Working Group on Disasters
Disaster Risk Management (DRM) continues to gain political, economic, and geopolitical importance as disasters cause increasing human and economic losses, and these losses are only expected to grow as a result of increasing global urbanization (expected to double by the year 2050) and an increasing number of extreme events (expected to triple by the year 2100).
In November 2013, the CEOS Plenary endorsed the creation of a fifth permanent Working Group, the Working Group on Disasters (WGDisasters), after reviewing and approving the recommendations of an ad hoc team that drafted the CEOS Disaster Risk Management Observation Strategy. The WG Disasters is currently chaired by the French Space Agency (CNES), with the Argentina Space Agency (CONAE) as co-lead and has two dozen regular members representing as many organizations involved in the use of satellite imagery for disaster risk reduction, response and recovery. The WGDisasters meets quarterly to review progress on pilots, demonstrators, and other on-going disaster-related activities.
Mission Statement
The CEOS WGDisasters ensures the sustained coordination of disaster-related activities undertaken by the CEOS Agencies and acts as an interface between CEOS and the community of stakeholders and users involved in risk management and disaster reduction.
WGDisasters18 – October 2022 – Nice – France
WGDisasters Objectives
- Support the efforts of Disaster Risk Management authorities in protecting lives and safeguarding property by means of satellite-based EO and science-based analyses
- Foster increased use of EO in support of Disaster Risk Management
- Support the implementation of the UNDRR Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and in particular contribute to its Priority One, “Understanding Risk”
- Raise the awareness of politicians, decision-makers, and major stakeholders of the benefits of using satellite EO in all phases of Disaster Risk Management