Reducing disaster risks in PNG
MapAction is supporting disaster risk reduction in Papua New Guinea by providing funding and expertise for a three-month project starting in March 2009. The project, in partnership with the country's National Disasters Centre, NGOs and other agencies, is delivering training in GIS and community-level vulnerability mapping methods. (Picture: Google Earth)
Naomi Morris, a MapAction volunteer, is one of the team that has deployed to PNG for up to 12 weeks from the end of March. There she is devising community vulnerability assessment and mapping methods appropriate to PNG's specific natural hazards. In December 2008 sea surges caused extensive damage along much of the country's coastline and displaced thousands of people. The region is also vulnerable to severe earthquakes and associated tsunami, volcanic eruptions, flash floods and has several hydroelectric power dams with potential man-made disaster risks.
The project is also providing a test for a package of self-teach training tools aimed at NGOs and other groups who need practical, low cost mapping resources. The toolkit, currently under development by MapAction, includes tutorial materials on the use of Google Earth and open-source GIS software in humanitarian and development contexts.
The team will work alongside a UN disaster preparedness mission to the country which is running from late April. Availability of geospatial data is an important aspect of disaster risk reduction and MapAction's mission outcomes will link to related work by UN OCHA's regional information management team.
The project team arrived in PNG in late March and has completed the first stage the project, which is expected to be continue into June.