of statistical and geospatial data in policy and investment decisions.
Introduction to OpenDRI E-Learning Course
This short, self-paced e-learning course provides an overview of the approach and toolset developed by the Open Data for Resilience Initiative.
Building Mapping Expertise in Vietnam
Last month, during a day-long workshop at Can Tho University’s Dragon Institute, the OpenDRI team introduced OpenStreetMap (OSM) to students and to Can Tho city government officials. The session was kept informal, focusing on mapping familiar terrain: the university campus.
Mapping the Comoros Archipelago
The objective of the OpenDRI project in the Comoros is twofold: first, fill data gaps by building assets using OpenStreetMap (OSM) tools; and second, develop an online data-sharing platform to centralize and share risk data in the country.
OpenDRI Partners with JICA on Training for Flood Mapping in Colombia
In October 2016 OpenDRI hosted a day-long event during JICA’s flood mapping workshop for the National Unit of Disaster Risk Management in Colombia. Technical experts attended the workshop to learn about how open data and open source tools can be used for decision making during a natural disaster event.
Drone Applications for Community Mapping: Tanzania Case Study
This case study provides a brief overview of the ongoing collaborative engagements between the World Bank, Tanzanian Government, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, and Swiss based non-profit organization, Drone Adventures.
The new OpenDRI website is officially launched!
This week, the editors of the World Bank blog entitled “Voices” featured a blog post called Opening up a world of data for resilience: A global effort to help access and use countries’ disaster risk information by the Open Data for Resilience Initiative’s very own Vivien Deparday.
Sri Lanka OpenDRI team finishes exposure mapping in Gampaha District’s Attanagalu Oya river basin
After almost a year of data collection the OpenDRI Sri Lanka team has finished mapping the exposure to flooding of every building in the Gampaha District’s Attanagalu Oya river basin.
Uganda
In Uganda, the World Bank is supporting the Government to develop improved access to drought risk related information and quicken the decision of scaling up disaster risk financing (DRF) mechanisms.
Zanzibar
The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (RGoZ) seeks to address high vulnerability to disaster losses from cyclones, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis with the support of the World Bank Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI) and Southwest Indian Ocean Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative (SWIO RAFI).
OpenDRI Policy Note & Principles
This publication describes the approach taken by the OpenDRI team to design and enact impactful and sustainable projects with our partner organizations and communities.
Open Data for Resilience Initiative will see you at Understanding Risk 2016!
The OpenDRI team is super excited about UR2016 in Venice! The themes of open data, community participation in risk assessment, and improving risk communications are all hot topics at this event.
Satellites in Global Development
Satellites in Global Development is an exploratory overview of current and upcoming sources of data, processing pipelines and data products. The research was compiled by the World Bank Leadership, Learning, and Innovation (LLI) team.
Participatory Mapping for Historical Flood Inundation Extents
As the neighbourhoods of Ramani Huria have been mapped, it is now possible to start building upon these maps. This can take many forms, but the community is at the heart of how these maps are being used.
Community Mapping Factsheet
The Community Mapping Factsheet is a glimpse into the OpenDRI efforts to include people who are exposed to hazards in the data creation process.
How are Ramani Huria maps being used in the wards?
Six Masters students from Columbia University evaluated Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team’s work in Tanzania and that of Dar Ramani Huria, whose efforts allow significant efficiency gains in government planning.
How Do You Start Mapping Unmapped Streets?
Nadia Whitehead of National Public Radio (NPR) highlights the value of thework the World Bank conducts in Tanzania through the Open Data for Resilience Initiative.
Surveying Sri Lanka’s Gampaha District
The Gampaha District is an urban and agricultural district located on the Western coast of Sri Lanka just north of Colombo in the Attanagalu Oya River basin. This area is very prone to flooding with important human, material, and financial damages.
Sri Lanka
The Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka (DMC) has been working with OpenDRI to support evidence-based methods to better plan for, mitigate, and respond to natural disasters.
Indonesia
Leveraging parternships globally, nationally and locally to invest in open tools and open data.
Vietnam
Working at the national and city scale to establish stronger systems for data management and sharing.
Bangladesh
Mapping is on going in Bangladesh and open data sharing platform has been created for the country. It is soon to be launched officially.
