SWF Co-Organizes a side event "Disasters Risk Reduction and Earth observations: a GEO perspective" at the GEO-X Plenary

Monday, January 20, 2014

Secure World Foundation (SWF) and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Secretariat partnered this year to organize a workshop titled "Disasters Risk Reduction and Earth observations: a GEO perspective" as part of the GEO Ministerial week 12-17 January, 2014. The side event brought together researchers and practitioners from UN Agencies, NGOs, industry, universities and the private sector working in all aspects of the use of Earth observation for disaster risk reduction and management.  The main goal of this side event was to stimulate discussion between data/service providers and end-end users, figuring out feasible solutions and mechanisms to enable decision makers, urban and land planners and disasters managers to have access to actionable information and data useful to their daily work. A key point that was addressed by the delegates is how to facilitate and implement full and open access to (big) data for local and national end users, and how to overcome the technological divide (this includes the digital and non-digital technologies) that exists between developed and developing nations. SWF Executive Director Michael Simpson and Barbara Ryan, GEO Director of the Secretariat, opened the event while Victoria Samson, Washington Office Director moderated a panel titled: Global and regional infrastructures for data acquisition and delivery. Project Manager, Laura Delgado Lopez also attended the event.

To see the agenda, speaker bios, presentations, and for more info please click here.