Author Archives: codata_blog

Audrey Masizana: Candidacy for CODATA Executive Committee

This is the fourth in the series of short statements from candidates in the coming CODATA Elections at the General Assembly to be held on 27-28 October 2023.  Audrey Masizana is a candidate for the CODATA Executive Committee as an Ordinary Member. She was nominated by Botswana

Dr Audrey Masizana is a Senior Lecturer and former Head of Department of Computer Science at the University of Botswana. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from University of Manchester UK (2004). He is also Fellow of Botswana Academy of Sciences (FBAS) since 2021 and Global Health International Scholar of  University of Pennsylvania, USA (2023-2026).

As a member of Botswana CODATA National Committee, she is a strong advocate and passionate of the adoption of Open Data Open Science Policies and Instruments locally and across the continent. Currently she is the Chair of the development of  the Botswana Open Data Policy established by the Botswana Presidential Task Force (Smart Bots) in March 2023, the outcome of which could provide the leadership and adoption in the African SADC region. In 2021 she was elected to serve for 2 years into the Executive Committee of the CODATA for International Science Council.

She has over the years gained enormous experience in spear heading academic networking platforms including  chairing conferences such as Information Technology for Development (IASTED Africa 2014, 2016), International Conference in Cyber-Security and Information systems conference series referenced in ICICIS 2016 and here.  Also, the International Data Week (IDW 2018) spearheaded by the University of Botswana. She has served as a member of the African Technical Advisory Committee which formed part of the first committee that established the African Open Science Platform in 2017. She is also one of the innovators of the VizAfrica Network and chaired the second VizAfrica Conference in 2019 delivered in collaboration with CODATA. She continues to serve in the organizing committees of the subsequent IDW and Viz Africa conferences.

As Head pf Department,  she made contributions to the promotion of science and technology by providing leadership in the establishment of fostered local and regional collaborative projects around Hi Performance Computing (HPC) & Data Science Research, eHealth Research , Intelligent Systems Research and Open Data. She has served at national bodies such as the National Cyber Security Strategy Development Committee (2016) and its new Implementation Committee (2021).

Audrey is passionate in interdisciplinary post graduate research around Scientific Application of Data for Intelligent Decision Making for which she also conducts external examining for other universities. She is a well-seasoned researcher with  50+ publications. Currently serves as a Project Investigator of a project in Botswana named Kamogano  that aims to evaluate the flow of clinical information from and to the front-line clinicians within Botswana Health Information Systems in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She is also a PI of another named MLCOVID19 conducted by the University of Botswana which aims to apply machine learning techniques to predict COVID-19 progression amongst patients in Botswana through risk analysis on survival and mortality rates.

Pam Maras: Candidacy for CODATA Executive Committee

This is the third in the series of short statements from candidates in the coming CODATA Elections at the General Assembly to be held on 27-28 October 2023. Pam Maras is a candidate for the CODATA Executive Committee as an Ordinary Member. She was nominated by the International Union of Psychological Science.

Pam Maras was elected first female President of the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS) in 2016 she is now past-president on  IUPsyS Executive Committee, she is a Fellow, Past President, and Past Honorary General Secretary of the British Psychological Society and a Chartered Scientist (CSci) with the UK Science Council. 

As the Global body for psychological science IUPsyS is a  founding Union of the ISC. Over two million psychologists are represented by IUPsyS members, who collect or use data in primary, secondary or published form;  e.g. on evidence informed  policy direction,  public behaviour compliance and mental health during the pandemic. 

Pam  represents IUPsyS on CODATA and is a DRUM Ambassador. She is committed to Equality in Science and represents IUPsyS on the Standing Committee on Gender Equality in Science (SCGES). 

Pam is Emerita Professor of Psychology at the University of Greenwich, London and where she held senior University roles including chair of the independent committee for institutional compliance with ethical requirements including data stewardship. Pam has attracted considerable research funding with international  collaborations, including in Africa, Australasia, China, Europe (including France, Netherlands, Spain, and Italy), the Nordic countries, North and Latin America, and South-East Asia. She is often asked to comment in media and has provided evidence to policy makers. She has over one hundred publications most recent of which were independently rated as internationally excellent or outstanding in the 2021 UK national assessment of research excellence.

Pam’s research  moved from experimental psychology to  applying psychological science to social situations in education, including testing psychometric measures in different geographical contexts to ensure cultural relevance. Data collection has included surveys and quasi experimental designs. She believes regions should set their own agenda and be able to engage in the ‘open science movement’ as contributors and recipients.  