Nepal
The World Bank and GFDRR started working in partnership with the Government of Nepal in 2012. The aim was to better understand seismic risk in order to build resilience in the education and health infrastructure of Kathmandu Valley.
Haiti
The Open Data for Resilience Initiative supports the HaitiData GeoNode for disaster risk management.
Dominica
A GeoNode deployment for sharing existing data launched in November 2012 and a full OpenDRI platform implementation took place in 2013.
Philippines
The Open Data for Resilience Initiative assisted in Typhoon Yolanda relief by supporting a GeoNode specific to the event.
Tanzania
Dar Ramani Huria trains university students and local community members to create highly accurate maps of the most flood-prone areas of the city using OpenStreetMap.
Mozambique
Mozambique’s national disaster management agency, The Instituto Nacional de Gestão das Calamidades (INGC), in collaboration with the World Bank and the GFDRR, has developed a sustainable OpenDRI work plan currently under implementation.
Comoros
An open data sharing platform is in preparation in the Comoros, data review is currently ongoing.
Malawi
The Government of Malawi (GoM) with the support of the World Bank has been developing the Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI) with the aim of supporting evidence-based and innovative solutions to better plan, mitigate, and prepare for natural disasters and particularly for the damaging floods that occur yearly.
Battling Ebola in Sierra Leone: Data Sharing to Improve Crisis Response
In 2014, the largest Ebola outbreak in history occurred in West Africa. A number of data-driven initiatives sought to improve the quality of information available to humanitarians working to address the crisis, including the Ebola GeoNode that OpenDRI worked on deploying.
Open Cities Sri Lanka Expands From Batticaloa City to Attanagalu Oya River Basin
By Robert Banick In years past, OpenDRI in Sri Lanka focused primarily on the Open Cities project, introducing government, students and local communities in the eastern city of Batticaloa to free and open source mapping tools. We did this so they could both map their own communities and help government disaster managers to capture risk… Read more »
The Digital Divide: a challenge to overcome in tackling climate change
Try to imagine a world without the Internet.
Impossible, isn’t it?
Over the past 25 years, the Internet has become the nervous system of our society, interconnecting all the different parts of our everyday lives. Our social interactions, ways of doing business, traveling and countless other activities are supported and governed by this technology.
At this very moment, just over three billion people are connected to the Internet, 105 billion emails are being sent, two million blog posts have just been written (including this one) and YouTube has collected four billion views. These numbers give you a glimpse of the extent to which humanity is intimately and deeply dependent on this technology.
The digital revolution has changed the daily lives of billions of people. But what about the billions who have been left out of this technological revolution?
ODI and GODAN ask for help finding valuable data for agriculture
Contribute to their crowd sourced list of different types, sources and examples of data related to agriculture to help develop a better understanding of data in the sector.
Leading science groups urge global accord on Open Data in a Big Data World
A group of four major international science organisations – including ISSC – have today called for global endorsement of an accord to help assure open access to volumes of “big data” that increasingly are the basis of research and policy-making.
The experience of Mexico’s Fonden in catastrophe bonds, lessons for Asia
New Asian Development Bank blogpost discusses how disaster related data is a vital part of risk management and shares what lessons countries in Asia can learn from Mexico’s experience with Fonden.
Crowdsourced Geographic Information Use in Government
This report, Crowdsourced Geographic Information Use in Government, is based on a six-month study of the use of volunteered geographic information (VGI) by government.
Rapid, Climate-Informed Development Needed to Keep Climate Change from Pushing More than 100 Million People into Poverty by 2030
“A new World Bank report shows that climate change is an acute threat to poorer people across the world, with the power to push more than 100 million people back into poverty over the next fifteen years. And the poorest regions of the world – Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia – will be hit the hardest.”
Mapping infrastructure in a vulnerable city in support of USAID/OFDA programming
During OSMGeoWeek, teams were supported by USAID/OFDA for mapping infrastructure vulnerable to the floods in Ambon, Indonesia as part of an ongoing effort to fill data gaps.
Harnessing the Power of the Crowd – Reflections Six Months after the Gorkha Earthquake in Nepal
Through the Open Data for Resilience project, The World Bank, GFDRR, and other partners are supporting efforts to map areas at risk before a disaster strikes.
