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Open Mapping for Resilient Societies in Latin America and the Caribbean

Following up on the recent success of the Open Cities program in Africa, GFDRR is extending its support to digital mapping for resilience needs in Latin America and the Caribbean, starting in five locations through a partnership with the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) and the SwissRE Foundation. THE CHALLENGE The densely populated region of Latin America and the Caribbean is vulnerable to volatile weather conditions and natural hazards such as hurricanes, tropical cyclones, landslides and earthquakes. Combined with the effects of climate change, this puts a huge number of lives and livelihoods in the region at risk. In the two decades preceding the year 2017, five of the world’s 10 countries most devastated by natural hazards were in Latin America and the Caribbean. To respond optimally to the risks, government leaders and local communities must understand risk dynamics on the ground. This requires up-to-date information not only about local populations, but also about critical infrastructure and the built environment. In Latin America and the Caribbean, such information is often lacking or inaccessible because it’s stored in closed platforms or in government agency “silos”. Regional efforts to crowdsource geospatial information through open data platforms have had some success, but challenges such as coverage gaps, data quality, regular updates and a lack of on-the-ground data validation remain. THE APPROACH The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) supports the creation of open map data for international development and crisis response. In this project, HOT will collaborate with the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) to implement a low-cost, open-source approach to gathering geospatial data about features that can be used to guide disaster risk management and response in Latin America and the Caribbean, such as roads, building footprints and civic services. In terms of sustainability and impact, the partners will directly engage community members and will support the growth of local organisations and individuals that can champion mapping work when the project is complete. The proposed project builds on the success of prior Open Cities initiatives in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. GFDRR first launched Open Cities in South Asia in 2014, to support the collection of disaster risk data through open data platforms in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In 2018, GFDRR launched Open Cities Africa. The program was implemented in 12 cities in sub-saharan Africa to engage local government, civil society, and the private sector to develop the local capacity, and information infrastructures necessary to meet local urban resilience challenges. The Open Cities Africa program has since trained more than 500 residents, university students, and civil servants to gather data on risk. These digital cartographers have mapped more than 500,000 buildings, roads, markets, schools, hospitals, parks, canals, and other features onto OpenStreetMap, a free and collaborative map of the world. For this work in Africa, GFDRR expanded Open Cities to include an emphasis on online learning, gender, user-centered design, sustainability, and the development of a regional Community of Practice. HOT was a key implementing partner providing technical assistance to local communities and quality control of the work as well as support to the training material. Efforts were done in collaboration with World Bank operational teams to promote the long-term use of the data and in some cases, continued government support of local efforts to produce open source risk information. GOALS AND EXPECTED IMPACT Open Cities Latin America and the Caribbean will strengthen the capacities and links between communities and organizations through local pilots in five countries (Mexico, Guatemala, Saint Lucia, Dominica, and Jamaica) by supporting them to create, compile and use open source geospatial data for disaster risk management with a robust process. It will also support governments and organizations to make informed, data-driven decisions and train hundreds of people in local communities and universities in data collection and the use of open source geospatial tools. The activity will run until December 2022. For more information: Pierre Chrzanowski, GFDRR, pchrzanowski@worldbank.org

Open Data Day event: Understanding Disaster Risk with Open Data

Tout le monde a un rôle à jouer : comment les différents acteurs contribuent à accroître la résilience urbaine au Cameroun

