Open Data For Resilience Initiative

"In 2011, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery created the Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI) to help people in vulnerable regions better understand the historical and changing risks they face from natural hazards. OpenDRI is a partnership of governments and international institutions that are building a deeper, collective understanding of risk by sharing information about their hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and risks. OpenDRI offers governments and their partners a process for cataloguing their existing data, engaging at-risk communities in mapping and curating data about their built environment, building partnerships around data. This field guide provides planners and program officers with a map of how to implement the collective effort that is OpenDRI. It is aimed at a person who needs to write a stategic vision, craft a budget, hire personnel, and evaluate the impact of open data. "

This guide offers a comprehensive understanding of the design and implementation of an Open Cities mapping project for both practitioners in the field and those interested in a higher-level understanding of the process. The guideapos;s content is based on experience in implementing the initial Open Cities projects in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka as well as on previous mapping project experience. Where relevant, it provides relevant examples from those projects in the text and full case studies at the end of guide. The Open Cities Project launched its efforts in three cities: Batticaloa, Sri Lanka; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Kathmandu, Nepal. These cities were chosen for: 1) their high levels of disaster risk; 2) the presence of World Bank-lending activities related to urban planning and disaster management that would benefit from access to better data; and 3) the willingness of government counterparts to participate in and help guide the interventions. Chapter 2, quot;Project Design and Preparation,quot; covers how a project design process begins: by identifying partners, clarifying a projectapos;s objectives and scope, assembling a team of managers and mappers, and assessing the necessary resources for mapping. Chapter 3, quot;Getting Started,quot; then describes the steps after the initial planning stage: how to locate an appropriate workspace, assess equipment costs, and prepare staff training. Chapter 4, quot;Implementation and Supervision,quot; takes a practical look at data collection techniques from both the organizational and technical perspectives. It also addresses common challenges and mechanisms for quality control and reporting. Finally, chapter 5 examines the lessons learned from previous Open Cities projects and considers future improvements to the overall project design.

It’s been ten years since open data first broke onto the global stage. Over the past decade, thousands of programmes and projects around the world have worked to open data and use it to address a myriad of social and economic challenges. Meanwhile, issues related to data rights and privacy have moved to the centre of public and political discourse. As the open data movement enters a new phase in its evolution, shifting to target real-world problems and embed open data thinking into other existing or emerging communities of practice, big questions still remain. How will open data initiatives respond to new concerns about privacy, inclusion, and artificial intelligence? And what can we learn from the last decade in order to deliver impact where it is most needed? The State of Open Data brings together over 60 authors from around the world to address these questions and to take stock of the real progress made to date across sectors and around the world, uncovering the issues that will shape the future of open data in the years to come.

Disaster risk management is essential in the fight against poverty. Disasters can, in an instant, wipe out decades of hard-fought poverty reduction and development gains and push countless households into poverty. Disasters disproportionally affect the poor: Vulnerable and marginalized groups, including women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, are at particular risk. East Asia and the Pacific is the most disaster-stricken region in the world, suffering from small recurrent as well as rare high-impact events. East Asia is rapidly urbanizing, and cities are becoming disaster hotspots. Unplanned or poorly planned urbanization, which puts more people and assets in harm’s way, is the single largest driver of disaster risk. There is deep uncertainty about future disaster and climate risks, challenging our ability to adapt to new developments and changing the physical and natural environment. Decision makers can make a significant difference by effectively managing disaster risk and building resilience. With education and communication, preparedness, and investments, urbanization can be channeled as a tremendous positive force for development. By decreasing disaster exposure and vulnerability through systematic assessments and communication of risks, better land-use planning, and many other practical measures, the impacts of natural hazards can be reduced significantly. At the same time, it is necessary to recognize that the risks of disasters cannot be entirely eliminated, and countries need to plan for failure by considering different scenarios, especially within complex systems and networks. Preventive investments in risk reduction and emergency preparedness can be extremely cost-effective and can greatly reduce the impact of natural hazards. Governments can prioritize actions based on informed decisions about the level of risk to reduce the risks from disasters. Public investments, such as early-warning systems, retrofitting of critical infrastructure at risk, and mainstreaming systematic risk assessments into relevant public investment planning processes, can help to reduce poverty and promote sustainable economic growth. The World Bank supports countries around the world in mainstreaming a comprehensive and integrated approach to disaster risk management into development. The World Bank provides analytical and advisory services, helps to build climate and disaster resilience into core investments across sectors, and offers unique financial solutions to better manage the contingent fiscal risks from disasters.

