Space Technology in Support of Risk and Disaster Management

Space Technology in Support of Risk and Disaster Management

Joerg Szarzynski
Senior Expert
UNOOSA/UN-SPIDER
Germany
joerg.szarzynski@unoosa.org

Abstract:

Global vulnerability to natural disasters is likely to increase as the impact of climate change and land degradation processes continues to rise along with rapidly growing populations. In recognition of the need to increase support to deal with increasing disasters the United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 61/110 of 14 December 2006, acknowledged that the use of existing space technologies, such as earth observation and meteorological satellites, communication and navigation satellites can play a major role in supporting risk and disaster management by providing accurate and timely information for decision-making. This led to the establishment of the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER), implemented by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). The programme aims at providing universal access to all types of space-based information relevant to disaster management by: being a Gateway to space information for disaster management support; serving as a Bridge to connect the disaster management and space communities; and being a Facilitator of capacity-building and institutional strengthening. Unlike other recent initiatives where space-based information is used mainly for immediate humanitarian aid and emergency response, UN-SPIDER is the first to provide support to all stages of the disaster management cycle, including risk reduction and disaster mitigation, which will contribute significantly towards reducing the loss of lives and property. Among others this paper presents a case study on the use of space-based information to support disaster management and lessons learned on how capacity development might be facilitated through the provision of technical advisory services.

Introduction:

Disasters are increasingly threatening human life, society and economy. Global climate change will probably lead to more extreme weather situations (IPCC 2007). By windstorms and floods, vital resources are destroyed, infrastructure is damaged, and transport and communication are jeopardized. Enduring periods of drought decrease crop yields, increase wildfire risks, and affect human health. Centralized infrastructure networks for energy supply, transport and communication act as the arteries of modern industrialized countries, however, they also increase the vulnerability to natural and man-made hazards. In developing countries, underdeveloped infrastructure and supply systems increase the losses in case of disaster. In view of this contrasting background improving disaster management has to be conceived as a global issue.

“Disasters” is one of the Societal Benefit Areas addressed by the GEOSS initiative with the objective of reducing loss of life and property from natural and human-induced disasters, by making maximum use of Earth observation systems (GEO 2007). Ongoing GEO tasks in this area aim at a broad range of issues, mostly addressing specific aspects with regard to observation technology and systems, products, types of disasters, and geographic regions. The overall system optimization which undoubtedly will result from these efforts is being complemented, to great advantage, by the UN-SPIDER programme which, by a rather holistic approach, will ensure optimized user access to optimized space-based information products and services.

The Making of UN-SPIDER:

At the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) in Vienna in 1999 a resolution was adopted (subsequently endorsed by the General Assembly) which recommended 33 specific actions in order to enable space technologies to contribute to the solution of global challenges. One of these actions aimed at maximum use of Earth observation, communications and other space-based services to manage natural disaster mitigation, relief and prevention efforts (UN 1999).

The Action Team on Disaster Management was established by the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in order to implement this specific UNISPACE III recommendation, carrying out his work between 2000 and 2004. Major findings of this Action Team were that the focus was on disaster response, and less on disaster prevention and mitigation, and that many countries had little or no access to space-based information and services. Following a series of regional workshops organised by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) the participants of an international workshop held in Munich in 2004 highlighted the importance of Earth observation, communication, meteorological and navigation satellites for risk reduction and disaster management and agreed on a global strategy. An Ad-hoc expert group established in 2005 proposed an implementation plan in 2006, emphasising, among other aspects, close coordination with existing and planned international organisations and initiatives in the space and the user communities.

Finally, the General Assembly, in its resolution 61/110 of 14 December 2006, decided to establish a programme within the United Nations to provide universal access to all countries and all relevant international and regional organizations to all types of space-based information and services relevant to disaster management to support the full disaster management cycle. The United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) was established.

The Mission of UN-SPIDER: Goals and Tools: Immediate disaster response is not only dependent on material supply goods, but also, to considerable extent, on information for situation assessment, decision support and logistic priority setting. Disaster mitigation, risk reduction and early warning require long term observation and super-regional cooperation. This is where space technology comes in, General examples are:

In-time satellite images of disaster affected areas for the support of relief forces’ logistics,
long term series of satellite images for trend analysis and risk assessment,
transmission via satellite of in-situ data e.g. in early warning systems,
satellite-based navigation and telecommunication systems to support relief forces in the field, and
specific telecommunication support for medical aid in remote disaster areas (telemedicine).

