** July 2021 News from Sentinel Asia Project Office **- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *Topics:
1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters
2. [Interview] Mr. Hans Guttman, Executive Director of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center(ADPC)
3. [Event] Sentinel Asia Webinar on Drought Risk Management hosted by ISRO and IWMI
4. How to Send an Emergency Observation Request
5. Using Sentinel Asia Operation System, OPTEMIS- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *1. [News] Emergency Observation of Disasters (as of 29 July)(1) Earthquake in Tajikistan (GLIDE Number: EQ-2021-000081-TJK)
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 27 km east of the Rasht district in Tajikistan on 10 July
2021. Al Jazeera reported that at least five people have died, according to authorities in themountainous country. (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/10/at-least-five-killed-intajikistan-quake)
The Central Asian Institute of Applied Geosciences (CAIAG) made an Emergency Observation
Request (EOR) to Sentinel Asia on 14 July. Among Data Provider Nodes (DPNs), the IndianSpace Research Organization (ISRO) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
provided their observation data. Among Data Analysis Nodes (DANs), the Asian Institute ofTechnology (AIT) provided their Value Added Products (VAPs). Information on the latest
response by Sentinel Asia is available from the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20210707TJ.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Value Added Product by AIT(2) Flood in Kyrgyzstan (GLIDE Number: MS-2021-000082-KGZ)
A flood occurred in Kyrgyzstan on 12 July 2021. According to the FloodList, floods andmudslides caused by heavy rains swept away houses in two villages in the Aksy district inJalal-Abad Region of western Kyrgyzstan, close to the border with Uzbekistan. At least sevenpeople have died as a result. (https://floodlist.com/asia/kyrgyzstan-uzbekistan-floods-july2021)
CAIAG made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 14 July. Among DPNs, ISRO provided observation
data. In addition, the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA)
planned to provide data. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available fromthe following link:https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20210712KG.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO
(3) Flood in Uzbekistan (GLIDE Number: MS-2021-000082-UZB)
A flood occurred in Uzbekistan on 13 July. The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the
Republic of Uzbekistan reported that the mudslide and floods flowed from neighboring
Kyrgyzstan and into the Kosonsoy district of Namangan region of Uzbekistan, causing severe
damage. As of 13 July, eight people had died and six were injured.
(https://floodlist.com/asia/kyrgyzstan-uzbekistan-floods-july-2021)
CAIAG made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 14 July. Among DPNs, ISRO, JAXA, GISTDA, andNational Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) provided observation data. Among Data
Analysis Nodes (DANs), AIT provided their VAP. Information on the latest response by
Sentinel Asia is available from the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20210713UZ.html

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO

Satellite image (ALOS-2) provided by JAXA

Satellite image (FORMOSAT-5) provided by NARL

Satellite image (THEOS1) provided by GISTDA

Value Added Product by AIT(4) Flood and Mudflow in Kyrgyzstan (GLIDE Number: FF-2021-000087-KGZ)
A flood occurred in Suzak district Jalal-Abad region in Kyrgyzstan in 20 July and caused
mudflow in Changyr-Tash and Dostuk villages.
(https://akipress.com/news:660784:6yo_girl_killed_by_mudflow_in_Jalal-Abad_region/)
CAIAG made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 22 July. Among DPNs, ISRO and GISTDA provided
observation data. In addition, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) planned toprovide data. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available from thefollowing link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20210720KG.html

Satellite image (THEOS1) provided by GISTDA

Satellite image (Resourcesat-2) provided by ISRO
(5) Typhoon Fabian in Philippines (GLIDE Number: FL-2021-000091-PHL)
Typhoon Fabian (In-fa) hit the Philippines and caused heavy rain.
(https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/24/tropical-cyclone-fabian-tracker/)
The Manila Observatory (MO) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 25 July. Among DPNs,
GISTDA provided observation data. In Addition, NARL planned to provide the data.
Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available from the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20210725PH.html

