Webinar Launch of the Training Programme on “Geospatial Information Technology (GIT) for Operational Planning and Decision Making in Disaster Risk Management” in the Indian Ocean Region

IORA in collaboration with the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and supported by the German Development Agency (GIZ), will be launching a training programme for Member States and Dialogue Partners this month.

In strengthening the priority area of DRM, and in continuation of the partnership between IORA and UNITARs MoU, the forthcoming webinar launch will be hosted by the IORA Secretariat in partnership with UNITAR UNOSAT and (GIZ), which aims to introduce participants from Member States and Dialogue Partners to a Training Programme on “Geospatial Information Technology (GIT) for Operational Planning and Decision Making in Disaster Risk Management (DRM)”.

The year 2018 and 2019 saw tsunamis and earthquakes in Indonesia, severe droughts in Madagascar, floods and landslides in India, seasonal cyclones in the Islands of the Indian Ocean, and many more calamities. The 2008 Super Cyclone in Myanmar and the December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami will forever be etched in public memory. The loss of lives as well as the damage to property and the natural environment is incalculable. The domino effect on poverty, famine, societal imbalance and other resultant tragedies cannot be discounted. Management of disaster risks is particularly urgent in the IOR because it is home to small island nation states and developing littoral countries with high population densities, which are hit much harder due to the lack of resources and assets to handle the calamity. Moreover, the region is also witnessing an increasing link of natural hazards to climate change with increasing sea levels and rising water temperatures. DRM is therefore an area of collective interest to all IORA Member States.

This webinar will highlight the importance and applications of GIT for DRM in the context of IORA’s region. GIT can be a very useful tool in support to the whole DRM cycle starting from the preparedness to response, recovery and reconstruction. This technology has proven to be a critical tool for implementing DRM activities at national, regional, and local scales. Quantifying risk and expected future losses are a key step in any DRM program.

The main objectives of this live event would be to:

• Introduce/launch (with keynotes from IORA/GIZ) the overall training programme which include two separate training events:
  1. Online Introductory Course “Geospatial Information Technology (GIT) for Operational planning and Decision-making in Disaster Risk Management” (20 September to 4 October 2021)
  2. On Site technical (face-to-face) Training (TBC)
• Highlight the importance of Geospatial Information Technology applications for DRM (with presentation from UNOSAT)

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