Auteurs : Bontje Zangerling, Vivien Deparday, Michel Tchotsoua, Mira Gupta, et Tamilwai Kolowa Article original à World Bank Blogs. (English) Photo: Michel Tchotsoua Comme de nombreux centres urbains en Afrique, la ville de Ngaoundéré, au Cameroun, a connu un accroissement rapide de sa population, qui est passée d’environ 180 000 habitants en 2005 à près de 290 000 en 2020. Largement non planifiée, cette croissance urbaine s’est souvent traduite par l’occupation de zones exposées aux inondations et aux chutes de pierres, notamment par les migrants ruraux. De telles catastrophes font régulièrement des ravages au sein de la population et, entraînent une exposition accrue aux maladies, aux pénuries alimentaires ainsi qu’une vulnérabilité financière. Ce lien entre une croissance urbaine rapide et non planifiée et une exposition accrue aux risques naturels est particulièrement problématique pour les gouvernements locaux, qui manquent de données pour élaborer des réponses politiques précises et efficaces. Comment faire face à un problème sans pouvoir le mesurer ? Au cours des deux dernières années, les contributions d’un large éventail d’acteurs ont permis d’accroître la disponibilité des données et de produire un Atlas des risques. Ce dernier est désormais utilisé par la communauté urbaine de Ngaoundéré (CUN) pour informer la gestion et la planification urbaines. Combler le déficit d’information En 2018, Ngaoundéré a été sélectionnée comme l’une des 12 villes prenant part à l’initiative Open Cities Africa, lancée par le Fonds mondial de prévention des catastrophes et de relèvement (GFDRR). Son objectif ? Appuyer la collecte d’informations sur les risques à travers l’engagement des citoyens et favoriser le développement d’outils pour la prise de décision locale. À Ngaoundéré, cette approche a permis à l’équipe de cartographier plus de 300 km² de zone urbaine, en combinant les contributions des résidents locaux avec des données de la municipalité, et de nouvelles images de drones. Ce travail est actuellement disponible en ligne, via l’Atlas des risques et dans OpenStreetMap. L’initiative a été coordonnée avec le Projet des villes inclusives et résilientes du Cameroun (PDVIR), financé par la Banque mondiale et mis en œuvre par le ministère de l’Habitat et du Développement Urbain. Photo: Mohamadou Arabo L’engagement local permet à la communauté de se sentir concerner et d’agir en s’appropriant les actions locales Dès le début, le projet Open Cities Ngaoundéré a donné la priorité à l’engagement des différents acteurs locaux. Son principal exécutant, l’Association pour la cartographie de la gestion des ressources (ACAGER), a consulté 30 groupes locaux, dont les ministères, les organisations de la société civile et des associations communautaires opérant dans des zones à risque. Les membres des communautés, qui n’avaient jamais été impliqués dans la gestion urbaine, sont désormais plus conscients des défis. De plus, ils s’approprient et assument la responsabilité des actions déployées dans les zones où ils travaillent et vivent. Nous avons pu leur montrer le nombre de maisons dans chaque quartier, celles qui sont à risque et leur expliquer les mesures qui peuvent être prises. Les communautés organisent maintenant des « Jeudi Propre » : des rassemblements hebdomadaires pour ramasser les ordures, afin d’éviter que les systèmes de drainage ne se bouchent. Elles ont également demandé que des drones soient utilisés pour surveiller régulièrement les nouvelles constructions dans les zones inondables. Comment les étudiants ont revitalisé la collecte de données municipales ? En menant des enquêtes auprès des ménages et en sensibilisant les habitants à la cartographie, les étudiants de l’université de Ngaoundéré ont constitué la pièce maîtresse du dispositif de collecte de données géospatiales. Ce travail a permis de renforcer leurs compétences techniques et leur a donné l’occasion de contribuer concrètement aux efforts de développement de la communauté. Le recours aux étudiants a été particulièrement efficace, du fait de leur connaissance de la langue locale, le fulfuldé, et des normes sociales et culturelles des ménages. Les contributions de ces jeunes cartographes ne sont pas passées inaperçues aux yeux des fonctionnaires locaux. Photo: Gaëlle Nodjignemal Goltobs. Ahmad Barngawi Mohammad, le responsable de l’urbanisme, de l’architecture et des permis de construire à la CUN, nous a dit avoir été impressionné par l’engagement des jeunes. Alors que pendant très longtemps le projet n’avait pas réussi à rassembler ces données, il constate que maintenant le projet prend de l’ampleur grâce à son approche facile et accessible à tous. De meilleures données pour une prise de décision ciblée Les données actualisées ont aidé les autorités locales à démontrer les difficultés rencontrées à Ngaoundéré, et à plaider avec succès auprès du gouvernement central afin qu’il investisse dans l’atténuation des risques, en ajustant par exemple les voies d’eau pour améliorer le ruissellement des eaux de pluie. La CUN envisage également d’utiliser ces données à des fins plus larges, telles que le développement d’un système de recettes pour gérer les impôts fonciers. Photo: Gabriel Amougou S’appuyant sur le succès rencontré à Ngaoundéré, un projet similaire de cartographie des zones à risque a été lancé dans la capitale Yaoundé. Le Département d’État américain a également soutenu la cartographie participative à Douala, à travers son programme Secondary Cities. Il ne fait aucun doute que le succès du projet Open Cities Ngaoundéré tient à son approche collaborative qui a su mettre en valeur et impliquer de nombreux acteurs : lorsqu’il s’agit de gestion et de résilience urbaines, tout le monde a un rôle à jouer. Note : Open Cities Africa (a) est financé par l’Union européenne à travers le programme ACP-UE Africa Disaster Financing et géré par l’équipe GPURL Afrique.