CODATA is in a unique position in the ISC as the global body to represent international science in all its forms in the promotion and dissemination of science. The ethical and open access of data for public good can only be achieved through geographic and disciplinary collaboration, which includes all areas of the science community and  all regions of the world.  Behavioural sciences should  be an equal partner in international science.  A challenge is to ensure that scientists collectively ‘buy in’ to processes including for data that are less easy to curate from the social and behavioural sciences. 

As a psychologist Pam’s contribution if elected would at an interdisciplinary level include representing and integrating behavioural science into the adoption of principles and policy arising out of CODATA and partners, and at a disciplinary level on human behaviour; both of scientists and on applications of scientific discovery including in areas of interdisciplinary relevance.  Pam’s expertise is relevant to the impact of data, and the ethical development and implementation of policy. This can only  be effectively achieved with integrity if common processes are not only designed but adopted; the latter is likely to be harder than the former and requires a shared understanding and commitment to act and cooperate  – behavioural scientists such as psychologists are  essential to this endeavour.

Philip E. Bourne: Candidacy for CODATA Executive Committee

This is the second in the series of short statements from candidates in the coming CODATA Elections at the General Assembly to be held on 27-28 October 2023.  Phil Bourne is a candidate for the role of CODATA Vice-President. He was nominated by the USA. 

CODATA Statement:  Impacting  the Next Generation

CODATA is a respected, impactful organization. Its strategic connection to the International Science Council gives it a rare platform for driving impact by serving and anticipating the data needs of the world’s scientists, data stewards, and citizen scientists. Hence my interest.

I have spent my whole 40+ year career working with data and the science of data in particular. My interest in data stems from my science as an established biomedical researcher having published over 350 papers, 4 books and started 4 companies. My journey with data led me to co-develop the RCSB Protein Data Bank which became an exemplar scientific database and associated ontology. I was an author of the FAIR principles, the first chief data officer of the National Institutes of Health, a co-founder and the first President of FORCE11, a past member of the US Board on Research Data and Information (BRDI), Founding Editor in Chief of the open access journal PLOS Computational Biology and currently the Stephenson Founding Dean of the School of Data Science at the University of Virginia where we are currently teaching data science to 1000 (!) undergraduate and graduate students. It is this later development which drove me to engage with CODATA as a member of the US National Committee and to write a blog on what I perceive as parallel universes which has received considerable attention, starting with the US National Committee for CODATA. Let me explain.

If I ask those 1000 students and the faculty that teach them at the University of Virginia what they know of CODATA, it will be mostly blank stares. This is unfortunate as both universes have so much to offer each other. To elaborate. CODATA has global reach, the ability to convene and a mandate to do so through a hardworking collection of volunteers. Data science is an explosive field being taught and fielding research in every discipline in just about every institution of higher education. Surely it is time to bring these groups together in ways previously unexplored. This is what I would like to help CODATA with. Data science has the Academic Data Science Alliance (ADSA – I am on the Board) and a variety of chapters within computer science and engineering societies worldwide, but its organization is still very much in a formative stage. There lies the opportunity, a well established organization with a 57 year history meets a fledgling field at a time of unprecedented growth in that field driven by data that is impacting everyone on the planet. It’s time to impact the next generation.  There will not be a better time.

Talk is cheap. In terms of action. I can see various discussions  to begin the engagement. A real doozy would be to have CODATA and data scientists discuss the implication of data generation through generative AI. Thus, if elected, I would work with the CODATA leadership and broader community to find synergies and new areas of collaboration for academic data scientists and data practitioners and policy makers. Possible examples could include a broader partnership in the CODATA/RDA Schools of Research Data Science with ADSA, as well as bringing the successful models in WorldFAIR and other CODATA exemplars like the International Data Policy Committee and the DRUM task group to the academic data science community.   I stand ready to support the new CODATA strategic plan, to be a boundary spanner with other organizations and agencies, and to advise the CODATA secretariat and community as other disruptive technological and policy changes occur.

Andrew Young: Candidacy for CODATA Executive Committee

This is the first in the series of short statements from candidates in the coming CODATA Elections at the General Assembly to be held on 27-28 October 2023.  Andrew Young is a candidate for the CODATA Executive Committee as an Ordinary Member. He was nominated by Australia. 

