1WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

Common Alerting ProtocolWIS CAP Implementers Workshop

9-10 December 2008

Dr. Tom De Groeve

European Commission Joint Research CenterInstitute for the Protection and the Security of the CitizenSupport to External Security (Critech)

2WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

• System for international disaster response community– Complimentary with existing

information systems– Information gap in the initial

response phase• Not for public warning

GDACS: What and Why?

• Main activities– Monitoring sudden onset disasters

earthquakes, volcanoes, cyclones, floods– Impact calculation– Alerting of subscribers

SMS, fax, e-mail, RSS– Platform for information exchange

Between donors, responders, affected governments

– Other coordination services Satellite images, maps, secondary risks,

etc.

• Main partners– United Nations and European

Commission

3WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

Early warning and response challenges

• Information needs in a sudden-onset disaster

• Tasks– Humanitarian donors (e.g. ECHO)

Financial decision on humanitarian aid

Coordination with other donors– First responders (e.g. S&R, Local

Authorities) Planning of response, preparing

teams for missions Coordination with other international

and national responders (United Nations OCHA)

– Reconstruction Damage assessment Financial decision on aid and

reconstruction programmes

What are the needs??

What is the damage??

Who will respond??

Is it a disaster??

How many people??

What is offered??

time

What is needed now??

Did something happen?

4WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

Early warning and response information

• Information needs in a sudden-onset disaster

• (Geographic) Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management– Early warning and alert tools

Sensors, satellites Modelling Consequence analysis Information collection

– Collaboration tools: Web portals Knowledge management and sharing Information collection, conversion,

integration

– Assessment tools Very high resolution satellite imagery

data mining Field data collection tools

What are the needs??

What is the damage??

Who will respond??

Is it a disaster??

How many people??

What is offered??

time

What is needed now??

Did something happen?

5WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

GDACS

• The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System is a

– disaster alerting service for international response Fast and reliable multi-hazard alert service

• Earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones,Floods and Volcanic eruptions

Evaluation of potential humanitarian impact Early situation report

– coordination tool for international response Automatic information collection Expert forum Organized and moderated data collection

– one-stop shop in the early response phase of sudden-onset disasters

6WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

• 12 May 2008, 6:41 UTC – 14 minutes after earthquake– 4500 emails, 2700 SMSs and

100 faxes sent to first responders globally

– CAP, RSS, KML and audio feed online

– Red earthquake alert: “high likelihood of a disaster, with need for international assistance”

• Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System

7WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

Cyclone category I

No people affected

Cyclone category IV

7 million people with high winds

1.8 million in storm surge zone

8WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

9WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

Disaster

Level II Alert

Disaster

Level I Alert

Start of coordi-nation

GDACS automatic and manual event analysis

Event Alerts

VolcanoMonitoringNetworks

FloodWatch

Networks

EarthquakeObservation

Networks

Trop. CycloneObservation

Networks

Automatic Evaluation of scale of disaster

Geographical,Socio-

economic, population

data

Alert

Manual Evaluation of scale of disaster

Coordination

Eye witness and information from Local

Government, IFRC, ECHO, NGOModels

CAP CAP CAP

10WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

Example: China earthquake, Chengdu

• Mon 12 May 2008, 6:27 UTC• 01:27 New York night• 08:27 Brussels new shift• 13:27 local time• 15:27 Tokyo• 22:27 (Sunday) LA night

• Magnitude: 7.9M (very strong) • Depth: 10km (shallow)

• Several strong aftershocks

• Location• 94km from Chengdu

• 9.7 million people within 100km• 30 million people within 200km

• Mountainous area• landslides, hydro-dams

GDACS system (times relative to event)

13min Detection of earthquake through USGS

14min GDACS Red Alert14min GDACS report published on-line

14-19min Email alert sent to 4500 users19-53min SMS alert sent to 2700 users30min GLIDE number created info

collection53-56min Fax alert sent to 100 users

11WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

Example: China earthquake, Chengdu

GDACS system (times relative to event)

~1h GDACS Virtual OSOCC topic created1h20 UNDAC Alert Message

9h Media reports >1000 killed

1st day 1st IFRC Situation Report2nd day First OCHA Situation Report

18 May First satellite based damage map

Fatalities in the news

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12WIS CAP Implementers Workshop, 9-10 Dec 2008, WMO Geneva

GDACS’s role in relief coordination

• System for international disaster response community– Complimentary with existing

information systems– Information gap in the initial

response phase

• Partnerships– United Nations OCHA, UNOSAT,

JLS, WFP, UNEP, HABITAT– Scientific organisations

Earthquakes• USGS NEIC, EMSC, GEOFON, INGV,

EMERCOM, ESRC, Russian Academy of Sciences, WAPMERR

Tropical cyclones• Pacific Disaster Centre, University of

Hawaii, Tropical Storm Risk Floods

• Dartmouth Flood Observatory Volcanic eruptions

• Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, IVRC

Tsunamis• Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre

CAP profile(s)