# Presentation: 797448

## Geospatial Information Needs

**A Disaster Management Perspective**
***Prepared by Liz Riley, CDERA ***
***for the Meso-American & Caribbean Geospatial Alliance (MACGA) Planning Meeting***
***May 27 – 28, 2004***

## Briefing Agenda

**Hazards affecting CDERA PS**
**Disaster – Development Linkage**
**Survey on HM, VA & Digital Map Information – Identification of needs**
**The Way Forward**

**Briefing Agenda**

## Hazard Impacts

**Jamaica: Hurricane Gilbert 1988 – losses = 65% of GDP**
**Montserrat – Volcanic Activity resulted in major disruption to economic activity**
**Jamaica Floods 2001 – 13 communities isolated for an extensive period**

## 1.	

**Clarendon Jamaica Flood Event May 2002**
**(Acknowledgement JDF)**

**Experiences**

## 1.	

**Clarendon Jamaica Flood Event May 2002**
**(Acknowledgement JDF)**

**Experiences**

## Tropical Storms & Hurricanes

**Potential increase in frequency and severity**
**	****	**
**2. Flooding**
**Increased frequency and intensity of inland flooding events**

**Potential Implications of Climate Change**

## Comprehensive Disaster Management CDM: A framework for moving forward

**Goal - Sustainable Development **
**All phases of the disaster management cycle considered**
**Management of hazards and hazard information integrated into development planning and the planning process**
**Multi-sectoral approach built on partnerships with stakeholders **
**Building a culture of safety**

## Comprehensive Disaster Management CDM: A framework for moving forward

**Comprehensive Disaster Management CDM: A framework for moving forward**

***IR 4 Preparedness, response and mitigation capability is enhanced and integrated***
***IR 5 – Hazard information is incorporated into development planning and decision making***

## Comprehensive Disaster Management CDM: A framework for moving forward

**Comprehensive Disaster Management CDM: A framework for moving forward**

**IR 5 Objectives**
**Physical planning includes consideration of hazard and vulnerability information**
**Policy and decision makers are well informed about CDM and its implications for economic growth and political stability**

## Benefits of Geospatial Information 

**Benefits of Geospatial Information**** **

## Geospatial Information & Risk Assessment

**Hazard Assessment: Identification and profiling of hazards**
**Inventory assets: Identification of vulnerable elements**
**Estimate losses**

**Geospatial Information & Risk Assessment**

## Elevation/contour; land use; hydrology; soils; geology; vegetation; infrastructure including rods and buildings 

**Digital data should be evaluated for currency and accuracy prior to use for HMVA**

**Digital Map Information critical to HMVA**

## Survey on HM, VA & Digital Map Information, August – October 2003

**Consultants: UWI Trinidad and Tobago – Center for Geospatial Studies**
**Technical Supervision/Input: CDERA; OAS; CDB**
**Scope**
**16 CDERA Participating States &**
**Haiti, Suriname, Martinique, Puerto Rico**

**Survey on HM, VA & Digital Map Information,**** August – October 2003**

## Research Format

**3 Sections – Hazard Mapping; Vulnerability Assessment; Digital Map Data**
**Hazard Maps - type of hazard, location; format; mode of dissemination; geographical scope; method of preparation; users & uses**
** ****Information on use for Community Disaster Management**
**Vulnerability Assessment – type; vulnerable elements assessed; **
**Digital Map Information – data themes; scale; geographical scope; datum projection etc**

**Research Format**

## Survey Outputs

**Database of regional hazard mapping,     vulnerability ****	****assessment and digital map ****	****information **
**Final Report – Analysis of ****	****findings, best practices and key ****	****issues and recommendations ****	****March 2004**

**Survey Outputs**

## Some Key Survey Findings – Hazard Maps

**Digital and hard copy formats**
**Number of deficiencies – various methodologies – some limiting; limited input data; date**
**Limited dissemination of outputs**

**Some Key Survey Findings – Hazard Maps**

## Some Key Survey Findings – Digital Maps

**Challenges for management – quality control & assurance, maintenance of metadata, dissemination (policy?) and update**
**Absence of national data clearing houses**
**Full use of digital methodology in Puerto Rico and Martinique (best practice)**
**	****Digital maps in existence provide the basis of the spatial infrastructure required to increase the digital approach to production of hazard maps ...**

