Disaster management and space technology: The 4C challenge - 'Communication, Coordination, Cooperation - Capacity development'

The United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) cordially invites people to join the Fourth International UN-SPIDER Bonn Workshop on Disaster Management and Space Technology:  "The 4C - Challenge: Communication - Coordination - Cooperation - Capacity Development".

This workshop, which is being organised by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), will provide an opportunity to bring together decision-makers and experts from both the space technology and disaster management communities, international scientific organizations, knowledge transfer and educational institutions, as well as internationally active private companies, with the intention of sharing their best practices and to bring their knowledge, products and technologies for risk and disaster management, humanitarian aid and emergency response. 

The main topics of this years workshop will be: 

Space technology in support of risk and disaster management
Relevant space-based solutions and information for risk and disaster management support and emergency response including on-going and planned initiatives, case studies and best practices, available geospatial data for disaster studies and capacity building opportunities. 

Satellite communications technology
Presentations and discussions on satellite communications services, namely satellite phones, VSAT's, BGAN's by the service providers and technology developers for the use of emergency telecommunications. 

International support mechanisms and SpaceAid
Discussion of the strengthening of the international coordination with regard to access to existing mechanisms that provide space–based information to support emergency response such as the International Charter Space and Major Disasters, GMES/SAFER, Sentinel Asia, SERVIR and the UN-SPIDER SpaceAid Framework. Specific presentations on the work carried out to support the response efforts for the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile will also be included under this theme. Participants will be invited to discuss and provide feedback on the utility and timeliness of space-based support for the response and recovery efforts following recent mega-disasters, including direct and fast availability of satellite data and services to the responding organizations, and to provide feedback for improving such support. Key providers and users of space-based data are invited to make contributions to this discussion, helping evaluate the present state and making suggestions for better future response efforts. 

The UN-SPIDER network
Presentations regarding the UN-SPIDER National Focal Points (NFP), the UN-SPIDER Regional Support Offices (RSO), the Global Thematic Partnership in strong collaboration with UNISDR and existing Communities of Practice (CoP) will demonstrate the dynamically growing international network of the UN-SPIDER programme and the role of its backbone operational platform – the UN-SPIDER Knowledge Portal. As a general framework, the workshop will contribute to the coordination of the various initiatives that are contributing to helping developing countries access and use space-based technologies for disaster management and risk reduction as well as to explore possibilities of capacity development and institutional strengthening.