Description

According to a UN report (PDF, 3.7 MB), between 1998 and 2017 the U.S. alone lost $944.8 billion USD from disasters. Between 1978 and 2017, losses from extreme weather events rose by 251 percent. It is critical to develop disaster management strategies to reduce and mitigate disaster risks. A major factor in regional risk assessment is evaluating the vulnerability of lives and property to disasters. Environmental information about disasters, their spatial impact, and their temporal evolution can play an important role as well.

This training series hosted by NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) focuses on Earth observation (EO) data useful for disaster risk assessment. The series covers disasters including tropical cyclones, flooding, wildfires, and heat stress. The training also covers access of socioeconomic and disaster damage data. Sessions 3 and 4 cover case studies and operational applications of EO for disaster risk assessment.

Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goal: Target 13.1: Strength, resilience, and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and disasters in all countries.

Prerequisites

• Fundamentals of Remote Sensing
• Remote Sensing for Disasters Scenarios

Objectives

By the end of this training, attendees will: 

• Learn about available NASA remote sensing and socioeconomic data and how to combine them for assessing risk
• Understand how to apply these data for assessing risk from floods and tropical cyclones in specific regions
• Learn how operational agencies are using NASA data for risk management

Target Audience

The audience for this training are local, regional, state, federal, and international entities, including public and private sector organizations, engaged in disaster management, emergency responders, urban and infrastructure planners.

Course Format

• Four 2-hour parts

Sessions

Part 1: NASA Remote Sensing and Socioeconomic Data for Disaster Risk Assessment

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019

In this part, attendees will learn basic concepts and definitions in disaster risk management. Attendees will also learn about the types of satellites and socioeconomic data available through NASA for disaster risk management. 

Materials

• Part 1 Presentation Slides: Introduction (PDF, 2.7 MB)
• Part 1 Presentation Slides: SEDAC (PDF, 3.6 MB)
• Part 1 Q&A Transcript (PDF, 0.2 MB)

Part 2: Assessing the Risk of Floods and Cyclones Using NASA Data

Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019

In this part, attendees will learn a methodology for analyzing remote sensing and socioeconomic data to assess flood and cyclone risk. Examples will be shown for an urban area (Houston, TX, USA) and a country (Mozambique). These case studies will use both historical and forecast data.

Materials

• Part 2 Presentation Slides (PDF, 1.5 MB)
• Part 2 Q&A Transcript (PDF, 0.2 MB)

Homework

• Part 2 Homework

Part 3: Part Three: Disaster Risk Assessment Case Studies Using Remote Sensing Data

Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019

This part will cover two case studies for using remote sensing data. One on how New York state is using NASA data for heat wave risk assessment, another on the freely available online tools from the World Resources Institute for visualizing NASA remote sensing and socioeconomic data. 

Materials

• Part 3 Presentation Slides: New York State Dept. of Health (PDF, 5.0 MB)
• Part 3 Presentation Slides: World Resources Institute (PDF, 8.7 MB)
• Part 3 Q&A Transcript (PDF, 0.2 MB)

Part 4: Operational Application of Remote Sensing for Disaster Management

Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019

In this part, the Pacific Disaster Center will describe the data, applications, and strategies they use for disaster risk reduction, response, and relief operations.

Materials

• Part 4 Presentation Slides: Introduction (PDF, 0.9 MB)
• Part 4 Presentation Slides: Pacific Disaster Center (PDF, 5.0 MB)
• Part 4 Q&A Transcript (PDF, 0.1 MB)

Homework

• Part 4 Homework