CODATA GO FAIR, RDA, and WDS outline their joint commitment to optimise the global research data ecosystem and identify the opportunities and needs that will trigger federated infrastructures to service the new reality of data-driven science.
A first concrete example of this is the following – ‘Data Together COVID-19 Appeal and Actions’. The COVID-19 pandemic presents a major test for our science system and for our research and data infrastructures.  These infrastructures, such as open science clouds and data commons, must serve the needs of science, policy, and humanity not only in ‘normal times’, but also in times of crisis by providing controlled access to quality data in real-time and at scale for a range of scientific- and policy-related responses – https://council.science/covid19/

Disaster expert shares COVID-19 lessons from China
A serious shortage of medical resources was one of the main challenges which China had to overcome to stabilize the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei, where a mortality rate of 4.7% was recorded compared with 0.9% in the country’s 30 other provinces.

CODATA President, Barend Mons ‘World View’ Opinion Piece in Nature: ‘Invest 5% of research funds in ensuring data are reusable’
‘It is irresponsible to support research but not data stewardship’, says Barend Mons.

How South Korea is suppressing COVID-19
Trace, test and treat. That sums up the strategy pursued by the Republic of Korea since it detected its first case of COVID-19 on January 20 and its first death on February 20, without imposing a lockdown.

CODATA: Call for expression of interest for contribution to the Linked Open Data for Global Disaster Risk Research
The first policy brief is expected to be released in August 2020. The global pandemic is a powerful reminder of the necessity of the international community’s intensified and sustained commitment to emergency preparedness.  We are thus inviting experts in disaster risk reduction data and policy issues to collaborate on preparing these documents.

Information is power – Climate services reach 10.2 million people
UNDP-supported climate information and early warning systems projects have reached 10.2 million people in the past 12 years. Explore the power of information to supercharge progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNECE: Recommendations on the role of official statistics in measuring hazardous events and disasters
This publication clarifies the role of NSOs and other members of NSS in providing information related to hazardous events and disasters, and identifies practical steps that these organisations can take, in coordination with national agencies responsible for disaster risk management, to better support disaster risk management efforts.

UNESCO: World Water Development report 2020
The 2020 edition of the World Water Development Report (WWDR 2020) entitled ‘Water and Climate Change’ aims at helping the water community tackle the challenges of climate change and informing the climate change community about the opportunities that improved water management offers in terms of adaptation and mitigation.

Mami Mizutori: Reflection on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: Five Years Since Its Adoption
Five years ago member states of the United Nations (UN) adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015) in Sendai, Japan, a city still recovering from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

Climate risk and response: Physical hazards and socioeconomic impacts
In this report, the focus is on understanding the nature and extent of physical risk from a changing climate over the next one to three decades, exploring physical risk as it is the basis of both transition and liability risks.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) “Infodemic” and Emerging Issues through a Data Lens: The Case of China
Mainly based on Chinese newspapers, social media and other digital platform data, this paper analyzes the timeline of the key actions taken by the government and people over three months in five different phases.

Considerations about the Cascading Effects of COVID-19 on Critical Infrastructure Sectors
This paper is offered in an effort to better understand not just the way a pandemic affects various critical infrastructure sectors, but to illustrate the cascading and escalating effects across the United States in various ways.

NASA: Introductory Webinar: Satellite Remote Sensing for Agricultural Applications – 14 April, 20 April, 5 May
This training will address how to use remote sensing data for agriculture monitoring, specifically drought and crop monitoring. The webinar will also provide end-users the ability to evaluate which regions of the world agricultural productivity is above or below long-term trends. This informs decisions pertaining to market stability and humanitarian relief.

International Science Council Webinar: Transforming science communication for transformations to sustainability – 15 April
This webinar will look at why developments in science communication matter for transformations to sustainability, communicating about ongoing transdisciplinary research with new audiences in an inclusive and ethical way, and how today’s communications tools can be used to foreground voices that are frequently marginalised in climate change debates.

