{"id":30082,"date":"2018-05-30T09:34:33","date_gmt":"2018-05-30T16:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=30082"},"modified":"2022-04-29T00:10:55","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T07:10:55","slug":"himalayan-storm-watchers-save-lives","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/himalayan-storm-watchers-save-lives","title":{"rendered":"Himalayan Storm Watchers Save Lives"},"author":931,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1041,691],"tags":[8032,8022,8012,8002],"industry":[],"esri-blog-category":[478652],"esri_blog_department":[478242],"class_list":["post-30082","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-collaboration","category-smart-communities","tag-digital-earth","tag-disaster-preparedness","tag-flooding","tag-monsoon","esri-blog-category-monitoring","esri_blog_department-public-safety"],"acf":{"video_source":"","video_start":"","video_stop":"","short_description":"With multiagency cooperation, ICIMOD fills in data gaps to help create an economically and environmentally sound mountain ecosystem. ","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Key Takeaways\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Himalayan research center pivots from disaster response to prevention using years of data<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Early warning system gives villagers time to react to flood threats<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Work across borders makes mountain communities resilient, sustainable<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Himalayan farmers depend on South Asia\u2019s monsoon season to drench crops and ensure their livelihood. But these storms can quickly turn from downpour to disaster. Jagged mountain ranges magnify the forces of wind and water, making the region particularly vulnerable. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.icimod.org\/?q=10\">ICIMOD<\/a>) uses location intelligence to study weather threats and warn local communities when they are in danger.\r\n\r\nICIMOD delivers its data to its regional member countries\u2014Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan\u2014that share the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. Floods have occurred more regularly in the region, and given increasing populations, these disruptions make the residents more vulnerable with each compounding storm. Between 2013 and 2017, when three monsoons flooded the Himalayas, ICIMOD was able to inform and warn residents, giving them time to prepare.\r\n\r\nLocation-based technology underpins the organization\u2019s flood warning capability. During the recent floods, ICIMOD used its technology to provide maps, data, and expert recommendations. It also issued real-time alerts through an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.icimod.org\/cbfews\">early warning system<\/a> operating in two areas prone to flash flooding\u2014Assam, India and Koshi, Nepal. Community observers use a network of transmitters to alert downstream communities when the waters rise.\r\n\r\nMany of the villages that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.icimod.org\/?q=28996\">received alerts<\/a> had a seven-hour lead-time before the flood hit. That allowed residents to get out of harm\u2019s way with their livestock and other vital items, giving them enough resilience to bounce back from a devastating storm.\r\n\r\n\u201cFor the last flood in 2017, we quickly processed satellite data to identify inundation areas in northern Bangladesh, India, and southern Nepal,\u201d said Sudip Pradhan, program coordinator, Regional Database Initiative, ICIMOD."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":30132,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<strong>Poised for Prevention<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n\r\nIn the past, disaster management focused on response and relief. As location technology evolves, it makes more types of analysis possible\u2014analysis that mitigates and reduces risk. Now ICIMOD is working to provide people with real-time warnings and disaster preparedness planning.\r\n\r\nThe organization applies <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/location-intelligence\">location intelligence<\/a> software and professional support from Esri to produce large-scale maps that integrate data on natural resources, lifestyle, and economic factors. These maps show details such as precise watershed boundaries for each Himalayan village, so locals can avoid building houses in high-risk areas.\r\n\r\nOn the ground, ICIMOD works with local communities and officials to show how these maps can help estimate loss and damage, and address infrastructure needs. It also uses the data to create scenario assessments for future community planning. Over time, the maps and data help chart monsoon flood progressions and patterns.\r\n\r\nAt the regional level, ICIMOD uses location technology to examine agricultural land and methods. It deploys all of its map-enabled applications through the \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/geoportal.icimod.org\/\">Mountain Geoportal<\/a>, which aggregates many data sets related to sustainable development.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe have been active in creating land cover maps for different countries of the Hindu Kush,\u201d Pradhan said. \u201cWe created these datasets for 1990, 2000, and 2010. This allowed us to build a visualization application to see changes in forests, agriculture, and other land cover types.