Satellite image (THEOS1) provided by GISTDA(6) Flood in Myanmar (GLIDE Number: FL-2021-000095-MMR)
A flood occurred in Myanmar on 26 July. The Radio Free Asia reported that heavy rains
battered the southern states of Kayin and Mon and Tanintharyi region beginning on 25 July,impacting as many as 3,000 people. More than 100 people in Kayin’s Hlaingbwe had to be
evacuated, according to a relief official from the area.
( https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/flooding-07262021205343.html)
The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA
Centre) made an EOR to Sentinel Asia on 27 July. Among DPNs, NARL planned to provide thedata. Information on the latest response by Sentinel Asia is available from the following link:
https://sentinel-asia.org/EO/2021/article20210727MM.html- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *2. [Interview] Mr. Hans Guttman, Executive Director of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center(ADPC)The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) is an autonomous international organizationthat works to build the resilience of people and institutions to disasters and the impacts of climatechange in Asia and the Pacific. Established in 1986, it provides comprehensive technical services
across social and physical sciences to countries in the region to support sustainable solutions forrisk reduction and climate resilience.
Since joining in 2014, ADPC has also been an active member of Sentinel Asia. ADPC has
supported the disaster management activities of the Sentinel Asia community, and notably coorganized and hosted the last Joint Project Team Meeting in 2019. The Sentinel Asia Secretariat
interviewed Mr. Hans Guttman, the executive director of ADPC.
------------------------------------(Sentinel Asia Secretariat)
We would like to ask you to introduce ADPC’s mission. We understand that ADPC defines its
vision as “Safer communities and sustainable development through disaster risk reduction.”(Mr. Hans Guttman)
Speaking more specifically, the ADPC Mission is that “ADPC is the premier internationalorganization for cooperation in and implementation of disaster risk reduction and building climate
resilience in Asia and the Pacific.” This underscores the role of ADPC through its international
charter to support disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate resilience (CR) actions throughout Asiaand the Pacific. For the past three decades, ADPC has provided support to actors in Asia and thePacific to reduce the impact of and increase the ability to respond to disasters. ADPC is also
committed to continuing to contribute to DRR and CR at the global level with other international
partners. I think it is important to recognize from our side at least that international cooperation andpartnerships form the basis for achieving our mission.
(Sentinel Asia Secretariat)
Could you tell us what motivation you had when you joined Sentinel Asia and what it has been liketo work in the Sentinel Asia community since then?
(Mr. Hans Guttman)
ADPC joined Sentinel Asia in 2014. The timing of our joining Sentinel Asia was when ADPC
significantly enhanced its satellite data processing capacity through our Geospatial Information
Department. By combining that satellite data processing capacity with ADPC’s knowledge on
disaster risk management and the connections with mandated national disaster management
agencies, ADPC was in a very good position to contribute to the Sentinel Asia community in asignificant way. Since then, ADPC has been actively participating in meetings and contributing to
the Sentinel Asia community. For example, as one of Sentinel Asia Data Analysis Nodes (DAN),ADPC provided technical support in analyzing remotely sensed data for the dam-break flooding in
Lao PDR in 2018, as well as several more floods in Myanmar in 2019. The analyses were done incollaboration not only with Sentinel Asia partners, but also with NASA and others. More
importantly, through ADPC’s connection with the National Disaster Management Office of Lao
PDR, we were able to confirm that the maps provided to them by Sentinel Asia were used for therelief efforts. Another contribution to the Sentinel Asia community was ADPC hosting the 7th Joint
Project Team Meeting for Sentinel Asia (JPTM 2019) in Bangkok, together with JAXA – for which
we received very positive feedback from Sentinel Asia members. ADPC looks forward tocontinuing to play a very active role in the Sentinel Asia community.
(Sentinel Asia Secretariat)
We are convinced ADPC’s contribution to Sentinel Asia at JPTM 2019 was immense. In particular,
the training workshop hosted by ADPC was quite effective. It was the first such endeavor in
Sentinel Asia’s history in which JPT members mutually trained JPT members with their own
strengths and expertise. The successful outcomes, thanks to the training workshop, include an
upgraded DAN membership (in the case of the Myanmar Information Management Unit, MIMU)
and opportune Emergency Observation Requests (EORs) from several JPT members who had
previously been unable to make requests. Could you recall the event yourself and share yourthoughts about it with us?
(Mr. Hans Guttman)
As mentioned earlier, the Joint Project Team Meeting in 2019 in Bangkok was successful – and I
would add that this was supported by JAXA to a large degree as co-organizer. It provided an
opportunity for the members to discuss country-level progress on the use of satellite data fordisaster response. We saw the best practices from member countries as well as other experts such as
the Earth Observatory of Singapore. We also were made aware of a tool developed by Thailand’s
Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) for Sentinel Asia.
I think it is important to note that despite the successes in many countries, the JPT meeting also
revealed the need for several Sentinel Asia members to enhance their capacities in order to reap thefull benefit of the satellite data that the Sentinel Asia community can provide. There remains a gap
between data providers such as space agencies and the disaster practitioners in countries.