I am a plant ecological geneticist working in the field of biodiversity science at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia.  My primary role for the last eight years has been as Director of Australia’s National Research Collections (NRCA): https://www.csiro.au/en/Showcase/NRCA.  I am currently a member of Australia’s National Committee for Data in Science (Australian National CODATA committee) and Vice-Chair of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility Executive: https://www.gbif.org/.

My main interest in development of data strategy is in the management of biodiversity datasets to improve ecological management and long-term environmental outcomes and the use of new tools and technologies for collecting and analysing biodiversity data at scale.  I am particularly interested the integration and mobilisation of new types of data from the world’s 2+ billion museum specimens (e.g. genomes, images, sounds, cultural information) and evolving frontiers in data analytics including genomics, high-throughput digitisation, machine learning and artificial intelligence as applied biological collections.   

As NRCA Director I have supported the development of a high-throughput specimen digitisation program as well as the complete refresh of collections data infrastructure.  These changes have significantly improved the digital maturity of Australia’s national collections to support the discoverability, global integration, and use of specimen data under FAIR principles (CODATA Priority 3: Data Stewardship).  The work has also seen significant progress made in advancing our capability in machine learning and AI-based analytics of specimens, in particular with regard to digital trait extraction and species identification.  This is proving valuable with regard to improving the technical capacity of Australia’s biosecurity sector (CODATA Priority 1: Making Data Work). All of these activities and programs have strong underpinning elements in terms of training technical staff, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows (CODATA Priority 4: Data Skills and Education).  I am committed to the development of the next generation of Australian scientists and for the last six years have chaired several of the national Fulbright Foundation Scholarship panels:    https://www.fulbright.org.au/.  

While undertaking these roles and activities I have continued to conduct my own research publishing 100+ peer-reviewed papers.  I have also initiated two major data-intensive national collaborative research programs.  The Biomes of Australian Soil Environments project (now part of Ausmicrobiome: https://www.australianmicrobiome.com/) has used metagenomic analysis of over 2000 sites across Australia to measure and map the continent’s soil microbiome using over 10 billion environmental DNA sequences.  The Environomics Future Science Platform (https://research.csiro.au/environomics/) has led the development in Australia of the application of scalable eDNA based approaches to environmental monitoring including the ongoing development of a National Biodiversity DNA Library.

I am passionate about the opportunities presented by emerging technologies to massively increase the richness of the global biodiversity data ecosystem and committed to taking advantage of the rapidly evolving ability to integrate and interrogate these different data streams to provide the information needed to manage the planet’s critical biological systems into the future in the face of global environmental change.  

Disaster Risk Reduction and Open Data Newsletter: October 2023 Edition

Running Dry Racing Against Time to Secure Our Water Future
Reviewing our progress in 2023, we need to catch up to our 2030 targets, particularly in water resources management. Despite challenges, the 2023 UN Water Conference and World Water Week have made strides towards a water-secure world. However, achieving these targets will require $114 billion per year in capital expenditure. It’s time for bold commitments, innovative solutions, and global collaboration!

At Climate Ambition Summit, UN Agencies and IFRC kickstart Major Initiative Towards Realizing Early Warnings for All by 2027
An initial injection of US$1.3 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) will be used to kick-start a much larger initiative aimed at delivering $157 million from the GCF and partner governments to move towards universal early warning for all.

How Nature-Based Solutions Can Build Urban Resilience: Four Lessons from SEI’s Work in South Asian Cities 
Nature-based solutions can help address environmental challenges in cities but community involvement and engagement is crucial to utilize local knowledge and create sustainable solutions. Here we provide four lessons based on SEI’s collaboration at the ground level to show how NbS can be made to work to address environmental challenges in cities.

Drones and Planes: Unprecedented Imagery Resolution Supports Disaster Assessment
The first use cases of drones and airplanes to collect high-resolution imagery helped the EU respond to emergencies and track disaster recovery with unparalleled accuracy. The potential to support disaster management looks promising.

Effective Visual Communication of Climate Change 
Boulder, Colo., USA: The consequences of a warming climate frequently dominated the news this summer, from devastating wildfires and floods to deadly heat waves across the globe. Reducing harm from climate change is a challenging endeavour, and it requires comprehensive public education. Thus, the question arises: How can climate change science be made most accessible to the general population, as well as decision-makers and educators?

