scholarly journals Participatory Early Warning Systems: Youth, Citizen Science, and Intergenerational Dialogues on Disaster Risk Reduction in Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Marchezini ◽  
Rachel Trajber ◽  
Débora Olivato ◽  
Viviana Aguilar Muñoz ◽  
Fernando de Oliveira Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Warning Systems

scholarly journals Challenges and Technical Advances in Flood Early Warning Systems (FEWSs)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duminda Perera ◽  
Ousmane Seidou ◽  
Jetal Agnihotri ◽  
Hamid Mehmood ◽  
Mohamed Rasmy
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Disaster Mitigation ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Warning Systems

Flood early warning systems (FEWSs)—one of the most common flood-impact mitigation measures—are currently in operation globally. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) strongly advocates for an increase in their availability to reach the targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Comprehensive FEWS consists of four components, which includes (1) risk knowledge, (2) monitoring and forecasting, (3) warning, dissemination, and communication, and (4) response capabilities. Operational FEWSs have varying levels of complexity, depending on available data, adopted technology, and know-how. There are apparent differences in sophistication between FEWSs in developed countries that have the financial capabilities, technological infrastructure, and human resources and developing countries where FEWSs tend to be less advanced. Fortunately, recent advances in remote sensing, artificial intelligence (AI), information technologies, and social media are leading to significant changes in the mechanisms of FEWSs and provide the opportunity for all FEWSs to gain additional capability. These technologies are an opportunity for developing countries to overcome the technical limitations that FEWSs have faced so far. This chapter aims to discuss the challenges in FEWSs in brief and exposes technological advances and their benefits in flood forecasting and disaster mitigation.

scholarly journals Early Warning Systems: Lost in Translation or Late by Definition? A FORIN Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irasema Alcántara-Ayala ◽  
Anthony Oliver-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Indian Ocean Tsunami ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Warning Systems ◽  
Human Welfare

Abstract Early warning systems (EWSs) are widely considered to be one of the most important mechanisms to prevent disasters around the globe. But as disasters continue to affect countries where EWSs have already been implemented, the striking disaster consequences have led us to reflect on the focus, architecture, and function of the warning systems. Since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami there has been a rapid rise in the promotion and use of EWSs to minimize disaster losses and damage. However, few researchers have addressed the question of their acceptability as an adaptive measure to the existing exposure conditions. EWSs are far more linked to emergency response and humanitarian crises and accepted technological interventions as solutions than they are to explicitly advance integrated analysis, disaster risk reduction, and policy making. A major flaw of EWSs is that the term “early” has been essentially used in reference to the speed of hazard onset, founded on a physicalist perspective that has encouraged a considerable dependence on technology. In this article we address the need for a clear understanding of the root causes and risk drivers of disaster risk creation, as advanced in the FORIN (forensic investigation of disasters) approach, as a prerequisite for the development of more articulated EWSs that could contribute to disaster risk reduction through policy making and practice, based on integrated and transdisciplinary management, in the interest of sustainable development, and human welfare and well-being.

scholarly journals Multi scale Disaster Risk Reduction Systems Space and Community based Experiences over HKH Region

2014 ◽  
Vol XL-8 ◽  
pp. 1301-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. Gurung ◽  
M. Shrestha ◽  
N. Shrestha ◽  
B. Debnath ◽  
G. Jishi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Multi Scale

An increasing trend in the recurrence of natural disasters and associated impacts due to Floods, Glacier Lake out bursts, landslides and forest fire is reported over Hindu Kush Himalyan (HKH) region. Climate change and anthropogenic coupled factors are identified as primary factors for such increased vulnerability. The large degree of poverty, lack of infrastructure, poor accessibility and uncertainties involved in understanding high altitude land surface and climate dynamics poses serious challenges in reducing disaster vulnerability and mitigating disaster impacts. In this context effective development of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) protocols and mechanisms have been realized as an urgent need. The paper presents the adoption and experiences of multi scale DRR systems across different Himalayan member countries ranging from community based indigenous early warning to space based emergency response and decision support systems. <br><br> The Establishment of a Regional Flood Information System (HKH-HYCOS) over Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) and Indus river basins promoted the timely exchange of flood data and information for the reduction of flood vulnerability within and among the participating countries. Satellite based forest fire alert systems evoked significant response among diverse stakeholders to optimize fire incidence and control. Satellite rainfall estimation products, satellite altimetry based flood early warning systems, flood inundation modelling and products, model derived hydrology flow products from different global data-sharing networks constitutes diverse information to support multi scale DRR systems. Community-based Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) enabled by wireless technology established over the Singara and Jiadhal rivers in Assam also stands as one of the promising examples of minimizing flood risk. Disaster database and information system and decision support tools in Nepal serves as potential tool to support diverse stakeholders.

Early warning systems for biodiversity in southern Africa – How much can citizen science mitigate imperfect data?

2017 ◽  
Vol 208 ◽  
pp. 183-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phoebe Barnard ◽  
Res Altwegg ◽  
Ismail Ebrahim ◽  
Les G. Underhill
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Warning Systems ◽  
Imperfect Data

scholarly journals Dynamics of configuring and interpreting the disaster risk script: Experiences from Zimbabwe

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pathias P. Bongo ◽  
Paul Chipangura ◽  
Mkhokheli Sithole ◽  
Funa Moyo
Keyword(s):  
Early Warning ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
External Influence ◽  
Warning Systems ◽  
Prevention Strategies ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Cultural Processes ◽  
Different Response ◽  
Past Experiences

People in Zimbabwe have been faced with disasters in different forms and at various levels. When people experience hazard events and disasters, they perceive these phenomena through lenses that are largely shaped by their local day-to-day experiences and some external influence. As they do this, they develop their own local conception of hazards and disasters, and they tend to model their response or preparedness through this. This article argues that on the basis of this premise, each society therefore develops its own unique and localised way of interpreting the disaster, which comes in the form of a ‘script’, that needs to be deciphered, read, analysed and understood within local priorities and knowledge systems. The hazard may be the same, say, fire, but as it occurs in different communities, they configure and read the fire script differently, hence spawning different response and prevention strategies. The way people anticipate, prepare for, and respond to a particular disaster stems from their perception of it, based on their own local conceptions of reality. The article argues that effective disaster risk reduction must focus on people’s holistic understanding of the unfolding scenario, thereby feeding into disaster risk early warning systems. For effective understanding of the utility of early warning systems, the socio-cultural processes involved in the ideation of the disaster cannot be ignored. It is also critical to examine people’s past experiences with external early warning systems, and how much faith they put in them.

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