A United Nations advisory mission arrives today to meet Philippine disaster managers and ensure they have access to space-based data during disasters.
The UN Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) mission will be here until the end of the month.
Established by the UN General Assembly in 2006, UN-SPIDER aims to ensure all countries have the access and capacity to use all types of space-based information to support the full disaster management cycle.
The Technical Advisory Mission is part of the 2021 agreement between the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs to strengthen collaboration on the use of space-based information in managing disasters and responding to emergencies.
The activity is also in line with PhilSA’s initiatives in hazard management and climate studies, and international cooperation.
The UN mission and PhilSA will meet with disaster managers to gather information and conduct consultations on how space data is being used for disaster operations in the country.
On September 29, PhilSA and UN-SPIDER will hold an in-person public workshop in Quezon City designed for senior policymakers, data providers, disaster management agencies, DRR practitioners and academic institutions.
The workshop aims to raise awareness and serve as venue for exchanging technical know-how on current disaster response practices.
The workshop is expected to come up with policy-level recommendations for the effective use of space technology for disaster management and for streamlined data sharing between providers and end users.
Representatives from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council will provide information on its operations and activities.
Engineer Roel Dela Cruz of PhilSA’s Space Data Mobilization and Applications Division will talk about PhilSA’s Disaster, Hazard and Risk Mapping or DHARMA project.
Dr. Shirish Kumar Ravan, head of UN-SPIDER’s Beijing office; Dr. Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr., PhilSA director general; and Dr. Gay Jane P. Perez, PhilSA deputy director general for Space Science and Technology, will attend the workshop in Novotel Manila Araneta City.
The workshop is open to the public.
Disasters may be monitored and analyzed based on data from space. Beyond that, remote sensing for Earth observation, satellite-based communication and global navigation satellite systems all contribute to more effective disaster management.
Before disasters occur, satellite information can guide urban planners, for example, on risk exposure. Rural infrastructure and road maps obtained from satellite images ensure that evacuation routes are planned.
Satellite data from weather satellites can be used to predict and anticipate disasters such as floods. Satellite images and maps of exposed areas help identify where preventive measures need to be applied. They provide disaster managers and emergency responders with information about flooded or damaged areas as well as enabling communication in emergency situations.
Earth observation satellites provide valuable data that can be used to track and monitor and elaborate hazard, exposure and risk maps. Satellites generate maps for areas affected by floods, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, landslides and other natural hazards.
Global navigation satellite systems allow emergency responders to supply coordinates of landing sites to helicopter pilots in areas affected by disasters, even when local communication infrastructure is destroyed.
Communication satellites are essential when there is a need to transmit messages very rapidly across vast areas. Tsunamis often travel across vast oceans, and communication satellite warnings quickly transmit information from one continent to another.
These satellites help develop more accurate maps of disaster areas and facilitate interoperability of data and information.
Global navigation satellite systems improve the understanding of tectonic plate movements, a vital information for earthquake disaster managers.
The International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” and the Copernicus Emergency Management Service provide information from satellite data to monitor the situation on the ground. UN-SPIDER promotes these mechanisms for countries to have timely and relevant information when disasters strike.
UN-SPIDER is mandated to connect space agencies and international institutions with disaster management institutions. It regularly adds links to a large variety of satellite imagery sources, elevation models, land use and land cover maps as well as near real-time data products for different hazard types.
UN-SPIDER was established in 2006 after it was realized that disaster risk management and emergency response communities, particularly in developing countries, are not fully utilizing space-based technologies to address the natural hazards they are facing.
Or they might not be aware of where and how they can access space-derived data. Even if they are aware, they might not necessarily have the capacities to extract the data that could be useful and to apply it to local situations. Or they might not have the necessary facilities, hardware or software to access and subsequently process the data.
UN-SPIDER is designed to bridge these gaps with its Technical Advisory Missions. The goal is to ensure that all countries recognize the value of all types of space-based information to prevent and mitigate disasters, and use them effectively.
During these missions, UN-SPIDER meets with key stakeholders in the disaster management community to discuss issues in depth, make recommendations and develop guidelines to improve the use of space-based information for disaster risk management and emergency response.
Such missions take place at the invitation of member states like the Philippines.