So there is a broad application potential on the space side facing corresponding needs on the disaster management side. However, the realisation of this potential is still hampered by a considerable gap between the two communities, meaning, on the space side, that specific user needs will have to be better understood and user contacts should be extended and, on the disaster community side, that the knowledge on potential benefits of space applications should be farther disseminated and the access to these services facilitated. In view of this situation the goals of UN-SPIDER were defined as being a gateway to space information for disaster management support, serving as a bridge to connect the disaster management and space communities and being a facilitator of capacity-building and institutional strengthening, in particular for developing countries.

Obviously the core objective of UN-SPIDER is the mediation of worldwide access to existing sources of space information and services. Consequently, the core instruments of UN-SPIDER are dissemination of knowledge, moderation of discourses, and fostering of alliances. UN-SPIDER does not provide space data and services, but meta-information on how these data and services can be accessed and used. Thus, UN-SPIDER does not enter the market as a competitor of space centres and industry, but might best be described as an information broker offering a propagation platform with international visibility and an internationally acknowledged mandate.

While present initiatives in the field of space applications in disaster management are focused on the support of immediate response action, UN-SPIDER is mandated to cover the full disaster management cycle including disaster preparedness, risk reduction, early warning and recovery monitoring. By this approach, the benefits of mitigation strategies are taken into account, and the full potential of space applications is captured.

Major Tools for Making the above Goals Operational are:

a web-based Knowledge Portal which is under development
the organisation of international workshops and expert meetings, and
demand driven Technical Advisory Missions.

The UN-SPIDER Organizational Framework: One Team in a Global Network

The organizational framework of UN-SPIDER has three cornerstones: the UN-SPIDER staff, the Network of Regional Support Offices and National Focal Points. The Director of the Office for Outer Space Affairs is the supervisor of the UN SPIDER Programme and is responsible for its overall implementation. The Director is assisted by a Programme Coordinator to help plan and coordinate all activities, including coordinating closely with the Network of Regional Support Offices. The Programme Coordinator works closely with the Heads of the Bonn Office and the future Beijing Office as well as with the Programme Officer who leads the Outreach Activities and Capacity Building, in the implementation of all programme activities.

With support by the German Federal Government and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the UN-SPIDER Bonn Office was officially opened in October 2007 on the occasion of an international UN-SPIDER workshop.

As a cross-cutting programme addressing different communities UN-SPIDER is dependent on intensive cooperation within and outside the United Nations. Relevant UN programmes and initiatives include the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). For the UN-SPIDER Bonn Office, the cooperation and networking activities are greatly facilitated by being accommodated in the Bonn UN Campus with its 17 UN institutions, among them the UN/ISDR Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning (ISDR/PPEW) and the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).

The support UN-SPIDER receives from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) opens up a great number of immediate contacts to the space community and space programmes. This includes specific space application communities like remote sensing, telecommunication, navigation and telemedicine, as well as relevant projects in GMES/Kopernikus (e.g. RESPOND). In the framework of GEO/GEOSS, UN-SPIDER has a co-lead function within GEO task DI-06-09 “Use of Satellites for Disaster Management” and CB-07-02 “Knowledge Sharing for Improved Disaster Management and Emergency Response”. During the First United Nations International UN-SPIDER Bonn Workshop, 29 to 31 October 2007, UN Campus Bonn, Germany, a dedicated Working Group „User Requirements“ specifically addressed the DI-06-09 task. Meanwhile, this approach is being harmonized within the UN-SPIDER Knowledge Portal concept. According to user needs, the concept foresees a specific gate to provide time-critical (meta-) information for operative use cases. A prototype version was presented at the Second United Nations International UN-SPIDER Bonn Workshop: "Disaster Management and Space Technology - Bridging the Gap" in Bonn, Germany, 13 to 15 October 2008.

