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In partnership with 

Khaled MASHFIQKhaled.MASHFIQ@unitar.org

From Imagery to ImpactUNOSAT – ESCAP Partnership in support to RESAP

UNCC, ThailandOctober 2017

The 21st Session of the Intergovernmental Consultative Committee (ICC) on the Regional Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development (RESAP)

10 Oct 2017

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UNITAR

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a principal training armof the United Nations, working in every region of the world to empower individuals, governments and organizations through knowledge and learning to effectively overcome contemporary global challenges.

Mission

“To develop capacities to enhance global decision-making and to support translation of those decisions into action at country level”

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UNOSAT’s strategy 2017-2021

Vision: Promote evidence‐based decision making for peace, security and resilience

Mission: Provide coordinated geo‐spatial analysis, and develop capacities for the use of geo‐information technology towards achieving the SDGs

Strategic objectives:1. To provide coordinated geo‐spatial analysis2. To develop capacities in the use of technology towards achieving the SDGs3. To develop and promote innovative geo‐spatial solutions for the UN system, its partners 

and member states

UNOSAT’s Activities

ANALYSIS & MAPPING

Satellite Analysis, Climate Service, Applied Research

and Innovation

TRAINING AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

Hands on, National and Regional level, Technical

Backstopping

Support services & Knowledge Transfer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkR3N5ktt4U

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www.unitar.org/unosat/rapid-mapping

UNOSAT Analysis & Mapping Support to Humanitarian Emergencies & Post Disaster Recovery

UNOSAT’s Humanitarian Rapid Mapping Service 

• UNOSAT provides Satellite Imagery Analysis during Humanitarian Emergencies – Natural Disasters and Conflict-Situations (Maps, GIS-ready data, statistics and reports)

• As of today approximately 25% of humanitarian activations benefit from data delivered through the International Space Charter (Only for Major Natural Disasters). For the rest of activations UNOSAT relies on in-kind contributions as well as from imagery funds from donors and UN sister agencies.

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Mapping Activities 

Floods

Earthquakes

Cyclones

Landslides

Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons Mapping

Cultural Heritage Sites

Conflict Damage Assessment

Etc.

Training and Capacity Development

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• UNOSAT is implementing capacity development projects in collaboration with:

– Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) (Horn of Africa)

– the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) (South East Asia)

– Government of Chad (Reseau Project): https://reseau-tchad.org/

• Target Audience

– Decision makers and professionals from national and international organizations

Training & Capacity Development Activities

• The collaboration between ADPC and UNOSAT combines training held annually in Bangkok

• Training of 200+ disaster management professionals working in Asia

• In-country technical assistance and training programmes implemented each year in different South East Asian countries:

• Vietnam 2011

• Myanmar 2012, 2016

• Bangladesh 2013, 2015

• Cambodia 2014

Capacity Development – Asia Pacific

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UNOSAT at ESCAPImagery to Impact!!

UNITAR-UNOSAT & UN-ESCAP Partnership

Since February 2015 UNOSAT Regional Liaison office is operational and hosted within the Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Reduction Division at ESCAP in Bangkok.

The main aim of this partnership is to provide better and more comprehensive access to space-related services to the ESCAP member states.

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List of Activation since Inception of Regional Liaison Office at ESCAP

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List of Activation September 2016 to September 2017 of by UNOSAT Regional Liaison Office at ESCAP

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Impact of Maps??

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Impact of Maps – Geographic Distribution of Downloads

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Serving Geo-Information & Coordinating Mapping Efforts

Data Source: UNOSAT, ISRO, Copernicus, USGS

Knowledge Product with ESCAP, UNOOSA

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To facilitate better access to satellite imagery and geospatial services

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Innovations at UNOSAT and future..

Augmented Reality

Ab-Barak Landslide, 2014

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UAV Survey, Avissawella , Sri Lanka to Virtual Reality

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Deep Learning – Artificial Intelligence

To improve machine performance for better recognition of objects from satellite imagery - CERN Openlab with UNOSAT

https://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2017/08/19/disaster-relief-using-satellite-imagery-and-machine-learning

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Data Collection using UN-ASIGN

https://asign.cern.ch

• UN-ASIGN is a free mobile app

• Tool for taking and sharing geo-tagged photos

• Photos, messages and other data are displayed on the UNOSAT LIVE map

Mobile Data Collection using UN‐ASIGN

Gorkha Earthquake Prototype – Desktop App for Emergency Operation Center

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Operations Dashboard to Support Decision Making related climate related emergencies in Greater Horn of Africa

Aspirations and Challenges

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Aspirations

User oriented service model

Information to Decision

Exploit Modern Technology Innovations

Support Global Development Agenda (SDG 2030)

Imagery to Impact!

• Acceptability of Earth observation based information for decision making? (Or Are the information decision ready?)

• Where to get the services? What to expect?

• Do we have enough capacity for utilizing space based resources in timely manner ? What needs to be done?

• Is there a common baseline data sharing mechanism/portal within the government departments or other organization?

• Mainstreaming capacity development & Institutional retention of knowledge.

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Key challenges in the effective use of earth observation & geospatial information for Enhanced Response

KM5

Slide 28

KM5 (Global baselines in most cases incomplete, outdated hence can lead to wrong information to wrong decision)Khaled Mashfiq, 10/10/2017

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UNITARInternational Environment HouseChemin des Anémones 11-13,CH-1219 Châtelaine, Geneva - SwitzerlandT +41 22 917 8400F +41 22 917 8047www.unitar.org

United Nations Institute for Training and ResearchInstitut des Nations Unies pour la Formation et la RechercheInstituto de las Naciones Unidas para Formación Profesional e InvestigacionesУчебньıй и научно-исследовательский институтОрганизации Объединенньıх Наций

معھد األمم المتحدة للتدريب والبحث联合国训练研究所

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In partnership with 

https://www.unitar.org/unosat/mapshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCks87-v0xvtTAx55-2FgWfAhttps://www.facebook.com/UNITAR.unosathttps://twitter.com/UNOSAT?lang=en