The latest generation of satellites and other Earth Observation technologies offer an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate the understanding of our planet’s disaster and climate risks.
Combined with artificial intelligence and in-situ data, Earth Observation satellites are putting us closer to the realization of the Digital Earth: a digital representation of our planet accessible to all and mobilized in support of sustainable development.
But what is the value of a Digital Earth that is documenting disasters with more and more accuracy if those who are directly affected cannot act upon them? Here comes the need to develop localized and low-cost approaches for decision-makers and communities to integrate frontier earth science and technologies on disaster and climate risk.
This panel discussion will address and reflect on the recent trends and approaches in integrating Earth Observation and digital technologies into governments and community-based resilience projects.
It is organized by the Digital Earth Partnership, a new World Bank program led by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), in partnership with the European Space Agency and more specifically its Global Development Assistance program.
“Digital Earth is a new paradigm in the use of earth observation related to geospatial data in decision-making and financing processes. This paradigm is especially important for Latin America because it will increasingly become a necessity, considering climate change and natural disaster challenges. However, this transition to the Digital Earth paradigm will not happen naturally or by itself: It takes a lot of coordination and collaboration between institutions and an integrated approach. As an ecosystem and a community, we need to target five different dimensions: the availability, accessibility, awareness, acceptance, and adoption of data.”