Recent years have witnessed considerable speculation about the potential of open data to bring about wide-scale transformation. The bulk of existing evidence about the impact of open data, however, focuses on high-income countries. Much less is known about open datas role and value in low- and middle-income countries, and more generally about its possible contributions to economic and social development. Open Data for Developing Economies features in-depth case studies on how open data is having an impact across the developing world-from an agriculture initiative in Colombia to data-driven healthcare projects in Uganda and South Africa to crisis response in Nepal. The analysis built on these case studies aims to create actionable intelligence regarding: (a) the conditions under which open data is most (and least) effective in development, presented in the form of a Periodic Table of Open Data; (b) strategies to maximize the positive contributions of open data to development; and (c) the means for limiting open datas harms on developing countries.

The acceptance of volunteered geographic information (VGI) as a valued and useful source of information for governments is growing at all levels. Put simply, VGI is “crowdsourced” geographic information provided by a wide range of participants with varying levels of education, knowledge and skills (see Michael Goodchild’s writing for the original definition of the term). While a growing body of research demonstrates the reliability and accuracy of VGI when compared to official or government produced data sets, the progression towards their adoption and wider use is slow. There are a range of mechanisms and methods available for ensuring that crowdsourced information is fit for purpose so concerns about data quality are not the major reason for the lack of adoption. Instead, organizational practices, regulations and legal issues limit the rate of change. This report is based on a six-month study of the use of VGI by government and aims to provide a guide for the successful implementation of VGI.

The GFDRR 2013 Annual Report showcases the Facility’s work toward its goal of helping over one billion people in 34 developing countries to better cope with and adapt to the effects of natural hazards and climate change. GFDRR provides assistance across five areas: risk identification; risk reduction; disaster preparedness; financial protection for countries and people; and resilient recovery when disaster does strike. In the last year over 80 countries received GFDRR assistance in the form of financial or advisory support.

"Across the globe, a consensus is emerging on the central importance of risk information in disaster risk management. When risks are quantified and the potential impacts of hazards are anticipated, governments, communities, and individuals are able to make more informed decisions. This publication highlights some of the influential efforts—by technical specialists, institutions, and governments around the world—to create and communicate risk information quickly and at low cost, to improve the quality and transparency of risk information, and to enable more local engagement in the production of authoritative risk information than ever before. Case studies spanning 40 countries and contributed by more than 50 institutions showcase emerging best practices, demonstrate how risk assessments are being used to inform disaster risk management and broader development, and highlight lessons learned through these efforts. "

The prevalence of natural disasters in recent years has highlighted the importance of preparing adequately for disasters and dealing efficiently with their consequences. This book addresses how countries can enhance their resilience against natural disasters and move towards economic growth and sustainable development. Covering a wide range of issues, it shows how well thought-out measures can be applied to minimize the impacts of disasters in a variety of situations. Starting with the need for coping with a rapidly changing global environment, the book goes on to demonstrate ways to strengthen awareness of the effectiveness of preventive measures, including in the reconstruction phase. The book also covers the roles played by different actors as well as tools and technologies for improved disaster risk reduction. It focuses on a variety of case studies from across Asia, Africa and Latin America, drawing out lessons that can be applied internationally. This book will be of great interest to professionals in disaster management, including national governments, donors, communities/citizens, NGOs and private sector. It will also be a highly valuable resource for students and researchers in disaster management and policy, development studies and economics.