Everybody has a role: How stakeholders are contributing to increase urban resilience in Cameroon

By Bontje Zangerling, Vivien Deparday, Michel Tchotsoua, Mira Gupta, and Tamilwai Kolowa This article was originally published on World Bank Blogs. (Français) New housing construction at risk of rock falls in Ngaoundéré. Photo: Michel Tchotsoua Like many urban areas in Africa, the city of Ngaoundéré, Cameroon has seen a rapid increase in its population, from roughly 180,000 in 2005 to almost 290,000 in 2020. This urban growth has been largely unplanned, with rural migrants often occupying areas within flood plains or along mountain slopes, vulnerable to flooding and rock falls. Such disasters regularly wreak havoc on citizens’ lives and lead to increased exposure to disease, food shortages, and financial vulnerabilities. This nexus of rapid, unplanned urban growth and increased exposure to natural hazards is especially problematic for local governments who lack data to formulate accurate and efficient policy responses. How do you address a problem you cannot measure? Over the last two years, inputs from a diverse range of stakeholders have increased the availability of data and led to the production of a tangible Risk Atlas, which the Ngaoundéré City Council (NCC) is now using to inform urban management and planning. Closing the information gap In 2018, Ngaoundéré was selected as one of 12 cities to participate in Open Cities Africa, an initiative of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) that supports the collection of open-source risk information through citizen engagement and the development of data products to support local decision-making. In Ngaoundéré, this approach allowed the team to map over 300 km² of urban area combining inputs from local residents, with data from the municipality and new drone imagery. All this is now available online through the Risk Atlas and in OpenStreetMap. The initiative was coordinated with the World Bank-financed Cameroon Inclusive and Resilient Cities Project (CIRCP) that is being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MINHDU). Community members providing feedback on draft maps. Photo: Mohamadou Arabo Local engagement leads to community ownership The Open Cities Ngaoundéré project prioritized stakeholder engagement from the beginning. Its lead implementer, the Association for Resource Management Mapping (ACAGER), consulted with 30 local groups, including government departments, civil society organizations and community associations operating in risk-prone areas. Community members who had never been engaged in urban management are now more aware of the challenges and take ownership and responsibility for actions that affect the areas where they work and live. We were able to show them the number of houses in each neighborhood, which ones were at risk and explain what actions can be taken. Communities now organize weekly “Jeudi Propre” (Clean Thursday) gatherings to pick up trash, to prevent drainage systems from clogging, and they have requested that drone flights be used to regularly monitor new construction in flood-prone areas. How students revived municipal data collection At the heart of the geospatial data collection were students from the University of Ngaoundéré, who carried out household surveys and facilitated the mapping with residents. This role strengthened their technical skills and provided them with a hands-on opportunity to contribute to community development efforts. The use of students was especially effective because they spoke the local language, Fulfuldé, and understood the social and cultural norms around approaching households. Community members providing feedback on draft mapA student conducting household surveys. Photo: Gaëlle Nodjignemal Goltobs. Photo: Mohamadou Arabo The contributions of these young mappers did not go unnoticed by local government officials. Ahmad Barngawi Mohammad, the Urban Planning, Architecture and Building Permit Manager at the NCC told us that the commitment of the young people was the thing that impressed him most. While for a very long time the project couldn’t gather this data, today, the project is gaining momentum thanks to its easy and accessible approach. Better data for targeted decision-making The updated data has helped local authorities demonstrate the challenges in Ngaoundéré and successfully advocate for central government funding to invest in risk mitigation, for instance in adjusting waterways to improve stormwater runoff. The NCC is also exploring the use of the data for broader purposes, such as the development of an own-source revenue system to manage property taxes. As a result of improved data, the NCC mobilized funding to upgrade its drainage infrastructure. Photo: Gabriel Amougou Based on the success in Ngaoundéré, a similar project to map risk-prone areas was launched in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé. The U.S. Department of State also supported participatory mapping in Douala, through its Secondary Cities program. The accomplishments of the Open Cities Ngaoundéré project can be attributed to its collaborative approach that recognized the value of numerous stakeholders: when it comes to urban management and resilience, everybody has a role. Many local stakeholders benefited from Open Cities Africa activities in Ngaoundéré. Note: Open Cities Africa is financed by the EU-funded ACP-EU Africa Disaster Financing Program.