The Threat of Wildfires is Rising. So are New Artificial Intelligence Solutions to Fight Them 
Wildfires fueled by climate change have ravaged communities from Maui to the Mediterranean this summer, killing many people, exhausting firefighters and fueling demand for new solutions. Enter artificial intelligence. Firefighters and startups are using AI-enabled cameras to scan the horizon for signs of smoke. A German company is building a constellation of satellites to detect fires from space.

“From satellites to sandbags”: Putting Water at the Heart of Climate Action. 
As proved so tragically in Libya last week, while water holds the key to life, all too often it kills.
Whether – like in Derna – it’s too much water leading to floods, or too little water causing droughts, or polluted water resulting in health risks, addressing the dangers that water poses can save lives. As climate change intensifies these threats, there is an urgent need for action.

The Environmental Dimensions of Libya’s Flood Disaster 
The catastrophic flooding in eastern Libya is a human and environmental disaster that has claimed thousands of lives. In this report we examine the main environmental considerations in the short and long-term, both to help inform the humanitarian response and later recovery. We also reflect on how years of conflict and insecurity in Libya contributed to the disaster.

The Ocean as a Solution to Climate Change: Updated Opportunities for Action
Analysis finds that full implementation of ocean-based climate solutions that are ready for action now could reduce the “emissions gap” by up to 35 percent on a 1.5°C pathway in 2050.

Resilience Evidence Forum 2023: Synthesis report
This Synthesis Report presents the findings and insights from the Resilience Evidence Forum that took place in June 2023. The report underscores the pressing need to build upon our progress, recognise the various forms of evidence—be it scientific, local knowledge, indigenous knowledge, or conveyed through storytelling—and elevate resilience as a collective, paramount objective.

Intangible Cultural Heritage within the Laws and Policies of South Pacific Small Island States in the climate crisis
Intangible Cultural Heritage within the Laws and Policies of South Pacific Small Island States in the Climate Crisis: Towards a More Resilient and Inclusive Approach’ is the first Special Edition of the Periscope Paper Series, an Occasional Analysis Paper/Brief series of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s (Foundation) Regional Programme Australia and the Pacific. This edition deals with the protection of intangible cultural heritage in Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

World Risk Report 2023: Focus: Diversity
The WorldRiskReport (WRR) 2023 examines the complex interrelationship between crises, marginalized groups, and the diverse structure of societies. Diversity plays a significant role in how disaster risk is distributed within a society. While it is true that disasters, extreme natural events, and crisis affect everyone in the immediate surroundings, the impact of the negative consequences tends to be more severe for marginalized groups such as people read as female, persons with disabilities, or members of the queer community.

Integrating Resilience into Municipal Infrastructure Delivery in Kenya
This Resilient Urban Infrastructure Guidelines forms one of a suite of reports developed by AECOM for the World Bank Group under the ‘Enhancement of Resilient Urban Planning and Infrastructure Investments in Urban Areas in Kenya’ assignment and constitutes Deliverable 2. This guidance note is based on a diagnostic assessment (Urban Resilient Infrastructure Assessment Report) of municipal infrastructure investments under the Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP) 2018 – 2023.

Impacts of Medicanes on Geomorphology and Infrastructure in the Eastern Mediterranean
This study developed a systematic record of the direct impacts of Medicane Ianos on the Ionian Islands, in Greece, as a characteristic case study illustrating the potential effects of such an extreme event on a developed Mediterranean coastal area. Despite being relatively rare, Mediterranean tropical-like cyclones, also known as Medicanes, induce significant impacts on coastal Mediterranean areas.

Beyond the Horizon: Projecting Bhutan’s Water Future in a Changing Climate
Data can be a tricky beast. It can either illuminate our path or leave us groping in the dark. We decided to tackle this head-on. We harnessed the power of the latest climate change scenarios, leveraged satellite-driven rainfall data to train our historical database, and employed the basin-wide hydrological model (ArcSWAT) to evaluate future water availability across various basins.

Cities by Citizens Event 2
The objective of the Cities by Citizens initiative is achieving cities which are proactively planned to meet the needs of all through inclusive, meaningful and effective public participation in the planning process, as well as informed and transparent political decision-making on strategy and developments in urban areas.

International Data Week 2023: A Festival of Data, 23–26 October 2023, Salzburg, Austria
International Data Week brings together a global community of data scientists and data stewards; researchers from all domains; data, interoperability, and informatics experts from all fields; industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and policymakers.

