Eye on Disaster Management

Special Initiative: Eye on Disaster ManagementThe frequency and intensity of natural disasters in recent years have increased significantly, as has the loss of life and property from these events. As such there is a heightened awareness of the need to better anticipate threats and risks, plan more disaster resistant communities and infrastructure, respond more quickly to events, and help communities and ecosystems to recover more effectively.

To facilitate more effective disaster planning and response, climate change adaptation, The Eye on Disaster Management Special Initiative has proposed a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to strengthen existing networks and support Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) capacity building. Special emphasis will be on disaster resistant community development and resiliency in the most vulnerable communities and countries in the world.

This Special Initiative will combine technology and expertise contributions of private sector companies and align this with the strengthening of existing governmental, intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder programs. In addition direct cooperation with international finance, development aid agencies and foundations would also be supposed to assist target countries and communities to develop the human, institutional, and technical frameworks and spatial data infrastructure needed to better plan for and respond to natural disasters. The Special Initiative will look to align and strengthen existing efforts where they current exist, and to establish new programs where they are most needed.

Within the 5 years Eye on Disaster Management aims to:

  • Prepare and disseminate a multi-level "sound practice" framework for an effective information infrastructure with a view to facilitating more effective disaster reduction and recovery;
  • Strengthen the alignment and synergy among existing disaster reduction and recovery information networks around the world. This will include the provision of support for the development of an integrated forum to expand and strengthen networking among the community of practice involved in implementation, the evolution and sharing of experiences regarding such information infrastructure;
  • Implement a public-private partnership framework for strengthening information infrastructure capacity in the most needful and vulnerable communities around the world. The key target is the establishment/strengthening of credible, operational facilities within 20 of the world's poorest countries within 5 years.