Develop the capacity of professionals to design, manage, evaluate and undertake improvements in people-centered early warning systems for hydro-meteorological & geological hazards and extreme events associated with climate change and variability. It builds upon experience in building capacities on use of GIS, Remote Sensing and space based technologies in disaster risk management for disaster management institutions, disaster management practitioners and communities. It aims to institutionalize weather and climate information applications for disaster mitigation.

No of Days

10 days

Course Objectives

• Effectively integrate scientific and technical inputs into early warning dissemination and communication system
• Apply emerging generation climate prediction technologies for anticipating and managing disaster risks associated with climate change & variability 
• Develop strategies to institutionalize early warning systems into the process cycle of disaster risk management and development planning, emergency response, and preparedness activities
• Develop risk communication & communication technologies
• Interpret scientific information products into user friendly formats and prepare & communicate tailor made early warning information products
• Design and implement community based early warning systems that are people centered
• Evaluate and introduce public education and training program for the community based early warning systems
• Undertake risk assessment and design of multi-hazard early warning systems for disaster risk reduction
• Apply  GIS and Remote Sensing for designing implementations of large scale  early warning systems and Participatory GIS skills for community Early  Warning Systems
• Apply Mobile Data Gathering technologies for rapid assessment and surveys

Course Content

Multi Hazard Early Warning Systems Concept

• Concepts and main frameworks in Multi Hazard Early Warning Systems
• Weather, Climate and Atmospheric Processes
• Observed Climate Change and Impacts
• Climate Predictions and Major Sources of Uncertainty

Basic concepts of Remote Sensing and GIS

• Basic concepts of GIS and Remote Sensing in the context of Early Warning Systems
• Handling spatial information I: (Using Quantum GIS)
• Spatial Reference Systems & data integration
• Handling spatial information II: GPS-based field data collection

Introduction to Risk Identification and assessment

• Introduction to Risk Identification and assessment using Spatial Technologies
• Mobile data gathering for field assessments/surveys using Open Data Kit 
• Handling spatial information III: Visualization of risk information 
• Hazard detection, monitoring, forecasting and warning

Spatial information

• Handling spatial information IV: Satellite image processing techniques for change detection (Using ILWIS)
• Early warning dissemination and communication
• Communication protocols

Public Participatory GIS

• Public Participatory GIS
• Google Earth, Maps
• Social Networking Integration
• Community-based early warning systems
• Building hazard-aware and ready communities
• Monitoring and evaluation of early warning system