Integrating Disaster Risk Data in Policy: CEMS’ Annual Conference 2023
Join us on Disaster Risk Reduction Day (13 October 2023) to learn about Copernicus and the Joint Research Centre’s (JRC) work on crisis management and the risks and opportunities of the future.

Training on Enhancing Inclusive Local Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies Using Disability Inclusion Scorecard Annex
This courses objective is to raise awareness on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in disaster risk management and Introduce the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities – Annex for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities and its application for enhancing sub-national disaster risk reduction planning and implementation.

COSMOS 2024 Call for Contributions – Deadline Extended to 13 October
We invite the statistical and metadata communities to submit contributions for the first Conference On Smart Metadata for Official Statistics 2024 (COSMOS 2024), to be held on 11-12 April 2024 in Paris, France.

Webinar: Driving Measurable Change: Leveraging UN SDGs for Impact Investing
As the world reaches the midway point in its journey towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, reinvigorating progress and aligning efforts across various sectors has never been more pressing.

September 2023: Publications in the Data Science Journal

Title: RDM+PM Checklist: Towards a Measure of Your Institution’s Preparedness for the Effective Planning of Research Data Management
Author: Matthew I. Bellgard, Ryan Bennett, Yvette Wyborn, Chris Williams, Leonie Barner, Nikolajs Zeps
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-036
Title: Umbrella Data Management Plans to Integrate FAIR Data: Lessons From the ISIDORe and BY-COVID Consortia for Pandemic Preparedness
Author: Romain David, Audrey S. Richard, Claire Connellan, Katharina B. Lauer, Maria Luisa Chiusano, Carole Goble, Martin Houde, Isabel Kemmer, Antje Keppler, Philippe Lieutaud, Christian Ohmann, Maria Panagiotopoulou, Sara Raza Khan, Arina Rybina, Stian Soiland-Reyes, Charlotte Wit, Rudolf Wittner, Rafael Andrade Buono, Sarah Arnaud Marsh, Pauline Audergon, Dylan Bonfils, Jose-Maria Carazo, Remi Charrel, Frederik Coppens, Wolfgang Fecke, Claudia Filippone, Eva Garcia Alvarez, Sheraz Gul, Henning Hermjakob, Katja Herzog, Petr Holub, Lukasz Kozera, Allyson L. Lister, José López-Coronado, Bénédicte Madon, Kurt Majcen, William Martin. Wolfgang Müller, Elli Papadopoulou, Christine M.A. Prat, Paolo Romano, Susanna-Assunta Sansone, Gary Saunders, Niklas Blomberg, Jonathan Ewbank
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-035
Title:Data Management for PalMod-II – A FAIR-Based Strategy for Data Handling in Large Climate Modeling Projects
Author: Swati Gehlot, Karsten Peters-von Gehlen, Andrea Lammert, Hannes Thiemann
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-034
Title: Development of a Job Advertisement Analysis for Assessing Data Science Competencies
Author: Jan Vogt, Thilo Voigt, Annika Nowak, Jan M. Pawlowski
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-033
Title: Engaging with Researchers and Raising Awareness of FAIR and Open Science through the FAIR+ Implementation Survey Tool (FAIRIST)
Author: Christine R. Kirkpatrick, Kevin Coakley, Julianne Christopher, Inês Dutra
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-032

Disaster Risk Reduction and Open Data Newsletter: September 2023 Edition

Channeling a safer future: How Georgia is engineering a climate-resilient future, safe from floods 
The unprecedented scale of the 2015 floods served as a wake-up call to the authorities and communities alike, prompting a re-evaluation of flood preparedness and the need for greater measures to mitigate future disasters – particularly in the context of more frequent extreme weather driven by climate change.

Monitoring Coastal Erosion in Africa using Earth Observation Data
The Digital Earth Africa #Coastline monitoring service empowers users to unlock sustainable coastal zone management through understanding patterns from the past.

Artificial Glacier Helps Mountain Village in Kyrgyzstan Meet Water Needs 
In southern Kyrgyzstan agriculture is the main source of income and food. To increase the communities’ resilience to weather anomalies, experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) proposed the construction of an artificial glacier in the region as part of the “Shared prosperity through cooperation in border regions of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan” project.

New Test Chamber Created to Find Better Ways to Keep People Cool 
A shipping container that can test passive cooling systems could help researchers and builders find carbon-free ways to keep people cool in extreme temperatures. Washington State University researchers created the 60-square-foot chamber to test passive systems that use wind towers along with water evaporation instead of electricity to cool spaces.