•In the six months following the April 2015 earthquake, OpenStreetMap data for Nepal was accessed by more than 3,300 users using a GFDRR platform that tailored the data for response and recovery.
•Urban areas around the world, including cities in Indonesia, Philippines, Malawi and Bangladesh, are a major focus of mapping efforts.
Paying it forward in a digital age: A global community committed to a mapped world
When I first heard about OpenStreetMap (OSM) – the so called Wikipedia of maps, built by volunteers around the world – I was skeptical of its ability to scale, usability in decision making, and ultimate longevity among new ideas conceived in the digital age. Years later, having working on many disaster risk management initiatives across the globe, I can say that I am a passionate advocate for the power of this community. And I continue to be struck by the power of one small initiative like OSM that brings together people across cultures and countries to save lives. It is more than a technology or a dataset, it’s a global community of individuals committed to making a difference.
People may be surprised to find that the maps we take for granted in metropolitan areas of the developed world may be completely absent, vastly out of date, or pay-per-view in the developing world. Imagine an urban area without a transportation network, government agencies without access to the location of their assets (schools, health facilities, etc), or even a map without village names. This is the reality for many of the countries most vulnerable to disaster risk. Now, imagine this urban area facing an unprecedented crisis brought by flooding, an earthquake, a pandemic – think about the challenges of planning a response.
Sustainable Development Goals and Open Data
The United Nations (UN) has developed a set of action-oriented goals to achieve global sustainable development by 2030 and has included the importance of open data in the context of improving resilience to disasters.
World Bank Using UAVs for Disaster Risk Reduction in Tanzania
An innovative World Bank team in Tanzania is exploring the use of UAVs for disaster risk reduction efforts. Spearheaded by colleague Edward Anderson, the team recently partnered with friends at Drone Adventures to capture very high-resolution images of flood-prone areas in the country’s capital. This imagery is now being used to generate Digital Terrain Models to develop more reliable flood-inundation models at… Read more »
Digital Elevation Models: A Guidance Note on how Digital Elevation Models are Created and Used
This Guidance Note, created by the World Bank Lidar Working Group, aims to compile such knowledge in one publication and thereby address all pertinent topics of DEM creation and use, including a workflow to facilitate the best way to plan a well-informed DEM-mission or proposal, primarily aimed at non-specialists.
The Kick Off Workshop-Community Mapping For Flood Resilience (#DarRamaniHuria)
Dar Ramani Huria is a Swahili phrase that means “The Open Map of Dar es Salaam” and getting more than 100 people from different Government and Non Government Institutions was the perfect opportunity to talk about Community Mapping and how it can be used for Flood Resilience. 26th March, 2015 was the Kick Off Workshop… Read more »
What does a world champion boxer have to do with saving lives in a disaster?
In this article Yann Kerblat shares how Project NOAH is making risk communication more comprehensible by incorporating Filipino icon and boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
Community Mapping For Flood Resilience Kick Off Workshop
The kick-off workshop was held on March 26th at the Buni Innovation Hub, at the Commission for Science and Technology. Panel: Innovating Urban Flooding Primer: Addressing the Urban Flood Challenge—Innovations and Opportunities Rekha Menon, Program Leader, World Bank Prof. Robert Kiunsi, Dean of the School of Real Estate Studies (SRES), Ardhi University Julia Letara, Town… Read more »
Community Mapping for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management: Harnessing Local Knowledge to Build Resilience in the Philippines
In May 2013, the World Bank, the Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Institute of Environmental Science for Social Change launched a project on Community Mapping and LGU Decision Support Tools for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.
In Malawi, Citizens Get Involved as Innovative Technologies Help Them Better Understand and Manage Disaster Risks
Citizens recently participated in a mapping exercise to provide data for early flood preparation in Malawi’s vulnerable districts. Mapping is the next step in the launch of the open source geospatial data platform in Malawi, providing vital information on natural disasters to district departments. More community engagement results in a clearer understanding of risks and disaster preparedness.
Can Mapping Help Increase Disaster Resilience?