**Some Key Survey Findings – Digital Maps**

## Table 5.1

** **
**Number of Agencies with GIS Data**

| Country/Territory | Number of Agencies |
| --- | --- |
| Anguilla  | 2 |
| Antigua and Barbuda  | 4 |
| Barbados1 | 8 |
| Belize1 | 3 |
| Dominica1 | 1 |
| Grenada  | 1 |
| Guyana1 | 5 |
| Haiti1 | 1 |
| Jamaica | 20 |
| Martinique  | 1 |
| Montserrat  | 4 |
| Puerto Rico  | 10 |
| St. Kitts and Nevis  | 3 |
| Saint Lucia  | 4 |
| St. Vincent & the Grenadines | 1 |
| Suriname  | 5 |
| The Bahamas1 | 1 |
| The British Virgin Islands1 | 3 |
| Trinidad & Tobago1 | 6 |
| Turks & Caicos Islands | 5 |

- Note 1: These countries have a central agency with active responsibility of generating national digital maps

## Current Initiatives

***The development and implementation of safer building training and certificate programmes ***
***The development of comprehensive hazard mitigation planning frameworks – In Collaboration with the Caribbean Development Bank Mitigation Facility for the Caribbean (CDB-DMFC)***

**Current Initiatives**

## Caribbean Disaster Management Project – CADM

**goal of this project is to mitigate damages in CDERA member states particularly for the flood hazard**
**train through model works, professionals for hazard mapping and disaster management planning in CDERA and equip them to prepare hazard maps and disaster management plans for hazard vulnerable areas in the CDERA community.**

**Current Initiatives**

## PILOT AREAS

**Caribbean Disaster Management Project(CADM)**

**PILOT AREAS**

**Barbados: Speightstown**

## PILOT AREAS

**Caribbean Disaster Management Project(CADM)**

**PILOT AREAS**

**St. Vincent: Marriaqua**

## PILOT AREAS

**Caribbean Disaster Management Project(CADM)**

**PILOT AREAS**

**Trinidad: San Juan**

## Way Forward – Where do we need to go?

**Way Forward – Where do we need to go?**

***Support the development of hazard maps in CDERA PS***
***Institutionalized within the CDM framework utilizing the existing regional centers of expertise***
***Common digital platform as basis for HMVA ***
***National clearing houses for digital data – to address data collection and sharing & quality issues***

## Way Forward – Where do we need to go?

**Way Forward – Where do we need to go?**

***Support the development of hazard maps in CDERA PS***
***Prioritization of hazards for mapping at the national level for all countries***
***Standardized methodologies & metadata for disaster information****** ***
***Involvement of communities in hazard mapping process (ground truthing)***
***Updating of maps based on increasing data availability***
***Wide dissemination of hazard mapping products***

## Way Forward – Where do we need to go?

**Way Forward – Where do we need to go?**

***Support the integration of hazard maps in ***_***hazard mitigation planning***_*** within CDERA Participating States ***
***Development planning ***
***Land use planning***
***Community disaster planning ***
***Legal mandates***
***Information sharing and education; dissemination of mapping products, training in interpretation***

## Way Forward – Where do we need to go?

**Way Forward – Where do we need to go?**

***Support the use of the hazard maps in broad preparedness and response ***
***Evacuation planning***
***Early Warning Systems***
***Support the use of hazard mapping products in vulnerability & risk assessment***
***National Disaster Offices to be fully involved in HMVA studies undertaken in countries.***

## Way Forward – How do we get there?

**Way Forward – How do we get there?**

***Demonstrated commitment at the national level to disaster loss reduction:  National Hazard Mitigation Policies; building code implementation***
***Integration of hazard maps and vulnerability assessment products into the development planning process ***
***Promotion and support for a national uniform digital mapping environment as the way forward***

## Way Forward – How do we get there?

**Way Forward – How do we get there?**

***Inter-regional and intra-regional cooperation – documentation and sharing of experiences***
***Resources - Continued support from the international community, financial resources, technology transfer***
***Capacity building at regional, sub-regional levels as appropriate***
***Use of international fora eg. World Conference on Disaster Reduction to set concrete targets and garner continued donor support***

## Thank you!