It is clear to ADPC that we have a role in addressing this gap, given that ADPC has a great
understanding of both the data providers and the disaster management users. ADPC is committed inworking with Sentinel Asia to close this gap for countries in Asia and the Pacific.
(Sentinel Asia Secretariat)
You have mentioned the need to enhance capacity despite the previous successes in the Sentinel
Asia community and the need to continue our efforts to close the gap to enable Sentinel Asia
colleagues to make full use of space-based technology. Our Sentinel Asia colleagues, the IndianSpace Research Organization (ISRO) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
have volunteered to jointly organize a dedicated capacity-building webinar session on space-based
drought monitoring for the benefit of SA, which will be happening in two weeks*. This is actuallysomething inspired by the last training workshop in 2019 hosted by ADPC.
*Note: Thanks to ISRO and IWMI, this webinar was held successfully on 19 and 20 July, attended
by many JPT members.
(Mr. Hans Guttman)That is very good to hear and very encouraging. Hopefully, we can see additional initiatives of asimilar nature as we are moving forward, and ADPC will be happy to contribute to such initiatives.
Perhaps the gap in the provision of information and tools, as well as the actual appearance of it, isan area that ADPC sees as one that needs to be addressed in order to fully leverage the capacities
that now exists in remote sensing data, specifically satellite information. This is nothing new. We
work closely with you and UNESCAP and their center on disaster information and they haveidentified a similar thing across the board of information. As I mentioned, disaster management
agencies sometimes are not aware of what can be done and how it can be done, or that they do nothave the capacity. So I think it is great to hear that this partner learning is expanding within them. I
also think that ADPC would be keen to assist in ensuring that this level of capacity is increased.
Then, people at the country level or even at the local level will be more capable and be technicalable to use the information. But there is also another route by which we are looking at providing
tools to assist users, that is pre-processing that they still have to ultimately modify the information.
It is useful to have specific purposes, but lowering the threshold of technical competence in order tobe able to do so is also important. I think those two elements need to be merged in order to fully
appreciate these applications.
(Sentinel Asia Secretariat)
In terms of ADPC’s contribution, at the operational level, ADPC has been also supporting
Emergency Observation Requests – whether as a DAN member or as a requestor on behalf of JPT
members significantly. In the newly established “Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for making
Emergency Observation Requests (EORs) concerning disasters in Thailand,” ADPC is officiallydesignated as a member supporting disasters in Thailand. Could you elaborate on your activities inthis respect?
(Mr. Hans Guttman)
I think we have to recognize that Thailand is uniquely positioned to demonstrate the success ofusing satellite data to support disaster management. Thailand has its own satellites operated by
GISTDA and is highly capable of analyzing and providing data to support emergency response andrelief. But more importantly, Thailand is also ready to take a lead in helping other countries toenhance their capacity through the Sentinel Asia community. ADPC is an autonomous internationalorganization officially hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. Thailand is also afounding member of ADPC, and ADPC is mandated to provide technical support to Thailand andother members. ADPC works closely with Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention andMitigation (DDPM). But despite all the advancements made by DDPM, it needs to increase the useof technology such as satellite data to assist their disaster management planning and response.
Through the SOPs for making EORs for Thailand, ADPC will work with JAXA and the Sentinel
Asia Secretariat to make the connection between GISTDA and DDPM even stronger and will
demonstrate the successes of the SOPs in future meetings of Sentinel Asia’s JPT Meeting. In thiscontext, we aim to replicate the success in other countries.
(Sentinel Asia Secretariat)
As we have just heard from you, you have provided great support to Sentinel Asia. Now, from yourside, what do you expect in terms of Earth observation using space technologies for Disaster Risk
Reduction, especially with respect to Sentinel Asia?
(Mr. Hans Guttman)
Satellite-derived information is becoming more available to users. For ADPC, it is important thatthe uses of such technology can support countries to strategically implement global frameworks
such as the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction. Satellite-based data will continue to generate evidence-based information that will
supplement data collected on the ground that will support decision making. ADPC expects that, as
the technology continues to advance, satellite-based data will become close to being real-time while
gaining higher resolution and better remote observation accuracy. These are important elements tofinding new applications, enhancing the current use and building the confidence of users such as
national disaster management organizations. ADPC also expects that the capacity of countries to use
such satellite-based data will not stop at the national level. It is prudent that local authorities, oreven people in communities, have access to the same information and also have the capacity toprocess and use the information, preferably in an assisted way. They are the front-line team whowill be faced with disaster situations and need accurate and timely data in order to make informed