According to Marc Forni of The World Bank, they can. Find out how the Open Cities project became a key platform for building resilience in this blog post from November 2014.
4 Years On, Looking Back at OpenStreetMap Response to the Haiti Earthquake
In 2014, Robert Soden reflected on the progress The World Bank and GFDRR made by becoming involved in the world of crowd sourced mapping. Now with a fully fledged program that leads dozens of projects worldwide and a host of strong partnerships, it is powerful to step back into his article and see where we’ve been and where OpenDRI has the potential to go.
To Save Lives and Livelihoods, Start By Understanding Disaster Risk
In 1999, the state of Odisha, India, was hit by the most powerful tropical cyclone ever recorded in the North Indian Ocean, causing nearly 10,000 fatalities and US$5 billion in damages. For the next decade, the government of Odisha and partners worked to identify and mitigate cyclone risk. When the similarly intense Cyclone Phailin struck Odisha in October 2013, the region counted 99.6% fewer deaths.
We cannot prevent a monsoon or cyclone from striking – and as population growth, urbanization, and climate change are on the rise, the frequency and impact of natural disasters will increase. But with innovation, collaboration and a better understanding of risk, we can build communities that are more resilient to natural hazards.
Open Cities in Kathmandu: Health Centers Critical Health Sector Infrastructure
As detailed in the context of Kathmandu, one aspect of the the Open Cities Project engagement is the collection of asset and exposure data in urban areas in order to create a robust asset inventory. The Open Cities Project collects data through open and participatory methods in partnership with local government agencies, universities, technical communities, and the private sector. Open Cities Kathmandu has to date mapped over 100,000 buildings and collected exposure data for 2256 educational and 350 health facilities within Kathmandu Valley.
Open Cities in Kathmandu: Educational Facilities Critical Educational Sector Infrastructure
As detailed in the context of Kathmandu, one aspect of the the Open Cities Project engagement is the collection of asset and exposure data in urban areas in order to create a robust asset inventory. The Open Cities Project collects data through open and participatory methods in partnership with local government agencies, universities, technical communities, and the private sector. Open Cities Kathmandu has to date mapped over 100,000 buildings and collected exposure data for 2256 educational and 350 health facilities within Kathmandu Valley.
Open Data for Resilience Initiative Field Guide
The Open Data for Resilience Initiative Field Guide highlights the use of GeoNode and crowdsourcing, and is aimed at practitioners considering how open data may support a DRM project.
Helping Build Resilient Communities
Following the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004, the Government of Indonesia began compiling a comprehensive approach to disaster risk management (DRM). The World Bank has helped through several small interventions, such as preparing the software program InaSafe and supporting the building of ‘safe’ schools, which have had wide-ranging impact and incorporate disaster risk management in overall development planning.
New Field Guide Explores Open Data Innovations in Disaster Risk and Resilience
From Indonesia to Nepal, Haiti to Malawai, community members armed with smartphones and GPS systems are contributing to some of the most extensive and versatile maps ever created, helping inform policy and better prepare their communities for disaster risk.
Building climate and disaster resilience through open data and innovation
Type: Meeting or Conference Organizer: Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, the (GFDRR); World Bank, the (WB) Date: 20-21 Mar 2014 Location: United States of America (Washington D.C.) Venue: World Bank This two-day workshop will bring together key leaders from business, government, international development, academia and civil society to explore how we can work… Read more »
Insights in DRM – A Case for Open Data
Here is the debut publication of “Insights in DRM – A Practitioner’s Perspective on Disaster Risk Management in Latin America and the Caribbean”. The first issue, Open Data for Resilience (OpenDRI) in the Caribbean, focuses on the use of spatial data in decision making to reduce disaster risk.
Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI): Overview
The goal of this Overview Report, published in May 2013, is to communicate the vision, approach and impact of the Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI).
Open Data and Mapping for Disasters and Development
This post is a summary of one that appeared on the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery Site and was originally authored by Christina Irene.
The Little Data Book on Climate Change
When President Robert Zoellick launched the World Bank’s Open Data Initiative in April 2010, he said its purpose was to “open the treasure chest of the World Bank’s data and knowledge to every village, to everyone everywhere.” This small book and the much bigger open database behind it are part of this same goal.