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"<strong>Gathering and Sharing Data and Knowledge<\/strong>\r\n\r\nICIMOD\u2019s regional program on Mountain Environment Regional Information System (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.icimod.org\/?q=rps_menris\">MENRIS<\/a>) focuses on developing information and knowledge on key regional priorities. It also promotes active regional cooperation to support informed decision making based on Earth observation, geospatial data, and technology. SERVIR Hindu Kush Himalaya (SERVIR-HKH), an initiative under MENRIS, brings together a unique collaboration between NASA and the US Agency for International Development. ICIMOD serves as the Hindu Kush Himalayan hub of the global <a href=\"https:\/\/www.servirglobal.net\/\">SERVIR network<\/a>.\r\n\r\nSERVIR provides access to Earth observing satellite data and helps developing countries manage land use and climate risks. For the past decade, the SERVIR network has worked in 45+ countries with 250+ institutions. As a result, data products such as maps and analysis, are helping decision makers act on climate-sensitive issues including food security, water resources, land-use change, and natural disasters.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<strong>Disaster Response<\/strong>\r\n\r\nWhen monsoons hammer the Himalayas, ICIMOD provides environmental and population data to aid organizations. In 2017, the organization\u2019s flood inundation data helped the World Food Program (WFP) Nepal respond to severe flash floods and landslides that hit 35 districts.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe WFP needed to know the exact inundation areas so they could reach affected villages faster,\u201d Pradhan said. \u201cThrough a mapping interface and by providing corresponding datasets, we helped WFP Nepal and other national agencies distribute food and aid.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe deluge triggered a humanitarian crisis, displacing thousands of villagers, destroying houses, and halting agricultural production. Floods also compromised food security and roadblocked access to basic health and sanitation services. ICIMOD\u2019s mapping interface focused relief efforts by combining data with satellite imagery.\r\n\r\n\u201cOur maps visually defined each district and allowed all stakeholders to calculate the number of people that would need sustained aid,\u201d Pradhan said."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":30142,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<strong>Foundational Awareness<\/strong>\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s not easy to develop and maintain land in the rugged, remote Himalayan region. Data in the HKH region was often old, siloed, and inaccessible. And, mountains\u2014particularly the tallest mountains in the world\u2014aren\u2019t the most conducive environments to conduct land surveys.\r\n\r\nAt its creation more than 30 years ago, ICIMOD set out to promote regional database sharing, development, and standardization. The goal was to facilitate collaboration across governments and with external agencies. Staff used satellite and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/products\/imagery-remote-sensing\/overview\">remotely-sensed imagery<\/a> along with earth science data from the European Space Agency, NASA, and other organizations. They created an open platform to share data and processes with all partners.\r\n\r\nBy coordinating with large international agencies, ICIMOD pioneered a visual representation of the Himalayas. Theses maps and datasets turned out to be the most complete depiction of the earth\u2019s tallest mountain range and the people who live there.\r\n\r\n\u201cIncorporating external data in a single platform bridges the gaps in data,\u201d Pradhan said. \u201cIt also gives us the ability to assemble spatial information on land use with socioeconomic information, which gives us a better understanding of the populations we serve.\u201d\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nLearn how GIS is used for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.esri.com\/services\/disaster-response\">disaster preparedness<\/a> and see examples of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.esri.com\/services\/disaster-response\/flooding\">flooding<\/a> response around the world.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>The concept of a \u2018Digital Earth\u2019 has inspired citizens, scientists, policy-makers, academics and businesses from around the world to work toward creating a truly global network of systems to share information on issues critical to planet Earth. The concept of \u2018Digital Earth\u2019 is built on the idea that individuals, local communities, national, and international agencies can share environmental, scientific and spatial information seamlessly, freely, and in near-real time. It\u2019s only now, with developments in technology and geographic information systems (GIS), that many organizations, large and small, are organically creating that very \u2018nervous system\u2019 for the Earth. This three-part series highlights organizations in the Asia-Pacific region, from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/real-time-map-traps-new-zealands-predators\/\">small environmental conservation groups in New Zealand<\/a> to international agencies such as the United Nations, that are using spatial technology to realize this global vision of interconnectivity, collaboration and shared understanding.<\/em>"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Himalayan Storm Watchers Use the Digital Earth to Save Lives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ICIMOD applies location intelligence using the digital earth to forecast and prepare Himalayan peoples for flooding, landslides, drought, and economic upheaval.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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