1. AÏDA - Providing a framework for
objective assessment of ICT for
Disaster Risk Management in Africa
Dr. Norman Kerle
International Institute for Geoinformation Science and Earth
Observation (ITC) (kerle@itc.nl)
AÏDA – Advancing ICT for DRM in Africa
2. Purpose and scope
Overview of the AÏDA project
Purpose of the Conceptual Framework (CF)
Structure & scope
Principal findings
Significance within AIDA & wider utility
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3. Overview of the AÏDA project
Motivation
Disaster occurrence and costs are increasing
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4. Effect especially severe in developing
countries (90% of fatalities)
Hyogo framework for Action is guiding policy
ICT solutions
What is available?
Share information on ICT knowledge and solutions
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5. Why Africa?
2007/2008 UNDP Human Development Report – 35 out
of last 50 countries in Africa
Renewed interest by China and US
EU wants to keep up influence (GMES for Africa), and
stem immigration
Renewed interest in disaster risk management (DRM),
e.g. Hyogo Framework of Action, also touches Africa
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6. Overview of the AÏDA project
Project structure (http://www.aidaonline.info/)
10 partners
2 years
VITO (Belgium, lead), ITC (Netherlands), EUMETSAT
(Germany), NET QI (Switzerland), GEOSAT (France),
Technologies Sans Frontières (Luxemburg), Ardhi
University (Tanzania), Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research (South Africa), Federal University
of Technology, Minna (Nigeria), Institut d’Economie
Rurale du Mali (Mali)
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7. Objectives
Reduce the risk of natural disasters
Improve the capacity to respond to disasters
Bridge the ICT information access gap within
Africa
Promote existing, successful and adequate ICT
solution & share this information
Open up the GEONETCast system for alerting
purposes
Establish a long-term ICT-cooperation with and
within Africa
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8. Project Structure
Regional
First task in
WP1:
Conceptual
Framework
(CF)
National
African Partners
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9. Purpose of the CF
Review relevant disaster risk management (DRM)
concepts and terminology
Establish common language
Review the disaster situation in Africa
Review international policy initiatives in DRM that
affect Africa
Review international ICT efforts
Review African ICT initiatives for DRM
Focus is on continental or regional scale
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10. Structure of CF
1. Objectives and scope of the Conceptual Framework
2. Natural disasters in Africa
3. Disaster management conceptualized
4. The scalability of risk
5. The hazard situation in Africa
6. From hazard to risk
7. Disaster Risk Reduction policies and strategies
8. The role of ICT for DRM in Africa
9. International ICT-based DRM efforts directed towards or including
Africa
10. Tools for information transfer and use – beyond the internet
11. African ICT initiatives
12. Summary
13. Acronym list
14. References
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12. Most rapidly rising population
More elements at risk and pressure on resources
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13. Hazards and disasters show strong regional patterns
Understanding those is the key to risk reduction
The macroscopic hazard picture is well known – but not
well adapted to different hazard aspects
Major hazards at regional and nationals levels are being
well monitored
At sub-national levels far less capacity exists
(infrastructure, skilled personnel, or methods [e.g.
local seismic effects])
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14. Results & observations – Risk
Risk, as defined, is scalable
Fundamentally a social phenomenon
As those are locally defined, risk is inherently local
(as is reducing vulnerability)
In Africa little is known about the actual risk
distribution (as it is also hazard dependent)
Those hazards can also compound each other
Risk should include all vulnerabilities – challenging
existing methods and quantification
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15. Results & observations –
Disaster Risk Management Strategies
Africa is well linked in at broad conceptual levels
African Union has adopted Hyogo Framework
Many countries have developed effective
monitoring, early warning and DRM strategies
Often the most effective solution is not
technological, but community empowerment and a
local champion
Myth that there are no resources for DRM as all is
needed for development and poverty reduction
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16. Results & observations –
ICT solutions
Africa is underconnected in terms of fixed lines and
internet
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17. Results & observations –
ICT solutions
Partly made up by leap-frogging to mobile phones
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18. Results & observations –
ICT solutions
For ICT solutions and data transfer this is impractical
One solution is GEONETCast
Large number of extra-African monitoring exists
(FEWS, windstorms, volcanic hazard, seismic grid)
Africa itself has shown strong technical capacity and
readiness to participate in advanced ICT-based DRM
solutions
4 countries have already operated space technology (Egypt,
Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa)
Missing is ready cross-boundary cooperation and African
concept
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19. seismic Tropical storms
Thermal anomalies
Severe weather
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20. Rainfall and NDVI anomalies
At times modelled
observations - malaria
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21. African solutions
Individual countries have space technology
But also joined projects (e.g. Ocean Data and
Information Network for Africa (ODINAFRICA),
AfricaArray for seismic monitoring, Regional
Subsahara Wildland Fire Network (Afrifirenet)
Also good efforts in ICT capacity building (e.g. African
Centre for Space Science and Technology (CRASTE-LF)
in Morocco, and the anglophone Regional Centre for
Space Science and Technology Education (RECTAS) in
Nigeria, Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for
Development (RCMRD, Kenya), Regional Remote
Sensing Project (RRSU, Botswana).
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22. What is needed is prioritization – do we focus on
statistics of fatalities or affected people?
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23. Further details
All reviewed in detail in the CF
Extensively illustrated
First draft ready, final version by June 2010
Can be requested from the AIDA consortium or
kerle@itc.nl
Meant to
provide a basis for the EU to decide on future funding
Guidance for NGOs and governmental agencies focusing on
DRM in Africa
Science community
African stakeholders to accelerate cooperation and adoption
or what works elsewhere
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