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projects

Open Cities Africa

Carried out in 11 cities in Sub-Saharan Africa to engage local government, civil society, and the private sector to develop the information infrastructures necessary to meet 21st century urban resilience challenges. The project is implemented through a unique partnership between GFDRR and the World Bank, city governments across the continent, and a partner community comprised of regional scientific and technology organizations, development partners, and technology companies. WEBSITE COUNTERPARTSCITIES opencitiesproject.org National and Provincial Ministries, Municipal Offices and Local Development Committees ACCRA, Ghana ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo KAMPALA, Uganda KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo MONROVIA, Liberia NGAOUNDÉRÉ, Cameroon NIAMEY, Niger POINTE-NOIRE, Republic of Congo SAINT-LOUIS, Senegal SEYCHELLES ZANZIBAR CITY, Tanzania Overview As urban populations and vulnerability grow, managing urban growth in a way that fosters cities’ resilience to natural hazards and the impacts of climate change becomes a greater challenge that requires detailed, up-to-date geographic data of the built environment. Addressing this challenge requires innovative, open, and dynamic data collection and mapping processes that support management of urban growth and disaster risk. Success is often contingent on local capacities and networks to maintain and utilize risk information, enabling policy environments to support effective data management and sharing, and targeted tools that can help translate data into meaningful action. Building on the success of the global Open Data for Resilience Initiative, its work on Open Cities projects in South Asia, and GFDRR’s Code for Resilience, Open Cities Africa is carried out in 11 cities in Sub-Saharan Africa to engage local government, civil society, and the private sector to develop the information infrastructures necessary to meet 21st century urban resilience challenges. Following an application process, a small team of mappers, technologists, designers, and risk experts in each of the selected cities receive funding, targeted training, technical support, and mentorship throughout the year of work to: i) create and/or compile open spatial data on the built environment, critical infrastructure, and natural hazards; ii) develop targeted systems and tools to assist key stakeholders to utilize risk information; and iii) support local capacity-building and institutional development necessary for designing and implementing evidence-driven urban resilience interventions. Phases of Implementation 1. Plan and Assess In the first phase, Open Cities teams establish what data already exists and its openness, relevance and value. Project target area and data to collect are finalized. This phase is also when teams identify project partners and stakeholders to ensure that efforts are a participatory process. At the Open Cities Kick Off Meeting, teams meet with Open Cities leadership and the other Open Cities teams in their cohort and receive training on project components. 2. Map In this second phase, teams roll out the findings and data capture strategy developed in the first phase to address critical data gaps relevant to their specific Problem Statements. On the ground, teams coordinate field data collection according to the approach developed and agreed upon in consultation with project stakeholders. Depending on needs, tools for data collection may include smartphones or tablets, drones for the collection of high resolution imagery, or handheld GPS. As the project team is training team members to collect data for the project, efforts are made to develop, and/or strengthen the local OpenStreetMap community within the selected city working in partnership with local stakeholders. Project teams may hold trainings, mapathons, or community town halls in coordination with a local university, NGO or government counterparts. 3. Design In this third phase of the project, teams use the data collected in the Map Phase to design a tool or product to communicate the data to their stakeholders to support decision-making. Products vary widely depending on city context and may include a database and visualization tool, an atlas, a map series, or a mobile application. 4. Develop and Present In the final phase of the project, teams develop their tools/products and share results with targeted end user populations and other relevant stakeholders. Once final products are shared, teams work with project mentors and Open Cities Africa leadership to establish a sustainability plan and to explore opportunities for expansion or extension. This could include convening meetings with the World Bank, government counterparts, or the nongovernmental organization and donor communities. It may also include the development of concept notes, proposals or additional user research. Learn More More information about the project and team activities can be found on the Open Cities Africa site.