Global Heating Likely to Hit World Food Supply Before 1.5C, Says UN Expert 
The world is likely to face major disruption to food supplies well before temperatures rise by the 1.5C target, the president of the UN’s desertification conference has warned, as the impacts of the climate crisis combine with water scarcity and poor farming practices to threaten global agriculture.

Investing in Resilience: Innovative Finance for Drought Preparedness 
The policy brief demonstrates that enhancing resilience is one of the most cost-effective actions countries can take, and is typically far less expensive than interventions focused on responding to, and recovering from, the impacts of droughts, but innovative financing mechanisms are essential to fund the necessary long-term investments.

Leveraging Blockchain Technology for Crisis Management 
In the aftermath of climactic disasters, questions can often be raised that scrutinize the response from government authorities in aiding those affected. Taken from their research presented in Public Administration Review, Wendy D Chen and Ilia Murtazashvili explore the role of blockchains in disaster management. The authors argue that blockchains provide mechanisms of transparency and security that can enable governments to respond more effectively to disasters.

Comparison and Analysis of national Climate Change Adaptation Policies in the Nordic Region 
This report presents the findings from a comparative study of climate change adaptation policy in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Based on a comparative analysis of the policy landscape, including legislative frameworks, policy instruments, and financing mechanisms, the report identifies best practices and main challenges as well as key factors influencing the progress of national adaptation.

Machine Learning-enabled Regional Multi-hazards Risk Assessment Considering Social Vulnerability 
This study proposes a multi-hazards risk assessment method which considers social vulnerability into the analyzing and utilize machine learning-enabled models. The regional multi-hazards risk assessment poses difficulties due to data access challenges, and the potential interactions between multi-hazards and social vulnerability.

Weathering the Storm: Insurance in a changing climate 
This report explores the role of the insurance market in responding to these complex issues. It is informed by a nationwide survey of people that have home insurance, as well as interviews with homeowners and people who rent in communities affected by extreme weather events.

Climate Ambition Summit 
To accelerate action by governments, business, finance, local authorities and civil society, and hear from “first movers and doers,” the United Nations Secretary-General is convening a Climate Ambition Summit at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 20 September 2023.

3rd International Forum on Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (FBAS) 
Thursday 7 September 2023; 13:30 to 15:00 CST (UTC +8, Beijing time) a CODATA+ Session on ‘Data and AI Policy for the Responsible Governance of Big Data During Crisis Situations for Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ as part of The 3rd International Forum on Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (FBAS 2023). Here is a registration link for online participation.

Introduction to the Scorecard Action Guide: Prioritization of DRR Actions
This webinar session aims to introduce the Scorecard Action Guide and present a methodology for cities to frame and prioritise their programmes of action using data from the Scorecard assessment.

GCF Private Investment for Climate Conference 2023 
Wednesday, 27 September 2023, 13:00 to 15:00 UTC; 15:00 to 17:00 CEST (Brussels time): A Research Data Alliance’s (RDA) 10th Anniversary Webinar organized by the AIDV-WG + GOSC and CODATA IDPC on ‘The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Building Responsible Open Science Infrastructures’. Here is a registration link for online participation.

CODATA Connect Webinar - Data Stewardship, What’s in it for me?
This webinar will cover the practical aspects of data stewardship: what do people mean by it, why it is important (= the selfish benefits of good data stewardship), and, crucially, where and how to look for help. The session will be interactive, with plenty of time for questions and discussion.18 September:

UNDRR GETI, UNITAR & WHO E-learning Course] Resilience of Local Governments
In line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, SDG 11.B and SDG 3.D, this e-Learning Course aims to contribute to strengthening the capacity of local government officials for risk reduction and resilience planning inclusive of health threats management.

International Conference on Science and Technology for Sustainability 2023 – Transforming Society to Become Resilient and Sustainable beyond Catastrophic Disasters 
The Science Council of Japan, the Japan Hub of Disaster Resilience Partners (JHoP) and the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) invite you to the “International Conference on Science and Technology for Sustainability 2023 – Transforming Society to Become Resilient and Sustainable beyond Catastrophic Disasters”.