decisions to save lives. With this vision, it is critical that the Sentinel Asia community addresses thecapacity gap observed in the disaster management community. Many developing countries do nothave the capacity to access, analyze and use satellite-derived data. Through the long-standing
framework of the Sentinel Asia Initiative, ADPC and its partners could bring together space
agencies, national and local disaster management organizations to address these challenges(Sentinel Asia Secretariat)
Speaking of challenges, the world – including the entire Sentinel Asia community – has been facing
the COVID-19 pandemic. How are you trying to maintain ADPC’s contributions to disastermonitoring while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to constrain activities?
(Mr. Hans Guttman)
Firstly, we have to recognize COVID-19 itself is a huge disaster. It is true that the COVID-19
pandemic has disrupted in-person interaction between teams and between countries, even withincountries, but it further highlights the need by users to be able to gain insights on disasters remotely,
without having to visit the places affected by the disasters. Satellite data suits this need perfectly.
ADPC continues to monitor disasters such as floods, droughts, and tropical storms through remotelysensed data and hydro-meteorological models. Our disaster data has been used by international
partners such as the Mekong River Commission and the United Nations World Food Programme.
We are not a mandated organization, but we do provide supplementary support or direct support
when requested. Even in the COVID-19 situation, ADPC maintains its connection with national
governments through its country offices and country representatives. You can see our staff presencein Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Cambodia, thePhilippines, Indonesia, and Thailand and they support the governments and other actors wheneverthere are disasters in the countries, in which they have been quite successful and have made online
interactions from Bangkok and other places.
(Sentinel Asia Secretariat)
We see that ADPC has an extensive network and connections with disaster management
organizations, which we believe have contributed to your extensive support. Having been engaged
in Sentinel Asia activities yourself, have you found anything to feed back to the space communityand could you tell us what you would like to contribute to Sentinel Asia’s activities in the future?
(Mr. Hans Guttman)
Disaster management aims to lessen the impact of disasters, minimizing losses of life and property
damage. Although satellite-based technologies have proven to be a useful tool in supporting disastermanagement, the capacity to fully benefit from such data has been lacking from the disastermanagement side in many countries in Asia. ADPC offers to be a conduit between the satellite data
providers and the disaster management organizations. The satellite data providers and the Data
Analysis Nodes of Sentinel Asia need to provide action-ready information such as flood extent
maps that are clearly labeled. At the same time, ADPC can help disaster management organizations
enhance their technical capacity to interpret and make good use of the maps, while improving theawareness of decision makers. ADPC thinks that we are well suited to work with Sentinel Asia tobring the data providers and the disaster management organizations closer to each other so they areable to reap the benefits of this technology.
ADPC will continue to provide our technical contribution as an active Data Analysis Node (DAN),
and we would like to work with Sentinel Asia and some members of Sentinel Asia to develop
demonstration projects with external funding. The demonstration project will serve as a platform on
how a country can maximize uses of the Sentinel Asia mechanism and sustain the capacity to use
the mechanism in the long term. ADPC would like to showcase such a project to other members of
Sentinel Asia during a future JPT meeting. We hope for full support from Sentinel Asia indeveloping and implementing such demonstration projects.
- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *- * - * - * - * - * - *3. [Event] Sentinel Asia Webinar on Drought Risk Management hosted by ISRO and IWMI
The Sentinel Asia Webinar “Space Technology for Drought Risk Management” was held on 19 and
20 July 2021. The webinar was co-organized by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) as part of Sentinel Asia activities. This
webinar brought together around 50 experts and practitioners from the community and addressed,
among other things, theories of drought risk management, the introduction and demonstration ofdrought management platforms, presentations by participants. In addition, the participants had aninteractive open discussion on regional cooperation mechanism for drought management and theway forward. Capacity-building events of this kind in which Sentinel Asia members mutually help
build capacity with their respective experience and expertise were first organized by ADPC andJAXA as part of the Joint Project Team Meeting (JPTM) in Bangkok in 2019, and this time ISROand IWMI jointly took the lead to expand the concept further for the benefit of Sentinel Asia
members. The Sentinel Asia community will continue to support and foster mutual capacitybuilding among members through cooperation.
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4. How to send an Emergency Observation Request
JPT member organizations are entitled to send an Emergency Observation Request (EOR) for
disasters in the Asia-Pacific region.
Please refer to https://sentinel-asia.org/e-learning/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, OPTEMIS
Sentinel Asia launched a new operation system, OPTEMIS. Please refer to the website on how tocreate an account for OPTEMIS.
https://sentinel-asia.org/e-learning/Emergency_Observation_Request.html+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+===+=
Copyright 2021 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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