Niger

In Niger, the World Bank is supporting the Government reduce the vulnerability of populations at risk of flooding, while taking into account the requirements of community development and capacity building of national structures both at central and local level. DATA SHARING PLATFORM http://risques-niger.org COUNTERPART PGCR-DU (Projet de Gestion des Risques de Catastrophes et de Développement Urbain – Disaster Risk Management and Urban Development Project) NUMBER OF GEONODE LAYERS39 Understanding Niger’s Risks Despite its semi-arid climate, Niger is regularly stricken by floods that destroy housing, infrastructure and croplands everywhere in the country. While flood damages usually occur in the vicinity of permanent water bodies such as the Niger and Komadougou rivers, more and more damages and casualties have been reported as linked to intense precipitations and runoff in urban areas. Despite the recurrent losses, little is known about the number of people who are living in flood-prone areas or the value of properties at risk. Furthermore, the vast majority of stations in the meteorological and hydrological collection network does not have the ability to transmit data in real-time and therefore cannot be fully exploited in emergency situations. Collecting Data With the support of the World Bank, the PGRC-DU is supporting the Nigerien Ministry of water and sanitation to retrofit the hydrometric station network with new water level gauges with real-time data transmission capability. The new gauges will make hydrometric data collection more efficient and more reliable while allowing for a faster detection of flood risk. At the same time, the PGRC-DU is funding the collection of critical socio-economic information and building characteristics in all areas of Niamey (the capital of Niger) that are deemed vulnerable to floods. UAVs are being used to acquire high-resolution images of potentially flooded areas that would help better identify buildings characteristics and develop a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) with 10cm vertical resolution, which will help better predict water movement in the area. Sharing Data The collected hydrometric data will be available to selected users in an online portal, along with various other data sets from regional and global sources. Part of the data collected in Niamey is expected to contribute to the OpenStreetMap project. The rest of the data will be analyzed and converted into vulnerability maps and reports available to the public. Using Data It is expected that the network of real-time hydrometric stations will be used to feed a flood warning system that will provide authorities a better estimate of flood risk at any given time. The acquired DTM is being used to develop computer models that can simulate flood propagation in the city of Niamey and evaluate the effects of existing of planned flood protection infrastructures. Finally, the collected socio-economic data combined with flood simulations will provide decision-makers an accurate estimation of flood risk in terms of exposed populations and expected economic damages.