A UN-SPIDER Case Study:

A most important mechanism at the intersection of space application and disaster management is the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters”, an international cooperation of space agencies which, in case of present disaster, provides free data on the request of an authorized user. As many requests show, orientation on the Charter process will have to be further disseminated by UN-SPIDER. In particular the UN-SPIDER team was instrumental in ensuring access to the International Charter and other existing opportunities to support a number of disasters, including the Namibia floods in March 2008, the China Earthquake in May 2008, the Mekong River floods in August 2008, the earthquake in Pakistan in October 2008 and the floods in Brazil in November 2008.

To illustrate the extent of the support being routinely provided by UN-SPIDER the March 2008 flood in Namibia is detailed. A severe flood, which started at the end of January, reached its peak around mid-March. The Namibian government declared a state of emergency on 5 March. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), southern Angola and northern Namibia were expected to receive heavy rains over the following days. The Hydrological Service of Namibia asked for international support regarding satellite images and the involvement of an emergency mechanism to receive these images on a priority basis, of high resolution and not obscured by cloud cover.

On March 7 the responsible officer was contacted by a UN-SPIDER expert via telephone and he was informed about the possibilities of activating the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" with the support of a UN agency located in Namibia. Furthermore, the officer from the Hydrological Services was informed about further potential data sources such as Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS) data from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Dartmouth Flood Observatory (DFO) with its global flood assessments, the Satellite Applications Centre in South Africa with its receiving station and the Center for Satellite-based Crisis Information (DLR/ZKI) including the access to radar images from the TerraSAR-X satellite sensor.

During the subsequent discussions it became clear that due to the type of flooding, the vegetation cover, and soil and weather conditions as further influencing parameters high resolution radar images were the data basis of choice. A request to provide satellite imagery for northern and north-eastern regions of Namibia came to the Office for Outer Space Affairs from the country office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Namibia.

Subsequently, on March 14, 2008, the Office for Outer Space Affairs triggered the International Charter to help Namibia in its combat against the crucial impacts of the floods and the outbreak of cholera. UN-SPIDER provided further support and followed-up closely with both UNDP and the Hydrological Service of Namibia, helping Namibia to take full advantage of what the international community was providing. The officer of the Hydrological Service of Namibia also had the opportunity to participate in the Second United Nations International UN-SPIDER Bonn Workshop: "Disaster Management and Space Technology - Bridging the Gap" in Bonn, Germany, 13 to 15 October 2008 providing a feed-back on the lessons learned.

In 2009 a Technical Advisory Mission to Namibia is planned in direct combination with a comprehensive capacity development training module on remote sensing data interpretation technology for flood mapping in Namibia with special emphasis on disaster and vulnerability mapping of water related risks using optical and radar sensor information. This training will be conducted by external experts from DLR in order to help develop further the national capacity as well as the national plans and policies that will ensure that Namibia is able in the future to build upon all existing opportunities.

Conclusions:

The threefold function of UN-SPIDER - gateway to space information for disaster management support, bridge to connect the disaster management and space communities, and facilitator of capacity-building and institutional strengthening - makes it a highly complementary international programme with regard to GEO/GEOSS activities in the ”Disasters” SBA. UN-SPIDER will provide the platform for improved propagation and utilisation of data and services provided by an optimized System of Systems. Emphasis should be given to the further integration of space technologies other than earth observation and to supporting the mitigation and prevention phases of the disaster management cycle.

References:

GEO – Group on Earth Observations (2007), GEO 2007-2009 Work Plan – Toward Convergence. http://www.earthobservations.org

IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007), Fourth Assessment Report. Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. Summary for Policymakers. http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_spm.pdf

Liebig, V., Aschbacher, J.,Briggs, S., Kohlhammer, G., Zobl, R., (2007): GMES – The Second European Flagship in Space. ESA Bulletin No. 130, May 2007.

UN – United Nations (1999): Report of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Vienna, 19-30 July 1999, United Nations publication, Sales No. E.00.1.3, chap. I, resolution 1

UN – United Nations General Assembly, Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (2007a): United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response. Report of the Secretary General. A/AC.105/893

UN – United Nations General Assembly, Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (2007b): United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response: programme for the period 2007-2009 and workplan for the biennium 2008-2009. A/AC.105/894