August 2023: Publications in the Data Science Journal

Title: Enhancing Privacy-Preserving Intrusion Detection in Blockchain-Based Networks with Deep Learning
Author:Junzhou Li, Qianhui Sun, Feixian Sun
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-031
Title: Data Management Plans for the Photon and Neutron Communities
Author: Marjolaine Bodin, Fredrik Bolmsten, Petra Aulin, Teodor Ivănoaica, Alessandro Olivo, Janusz Malka, Krzysztof Wrona, Andy Götz
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-030
Title: Making Data Management Plans Machine Actionable: Templates and Tools
Author: Joakim Philipson, Adil Hasan, Hanne Moa
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-029
Title: Towards a Toolbox for Automated Assessment of Machine-Actionable Data Management Plans
Author:  Tomasz Miksa, Marek Suchánek, Jan Slifka, Vojtech Knaisl, Fajar J. Ekaputra, Filip Kovacevic, Annisa Maulida Ningtyas, Alaa El-Ebshihy, Robert Pergl
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-028
Title: Data Management Plan Implementation, Assessments, and Evaluations: Implications and Recommendations
Author: Bradley Wade Bishop, Peter Neish, Ji Hyun Kim, Raphaëlle Bats, A. J. Million, Jake Carlson, Heather Moulaison-Sandy, Minh T. Pham
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-027
Title: A Programmatic and Scalable Approach to making Data Management Machine-Actionable
Author: Maria Praetzellis, Matthew Buys, Xiaoli Chen, John Chodacki, Neil Davies, Kristian Garza, Catherine Nancarrow, Brian Riley, Erin Robinson
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-026
Title: Benefits and Challenges: Data Management Plans in Two Collaborative Projects
Author: Denise Jäckel, Anna Lehmann
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-025
Title: Implementing Informatics Tools with Data Management Plans for Disease Area Research
Author:  Vivek Navale, Matthew McAuliffe
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023.-024

July 2023: Publications in the Data Science Journal

Title: A Study on the Application of Data Mining Techniques in the Management of Sustainable Education for Employment
Author: Fang Fang
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-023
Title: Assessment of Personal Values for Data-Driven Human Resource Management
Author: Takuma Kimura
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-022
Title: KadiStudio use-case workflow: Automation of data-processing for in situ micropillar compression tests
Author: Rihab Al-Salman, Camila Aguiar Teixeira, Philipp Zschumme, Subin Lee, Lars Griem, Jasmin Aghassi-Hagmann, Christoph Kirchlechner, Michael Selzer
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-021
Title:  Harvestable Metadata Services Development: Analysis of Use Cases from the World Data System
Author: Robert R. Downs, Alicia Urquidi Díaz, Qi Xu, Juanle Wang, Aude Chambodot, Chuang Liu, Simon Flower, Karen Payne
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2023-020

Disaster Risk Reduction and Open Data Newsletter: August 2023 Edition

Why climate action is critical to reducing poverty and what it means for policy trade-offs
Lifting people out of poverty requires helping households acquire and use capital and ensuring that they earn a good return from it. Poor households often rely on livelihoods that rely on natural capital, such as farming, pastoralism, or fishing. Climate change and the increase in temperature, rainfall extremes, and storms will have a big impact on the ability of poor people to earn income.

GCF’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan sets out greater ambitions and results for critical global climate action 
The 2024-2027 Strategic Plan of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) was successfully adopted at the 36th meeting of the GCF Board on 10 July. As GCF nears the end of its first programming period, 2020-2023 (GCF-1), and is undergoing replenishment for its next programming period (GCF-2), the Strategic Plan reflects the urgency of the climate crisis and the organisation’s growth and maturation in becoming even more transformative and accessible.

Five tips for Inclusive disaster-risk management planning
The recent floodings in Malawi and Pakistan, earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, and Typhoon Mocha in Myanmar are painful reminders of nature’s wrath. By including women, persons with disabilities, the elderly, Indigenous Peoples, and other marginalized groups as active participants in building resilience to climate change and natural hazards, we tap into their unique, often overlooked knowledge, fostering resilience.

Cooling the heat: can India lead the world in green cooling innovation?
In recent months, India has broken several temperature records, recording its hottest February in 120 years. Heatwaves have devastating impacts on the health, economy, and environment of the nation, causing deaths, illnesses, crop failures, power outages, and water shortages. They also worsen air pollution, a major public health crisis in India.