Uganda

In Uganda, the World Bank is supporting the Government to develop improved access to drought risk related information and quicken the decision of scaling up disaster risk financing (DRF) mechanisms COUNTERPART National Emergency Coordination and Operations Center (NECOC) Project Overview In the context of the third Northern Uganda Social Action Fund Project (NUSAF III), the World Bank is supporting the Government of Uganda to develop improved access to drought risk related information and quicken the decision of scaling up disaster risk financing (DRF) mechanisms. The OpenDRI team is providing technical assistance to Uganda’s National Emergency Coordination and Operations Center (NECOC) in determining requirements for collecting, storing and analyzing satellite data used for monitoring drought conditions. Understanding Uganda’s Risk In recent years Uganda has been impacted by drought, with more than 10% of the population being at risk. The northern sub-region of Karamoja is one of the most severely hit, with a consequent increase in food insecurity. Currently the Government of Uganda (GoU) faces challenges in the collection and analysis of information upon which they can base a decision to respond and mitigate such risk. Without transparent, objective and timely data, times in mobilizing and financing responses can be delayed. Collecting Data The World Bank is supporting GoU to strengthen its disaster risk management strategy and response mechanisms. The current engagement looks to develop a more systematic, robust system for collecting, storing and analyzing drought risk related information to enable GoU to make more timely decisions. By retrieving satellite data systematically, NECOC will be able to analyze current crop and vegetation conditions with historic information, and quickly detect early warning signs of drought. Uganda has a vibrant OpenStreetMap community, which has been mapping the country since 2010. A pilot community mapping project funded by GFDRR with support from the Government of Belgium, is being conducted in the city of Kampala. Sharing Data The OpenDRI team provides support and advice to GoU in developing best practices for sharing and managing risk related information. Interoperability of data sources produced by various ministries and non-government organizations is critical to ensure timely access to data by NECOC and conduct effective drought risk analysis. A geospatial data sharing platform will be deployed by GoU to facilitate exchange of such critical information and adoption of data standards. Using Data A technical committee, composed of experts from the government and partner organizations, has agreed to use a satellite derived indicator known as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as the primary dataset to inform decisions for triggering the disaster risk financing mechanism. Initially the system will be exclusively dedicated to monitoring drought risk in the northern sub-region of Karamoja. In the following years, it is expected to expand operations and cover other regions exposed to drought risk, integrating additional data sources which will become accessible thanks to improved data collection strategies and sharing mechanisms.

Zanzibar

Pacific Islands: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Sri Lanka

The Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka (DMC) with the support of the World Bank has been developing the Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI) to support evidence-based methods to better plan for, mitigate, and respond to natural disasters. COUNTERPART Disaster Management Centre, Ministry of Disaster Management NUMBER OF BUILDINGS MAPPED 130,564 with 8 attributes each ROADS MAPPED >1000 km Understanding Sri Lanka’s Risks Since 2000, flood and drought events have cumulatively affected more than 13 million people across Sri Lanka. Regular flooding, drought, and landslides are natural hazards that threaten the long-term growth and development of the country. In Sri Lanka, nearly $500 million in unplanned expenditures resulting from flooding in 2010 and 2011 has strained government budgets and required reallocation from other planned development priorities. The impacts of these events are growing due to increased development and climate change, both of which put more assets at risk. Sharing Data To enable better disaster risk modeling, the Government of Sri Lanka partnered with GFDRR, UNDP and OCHA on the development of an OpenDRI program in November 2012. This branch of the initiative focused on the South Asia Region and was dubbed the Open Cities project. A component of the OpenDRI Open Cities mission in Sri Lanka was to collate data around hazards and exposure and prepare them to be uploaded into a GeoNode which serves as a disaster risk information platform. Working with the DMC, the National Survey Department, Department of the Census and Statistics, Nation Building Research Organization, Information and Communication Technology Agency, Department of Irrigation, several universities and the international partners, the OpenDRI team supported DMC with the aggregation of data that had been stored in static PDFs, old paper maps and several databases onto the GeoNode. The data on the GeoNode is currently available to authorized users in the OpenDRI network, in preparation for launch. This transitional state is typical for open data projects, as the partnership reviews data with the parties and affirms that it is ready for release to the open public. Some layers may restrict access only to authorized users. Collecting Data The project has also built technical capacity and awareness in Sri Lanka through training sessions on open data and crowdsourced mapping in Batticaloa city and Gampaha District. As a result of the Open Data for Resilience Initiative, government and academic volunteers have mapped over 130,000 buildings and 1000 kilometers of roadways on the crowdsourced OpenStreetMap database. This enables the country to plan ahead and be prepared for future disaster and climate risks. It also helps planning during disaster responses: the data was used to assess flooding impacts in real time and direct government resources during the May 2016 floods in Gampaha district.

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resources

At OpenDRI we are committed to increasing information that can empower individuals and their governments to reduce risk to natural hazards and climate change in their communities. We’ve compiled a database of relevant resources to share what we have learned through our own projects and from the work of others.

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OpenDRI brings the philosophies and practices of the global open data movement to the challenges of reducing vulnerability and building resilience to natural hazards and the impacts of climate change across the globe.