3. Collection and Dissemination of Disaster Information

3-3. Transmitting Space Image of areas affected by
Disaster and Offering Image Analysis Technique3-3-1. Sentinel Asia
(1) Objective
The Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) continues to participate in the Sentinel Asia
project. The project was launched in 2006 with an objective of establishing a disaster risk
management system by making the use of satellite images in Asia. ADRC functions as thefocal point to receive emergency observation request in the framework of the Sentinel Asia.
Upon receiving a request, ADRC decides whether the request is appropriate and whether theemergency observation should be implemented mainly for the assessment of damages andcasualties. Based on its own judgment, ADRC will forward the request to five space agencies,
namely, the ISRO (India), the JAXA (Japan), the GISTDA (Thailand), the KARI (Korea),
NARL (Taiwan), CRISP (Singapore) participating in the Sentinel Asia Project.
In accordance with the Cooperation Agreement between the United Nations Office forOuter Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and ADRC signed on 4 June 2009 on the establishment ofthe ADRC UN-SPIDER Regional Support Office, the ADRC UN-SPIDER Regional Support
Office has been established and operated by ADRC staff members as coordinators of theADRC UN-SPIDER RSO.
Against this backdrop, ADRC should work towards facilitating countries in Asia to haveaccess to and develop the capacity to use space-based information to support the full disastermanagement cycle.

Fig. 3-3-1-1

Flow of emergency observation

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(2)Implementation of Sentinel Asia Step3
A step-by-step approach for the implementation of Sentinel Asia was adopted as follows:
Step1: Implementation of the backbone Sentinel Asia data dissemination system
Step2: Expansion of the dissemination backbone with new satellite communicationsystems
Step3: Establishment of a comprehensive disaster management support system
At APRSAF-19 (Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum, APRSAF) held in Kuala
Lumpur in December 2012, it is declared the successful completion of Sentinel Asia Step2.
Sentinel Asia Step3 has the following concept, based on experiences in Step2 and user
requirements.
- A basic continuation of Step2 activities- Expansion from response (in Step1 and Step2) to cover the mitigation/preparedness andrecovery phases in the disaster management cycle (Fig. 3-3-1-2)- Participation of various satellites: earth observation satellites, communication satellites,and navigation satellites- Further collaboration for operation- Further utilization of human networking through capacity building and outreachFig. 3-3-1-2

Concept of Sentinel Asia Step326

3. Collection and Dissemination of Disaster Information(3)

Emergency Observation Activities for this year
Number of requests is changing from year to year, but the ratio of activated numbers issable and around 80%. Number of requests has been reduced after a peak of 2010-2011. By
ALOS has stopped in May 2011, a laser sensor that can be provided in Sentinel Asia is gone.
It seems that demand for laser data is related. From January to December 2013, twenty
emergency observations were requested, and eighteen undertaken.

Fig. 3-3-1-3

Changes in the number of emergency observation 2007-2013

Looking at the breakdown of type of disaster in 2013, the ratio of flood occupies for morethan half of the total (Fig. 3-3-1-4). In the status implementation of emergency observationfor each country, top five countries (Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, India, and Malaysia)
occupy more half of the total.

Fig. 3-3-1-4

Breakdown by type of disaster (2013)27

3-3-2. Achievements of the Sentinel Asia in the HFA(1) Objective
It has been more than seven years since the Sentinel Asia, an international cooperation
project, began to operate a system in 2007 to provide satellite image data in the event of adisaster in the Asia-Pacific region. Participating disaster management/satellite agencies
requested implementation of this activity a total of 213 times as of the end of March 2015.
Meanwhile, as the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction that succeeds theInternational Decade for National Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) proposed in the 1990s, theHyogo Framework for Action (HFA) adopted in 2005 will serve as action guidelines until
2015. There are about one year left until the end of the HFA implementation. Review of thepast activities based on the HFA and inputting work toward the formulation of a newframework (post-HFA) after 2015 are being performed by domestic and foreign agencies.

(2) Achievements of Sentinel Asia in terms of the HFA
Achievements in the application of space and satellite①technologies concerning Priority for Action 2: “To identify,
assess, and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning.”
Sentinel Asia is currently working to realize effective utilization of earth observation
satellites for regional disaster management using technologies such as remote sensing,Geographical Information System (GIS) and Information Communication Technologies(ICT.)② Achievements in building regional partnership concerning
PriorityforAction

3:“Useknowledge,innovationandeducation.”
Major characteristics of Sentinel Asia scheme are the provision of satellite data bymember space agencies by requests of users (disaster management agencies of theaffected area/country) and the additional value achieved by analyzed products ofrelevant data produced by specialist institutions when needed.
Achievements through application of space and satellite③

technologies in the area concerning knowledge, innovation andeducation as outlined in Priority for Action 3.
In order to continue and strengthen the network among space agencies, specialists anddisaster management agencies, Sentinel Asia has so far carried out a total of nine
operational training sessions inviting total 179 users from relevant fields of relevant
countries.

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3. Collection and Dissemination of Disaster Information④

Implementation as an international agency, provision ofplatform for follow-ups and achievements from the applicationof space & satellite technology“Implementation of follow-up” for international agencies defined in the HFA states:“In close collaboration with existing networks and platforms, cooperate to support
globally consistent data collection and forecasting on natural hazards, vulnerabilities
and risks and disaster impacts at all scales.” With its intended use in disaster risk
reduction, the platform is required to be versatile and rapid. The latter part of the same
section from the HFA states that “these initiatives should include the development ofstandards, the maintenance of databases, the development of indicators and indices,support to early warning systems, the full and open exchange of data and the use of insitu and remotely sensed observations” referring to the use of satellite imageries innetworks and platforms.

(3) Recommendations for Post-HFA
Given the challenges yet to be fulfilled by Sentinel Asia as an international cooperation
project for the HFA, this is one of good practices in Sentinel Asia (see fig. 3-3-2-1 below)
and it makes recommendations such as “Utilization of space and satellite technology formonitoring in all disaster phases” in the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk
Reduction which was held in Sendai in March 2015.

Fig. 3-3-2-1

Product related to wildfire in Kazakhstan (Sep 2008)29