A community-driven flood resilience information platform for Nicaragua
IIASA researchers and colleagues from Plan International are using modern digital tools to enhance community-driven flood resilience in rural flood-prone communities in Nicaragua. Communities in flood-prone regions worldwide are increasingly being impacted by the effects of flooding. Floods affect more people globally than any other natural hazard and cause some of the largest economic, social, and humanitarian losses.

Bringing a gender perspective to disaster risk finance can save lives
and support recovery
Global studies have shown that disasters – in general – often affect women harder than men. Even after years of significant economic and social progress, women face barriers in many areas. And when a natural disaster strikes, women tend to face life-threatening challenges, which could hamper both their economic and physical survival.

Surviving the aftermath of heavy snowfall in Merak, Bhutan: A story of tackling Loss and Damage
In Merak, Bhutan, we meet Ms. Pema Wangmo, who, with the help of her community, worked to restore greenhouses destroyed by climate change-induced snowfall. This is the fifth of the “Voices from the Frontline (Phase III)” stories by GRP and ICCCAD, supported by Irish Aid.

RISK Award 2023: Best project proposals “Climate resilience and early warning” 
The RISK Awards contribute to the target of disaster risk reduction and resilience building through early warning systems (EWS) as an essential strategic asset. The 2023 award focuses on early warning, particularly in building resilience to
climatic risks.

Solving climate displacement through proactive land policy 
This report speaks to three key areas: accessibility and policy as the root cause, the need for proactive planning to start now, and the fact that protecting house, land, and property rights must be at the core of climate policy responses.

Heat early warning systems roundtable 
This report contains insights, recommendations, and best practices emerging from the discussion, highlighting the importance of collective action to protect vulnerable populations from the impacts of heat waves. Extreme heat and heat waves, exacerbated by climate change, pose significant threats to public health, and effective early warnings are crucial for mitigating these risks.

Climate and equity: a framework to guide policy action 
This brief highlights that reducing the impact of climate change on poor and vulnerable households is essential to hastening poverty reduction. In thinking about policies that do this, this brief finds it helpful to apply the same hazard, exposure, and vulnerability framework often used to understand the physical impacts of climate change and add the non-climate benefits and costs to households that these policies can also bring.

State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2022 
The State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2022 report shows how climate change is triggering a vicious cycle of events with spiraling impacts on countries and local communities. Explaining how prolonged drought led to a drop in hydroelectricity production in large parts of South America, prompting an upsurge in demand for fossil fuels in a region with major untapped potential for renewable energy.

The 3rd International Forum on Low-Carbon Cities 
The 3rd International Forum on Low-Carbon Cities will be jointly organized by ESCAP East and North-East Asia Office and Incheon Metropolitan City on 29 August 2023 during the Korea Global Adaptation Week, in collaboration with Green Climate Fund, Incheon Carbon Neutrality Center, ICLEI, innovative Green Development Program, CityNet, Climate Change Center and Local Government Association for Climate and Energy Transition.

Sixth meeting of the Pacific Meteorological Council hosted by the Government of Fiji 
The Government of Fiji, through the Fiji Meteorological Service is the host of the sixth Meeting of the Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-6) in Denarau, Nadi from 14-16 August 2023. The meeting will discuss, promote and explore opportunities to strengthen weather, climate, water, ocean and related development services in the context of sustainable development.

Korea Global Adaptation Week 2023
The Korea Global Adaptation Week (KGAW) 2023 will be one of the spotlight adaptation events of the year. It will be a platform to showcase and promote actions and practices to adapt to the impacts of climate change by accelerating the formulation and implementation of countries’ National Adaptation Plans and by providing adaptation practitioners with foresight thinking for resilience building.

CODATA Connect Webinar, An Ecosystem Perspective on the Ethics of AI and Emerging Digital Technologies
Smart information systems (SIS) are systems that incorporate artificial intelligence techniques, in particular machine learning and big data analytics. These raise significant hopes, for example, to better understand and cure diseases, but also to revolutionise transport, optimise business processes, or reduce carbon emissions.

JRC Summer School on the evaluation of air, soil and water pollution in support to the European Green Deal: a holistic approach
The JRC is pleased to announce the Summer School on the evaluation of air, soil and water pollution in support of the European Green Deal: a holistic approach organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in partnership with Novi Sad University.

Australian Disaster Resilience Conference 2023 
It has never been more important to reduce disaster risk and build resilience. We must reimagine the future to create the change we need. Our partnerships, programs, actions, and ideas all play an essential part in creating and safeguarding the world we want to live in now and the world we want to pass on to future generations.