Challenges

The key challenges of the hackathon are listed below

  • Using Copernicus Early Warning Systems CEMS-fire, CEMS-flood and C3S products to prioritize the volunteer mapping of exposure and vulnerability

Having timely access to information is crucial element of any emergency response activities. Therefore we will try to combine the strength of the Copernicus EWS to provide early warning on possible extreme situation with the early activation of volunteer mapping community specifically on the mapping dynamic changes in exposure and vulnerability (e.g. dynamic changes in population, landuse changes due to recent disasters e.g. forest fires followed by floods).

 

  • Crisis mapping & situational awareness in Crisis management

We will also hack on using Copernicus EWS ( (CEMS-fire, CEMS-flood), Anywhere Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MH-EWS) ) with the signal derived from social media (Anywhere) and data available from European Severe Storm Laboratory to optimize triggering of the Copernicus Rapid Mapping as well as activation of the volunteer mapping community.

 

  • Climate-forward looking mapping activations

We will try to explore the possibility to prioritize the mapping campaigns taking the information about the changes in the risk caused by changing climate. Climate change information, combined with disaster coping capacity can play a key role in mapping planning.

 

  • Risk aware exposure and vulnerability mapping (from both Copernicus and VGIs)

Hackathon will target the Sendai Framework Indicators (Targets A, B, C, D) and their translation into easy-to-map features (e.g. education and health facilities).

  • Using existing volunteer mapping capacity of OSM to integrate the Copernicus EMS activations in HOT

We will hack on possible integration and knowledge extraction from Copernicus rapid and post disaster mapping (reconstruction/rehabilitation monitoring) into actionable pre-disaster mapping (exposure & vulnerability & resilience) within HOT. This could include integrating specific Copernicus data into the Tasking Manager for remote mapping coordination.

 

  • Beyond the Disaster Management Cycle

Improve data exchange at different stages of disaster management cycle in order to streamline the cross-border utilisation of the Copernicus and user-generated content in risk modelling chains. e.g. dynamic integration of the Copernicus EMS mapping services in the risk modelling, Copernicus damage assessment and recovery mapping updates exposure and vulnerability data in the next risk modeling cycle.

 

  • Copernicus Flood Monitoring

Exploiting the capabilities of radar instrument on-board Sentinel-1 for flood monitoring combining the remote observation, MH-EWS with Social Media, Crowdsourcing and data available from European Severe Storm Laboratory.

 

  • Added value downstream services
    • Develop web applications for policy- and decision-makers,
    • Apps & services for specific public and commercial needs (e.g. tourism, energy, transport),
    • Effective communication of risks (environmental or societal challenges) to the public (participatory approach, crowdsourcing and social media data).

Weather induced hazard and COVID19

 

This challenge will focus on possible escalation of the Corona (like) crisis driven by extreme weather events. We will hack on multi-hazard/risk assessment of  possible scenarios when extreme weather (including the heatwaves and air-quality) could result in possible cascading effects magnifying the possible impacts. This will require new ways of looking at the data and services and combining the existing ones to support the effective crisis response.

  • Increase utilization of the early warning to assess the humanitarian needs in advance and ensure social distancing
  • Impact of weather on the disease development (e.g. alerting on air quality for most impacted places by Corona)
  • Impact on transport and humanitarian aid during the COVID crisis
16-17-18 October 2020
Aula Màster Campus Nord, Carrer de Jordi Girona, 1, 3, 08034 Barcelona, Spain