** December 2020 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters Occurring in December 2020
2. [Interview] Sentinel Asia’s New Member, United Nations World Food Programme(WFP)
3. Events
4. How to send Emergency Observation Request
5. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters Occurring in December 2020. (as of 21December)(1) Storm NIVAR in India
Cyclone “NIVAR” made landfall in India on 26 November 2020. It was reported that
there was no casualty because of early evacuation. National Remote Sensing
Centre (NRSC) of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) made an Emergency
Observation Request (EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 24 November prior to the landfallof the cyclone. Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency (JAXA), and National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) providedtheir observation data. Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs), ISRO provided theirVAPs. The information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available from thefollowing link.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2020/article20201125IN.html

Satellite image (ALOS-2 PALSAR-2,) before/after the event provided by JAXA

Product by ISRO
(2) Storm in Sri Lanka
Storm named “BUREVI” occurred in Sri Lanka on 2 December 2020. The storm
intensified and was very likely to cross Sri Lanka, especially in the Eastern,Northern, Northern-central, North-western, Central, and Sabaragamuwa
provinces.
Ministry of Disaster Management of Sri Lanka made an EOR to Sentinel Asia forthis disaster on 2 December. Among DPNs, ISRO and JAXA provided theirobservation data. Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs), Asian Institute ofTechnology (AIT) and NARL provided their VAPs. The information on the latest
response by Sentinel Asia is available from the following link.
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2020/article20201202LK.html

Satellite image (IRS-R2 AW) after the event provided by NARL

Product by AIT- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. [Interview]
United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the newest member of Sentinel Asia. They havealready provided their support for Sentinel Asia as a Data Analysis Node, or DAN, for the Emergency
Observation Request (EOR) for the flood in Cambodia in October 2020. They are also a Nobel Peace
Prize laureate 2020. Sentinel Asia secretariat had an opportunity to interview them to introducethis new member.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
WFP joined Sentinel Asia as a Data Analysis Node in September 2020. Please tell us what
motivated WFP to join Sentinel Asia.

WFP
WFP is motivated to join Sentinel Asia for many reasons. Our primary goal is to extend WFP’s
network and partnership with the space-based organization to provide analytics and geospatial
products to support WFP operations in Asia.
Sentinel Asia is a vital resource for us because most of the most vulnerable countries to climate
and weather-related shocks are in the region and WFP has an extensive presence in Asia. Infact, WFP highly appreciates Sentinel Asia by utilizing a vast network to provide satellite
images from member states and organizations. Having access to this excellent network allows
WFP to extend our geospatial capabilities in providing geospatial support to the region.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Could you tell us the mission of WFP as a whole and the WFP Emergency Division (EMEG),
respectively?

WFP
The overall mission of WFP is to eradicate hunger and malnutrition worldwide. Every day, WFPand its partners work to bring us closer to a “zero hunger” world. Meanwhile, our complimentary
programmes address the root cause of hunger, building the resilience of communities, so wedon’t need to keep saving the same lives each year.
The role of the Emergency Operations Division (EMEG) is to convene and steer WFP in
emergency operations. Our main goal is to support WFP operations across functions at theregional and country level. We ensure WFP has a skilled emergency workforce ready to deploy,
and we work with the humanitarian community and key actors to identify places and people inmost need, using innovative methods, including geospatial technology.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
How does satellite data contribute to the WFP EMEG’s missions? It would be helpful andmotivating for Sentinel Asia members if you could give us some specific examples of use.

WFP
Satellite data has been very instrumental to WFP’s operation in many ways by allowing theorganization to see the bigger picture during an emergency. Not only it allows WFP to see thedisaster itself, but it also allows WFP to understand the local condition on the ground for better
preparedness and planning. We use satellite data to: assess impact of disasters during floods,

earthquakes, and conflict, to correlate food security condition on the ground on social andenvironmental conditions, we use satellite imagery to visualize conflict areas, understandcropping pattern for livelihood assessment and ultimately for damage assessment andmonitoring in an event of Emergency Data derived from satellite images when added to otherreference geospatial data provides substantial information to the colleagues on the ground in aform of maps, web maps, mobile applications, dashboards, analytics and automated system
critical for emergency preparedness and response.

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Speaking of your activities, the Nobel Peace Award 2020 has been awarded to WFP. The Sentinel
Asia community heartily expresses congratulations to WFP. Could you tell us which activitiesof yours do you think were recognized?

WFP
The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the United Nations World Food Programme isrecognition of the important link between conflict and hunger and the critical role that foodassistance plays in supporting the first step towards peace and stability. To name an example ofWFP’s activities, with the Emergency Operations Division’s crucial support, under the COVID19 surge, in order to meet the increased operational needs while also supporting thehumanitarian and health community, WFP deployed over 500 staff to 71 different countries
despite all the travel restrictions in place.
I think that WFP is an incredibly special place to work with and the Nobel Prize has been very
well received, and we are immensely proud of, but it was completely unexpected. The main
reason of this award was our role of food assistance to build peace and stability.
Also, the way to the Nobel prize was connected to what we are doing as always – it is “bridging
gaps related with food supply”. If there is a conflict, people cannot access to food, so we have tosolve it by using food assistance. The logistic people always say, “It is not the problem of food,but it is about the problem of bringing the food.”

Sentinel Asia Secretariat
In this regard, in the context of the Sentinel Asia activity, right after you joined Sentinel Asia,
you supported the EOR for the flood in Cambodia in October, which had caused a potential
threat for agriculture and food supply. You have generated and provided a product, for which weare grateful. Could you share with us WFP’s aspirations for the future activities in Sentinel
Asia?

WFP
WFP aspires to continue to contribute to Sentinel Asia's purpose while sustaining our missionof eradicating hunger. Partnership and collaboration are primary WFP’s strengths, as they allow

us to bridge the gap between science and product operationalization from research, technology,and innovation.

The first product provided to Sentinel Asia by WFP- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. [Events]
Upcoming Events:-The 8th Joint Project Team Meeting (JPTM) (Date and Place: TBC)
JPTM originally planned for the period late 2020 – early 2021 will not take place dueto the COVID-19 pandemic. In lieu of the conventional member organizations’ session
during the JPTM, all JPT members are invited to present their activities of 2019 in
the Sentinel Asia Annual Report 2019. JPT members who would like their activities tobe included in the Annual Report 2019 are requested to submit their article by 17
January 2021. For any questions including the detailed information, please contact
the Annual Report Secretariat at mi-ikeda(at)adrc.asia and ms-sugiura(at)adrc.asia.
-Tsunami Online Seminar by ADRC
・ Reported by Kobe University (26 Jan 2021, 15:00-16:00, GMT+9)
https://www.adrc.asia/acdr/2020tsunami.php?fbclid=IwAR0eg5hcG_nC_X7pqcbcVf2AR
uryHYACWrxvbDmWehohA2kcPY29woHmHZk- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *4. How to send Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send Emergency Observation Request(EOR) for disasters in the Asia-Pacific region.
Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html

EOR Order Desk:
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC)
HP: http://www.adrc.asia/
E-mail: sarequest@adrc.asia
FAX: +81-78-262-5546,
TEL: +81-78-262-5540- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *5. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMISThe Sentinel Asia launched new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to thewebsite how to create the account of OPTEMIS. https://sentinel-asia.org/elearning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+==
Copyright 2020 the Sentinel Asia Secretariat
Sentinel Asia Project OfficeSatellite Applications and Operations Center (SAOC)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
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E-mail: Z-SENTINEL.ASIA@ml.jaxa.jp
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