AÏDA – Advancing ICT for DRM in Africa
AÏDA - Providing a framework for objective assessment of ICT for
Disaster Risk Management in Africa
Dr. Norman KerleInternational Institute for Geoinformation Science and Earth
Observation (ITC) ([email protected])
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Purpose and scope
Overview of the AÏDA projectPurpose of the Conceptual Framework (CF)Structure & scopePrincipal findingsSignificance within AIDA & wider utility
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Overview of the AÏDA project
MotivationDisaster occurrence and costs are increasing
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Effect especially severe in developing countries (90% of fatalities)Hyogo framework for Action is guiding policyICT solutionsWhat is available?
Share information on ICT knowledge and solutions
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Why Africa?
2007/2008 UNDP Human Development Report – 35 out of last 50 countries in AfricaRenewed interest by China and USEU wants to keep up influence (GMES for Africa), and stem immigrationRenewed interest in disaster risk management (DRM), e.g. Hyogo Framework of Action, also touches Africa
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Overview of the AÏDA project
Project structure (http://www.aidaonline.info/)10 partners2 yearsVITO (Belgium, lead), ITC (Netherlands), EUMETSAT(Germany), NET QI (Switzerland), GEOSAT (France), Technologies Sans Frontières (Luxemburg), ArdhiUniversity (Tanzania), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (South Africa), Federal University of Technology, Minna (Nigeria), Institut d’Economie Rurale du Mali (Mali)
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Objectives
Reduce the risk of natural disastersImprove the capacity to respond to disastersBridge the ICT information access gap within AfricaPromote existing, successful and adequate ICT solution & share this informationOpen up the GEONETCast system for alerting purposesEstablish a long-term ICT-cooperation with and within Africa
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Regional
NationalAfrican Partners
Project Structure
First task in WP1:
Conceptual Framework
(CF)
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Purpose of the CF
Review relevant disaster risk management (DRM) concepts and terminologyEstablish common languageReview the disaster situation in AfricaReview international policy initiatives in DRM that affect AfricaReview international ICT effortsReview African ICT initiatives for DRMFocus is on continental or regional scale
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Structure of CF
1. Objectives and scope of the Conceptual Framework2. Natural disasters in Africa3. Disaster management conceptualized4. The scalability of risk5. The hazard situation in Africa6. From hazard to risk7. Disaster Risk Reduction policies and strategies8. The role of ICT for DRM in Africa9. International ICT-based DRM efforts directed towards or including
Africa10. Tools for information transfer and use – beyond the internet11. African ICT initiatives12. Summary
13. Acronym list14. References
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Results & observations –Hazard and disasters
Most rapid disaster increase in Africa
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Most rapidly rising populationMore elements at risk and pressure on resources
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Hazards and disasters show strong regional patternsUnderstanding those is the key to risk reductionThe macroscopic hazard picture is well known – but not well adapted to different hazard aspectsMajor hazards at regional and nationals levels are being well monitoredAt sub-national levels far less capacity exists (infrastructure, skilled personnel, or methods [e.g. local seismic effects])
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Results & observations – Risk
Risk, as defined, is scalableFundamentally a social phenomenonAs those are locally defined, risk is inherently local (as is reducing vulnerability)In Africa little is known about the actual risk distribution (as it is also hazard dependent)Those hazards can also compound each otherRisk should include all vulnerabilities – challenging existing methods and quantification
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Results & observations –Disaster Risk Management Strategies
Africa is well linked in at broad conceptual levels African Union has adopted Hyogo Framework Many countries have developed effective monitoring, early warning and DRM strategiesOften the most effective solution is not technological, but community empowerment and a local champion Myth that there are no resources for DRM as all is needed for development and poverty reduction
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Results & observations –ICT solutions
Africa is underconnected in terms of fixed lines and internet
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Results & observations –ICT solutions
Partly made up by leap-frogging to mobile phones
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Results & observations –ICT solutions
For ICT solutions and data transfer this is impracticalOne solution is GEONETCastLarge number of extra-African monitoring exists (FEWS, windstorms, volcanic hazard, seismic grid)Africa itself has shown strong technical capacity and readiness to participate in advanced ICT-based DRM solutions
4 countries have already operated space technology (Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa)Missing is ready cross-boundary cooperation and African concept
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seismic
Thermal anomalies
Tropical storms
Severe weather
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Rainfall and NDVI anomalies
At times modelledobservations - malaria
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African solutions
Individual countries have space technologyBut also joined projects (e.g. Ocean Data and Information Network for Africa (ODINAFRICA), AfricaArray for seismic monitoring, Regional Subsahara Wildland Fire Network (Afrifirenet)Also good efforts in ICT capacity building (e.g. African Centre for Space Science and Technology (CRASTE-LF) in Morocco, and the anglophone Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education (RECTAS) in Nigeria, Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD, Kenya), Regional Remote Sensing Project (RRSU, Botswana).
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What is needed is prioritization – do we focus on statistics of fatalities or affected people?
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Further details
All reviewed in detail in the CFExtensively illustratedFirst draft ready, final version by June 2010Can be requested from the AIDA consortium or [email protected]
Meant to provide a basis for the EU to decide on future fundingGuidance for NGOs and governmental agencies focusing on DRM in AfricaScience communityAfrican stakeholders to accelerate cooperation and adoption or what works elsewhere
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Thank you
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