NASA: Introductory Webinar: Using the UN Biodiversity Lab to Support National Conservation and Sustainable Development Goals
This training, offered in partnership with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), will teach participants about global biodiversity-based uses of remote sensing

SDSN – Happiness & Sustainability Around the Earth – 24-hour webinar 22 April
Join experts from SDSN’s global network as they share how they are building a happier world.

COVID-19 could cost world $1 Trillion if it becomes a pandemic, analysts predict
The ghastly prospect that the coronavirus outbreak could become the first truly disruptive pandemic of the globalisation era is renewing doubts over the stability of the world economy.

UNDP and UNDRR to step up action on climate and disaster risk
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) signed a joint partnership agreement on 21 February, to step up collaboration on three priority areas to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the UN Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction

SDSN TReNDS Debuts Roundtable on “Governing the Data Revolution”
Data is critical to achieving the SDGs, and while new data sources can offer many solutions to fill these crucial gaps, they need to be carefully managed. In a new roundtable debate from SDSN TReNDS, a selection of members discuss the role of traditional vs. new data methods, policy and regulatory needs for data governance, and where to invest to maximize value.

Helping shape new flood forecasting services in the Wellington region, New Zealand
Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) are embarking on a programme to establish improved flood forecasting services across the Wellington Region on New Zealand’s north island.

Australia: Climate changes threatens research itself
A collaborative study between The University of Queensland and RMIT found extreme climate change weather events such as bushfires, hailstorms and floods impacted on research production.

Tonkin + Taylor provides Dominica with EWS support
T+T’s Dr Bapon Fakhruddin has been tasked by the United Nations Development Programme for Dominica to help produce Dominica’s new multi-hazard impact-based early warning system.

2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): Strategic preparedness and response plan
This strategic preparedness and response plan outlines the public health measures that the international community stands ready to provide to support all countries to prepare for and respond to 2019‑nCoV. The document takes what has been learned so far about the virus and translates that knowledge into strategic action that can guide the efforts of all national and international partners when developing context-specific national and regional operational plans.

Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation for Transport Networks and Nodes
Extreme weather events, some of which are increasing in intensity and frequency, as well as slower onset climate changes (for example, sea level rise) and cumulative effects can result in transportation infrastructure damages, operational disruptions, and pressures on supply chain capacity and efficiency. As such, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) Group of Experts on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation for Transport Networks and Nodes (the Group of Experts) has been analysing the impacts of climate change on main transport assets in the ECE region, as presented in this report.

Nature risk rising: Why the crisis engulfing nature matters for business and the economy
Nature Risk Rising, produced in collaboration with PwC and the first report in the NNE series, explains how nature-related risks matter to business, why they must be urgently mainstreamed into risk management strategies and why it is vital to prioritise the protection of nature’s assets and services within the broader global economic growth agenda.

Climate risk and response: Physical hazards and socioeconomic impacts
In this report, the focus is on understanding the nature and extent of physical risk from a changing climate over the next one to three decades, exploring physical risk as it is the basis of both transition and liability risks.

Cost-benefit analysis of flood early warning system in the Karnali River Basin of Nepal
Nepal is severely flood-prone and ranks 20th worldwide in terms of flood-affected population. Although it is widely acknowledged that both national and community-based early warning systems (EWS) can reduce the impact of floods, studies quantifying the cost-benefits remain scarce. This study analyses the costs and benefits of the EWS in the Lower Karnali River Basin in Nepal through 453 household surveys, 30 focus group discussions and 40 key informant interviews.

Sustainable and FAIR Data sharing in the humanities
The ALLEA report “Sustainable and FAIR Data Sharing in the Humanities” provides key recommendations to make digital data in the humanities “Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable”, in line with the FAIR principles.

Sustainable Research + Innovation Congress 2020 – 14-17 June – Brisbane, Australia
The Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2020 (SRI2020) is the world’s first transdisciplinary gathering in sustainability – it will be a space of fierce advocacy for sustainability scholarship and innovation, collaboration and action.

Workshop on Impact-based Forecast and Warning Services for Members of WMO/UNESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones – 29 March-2 April – Muscat, Oman
This joint effort is an outcome of recent strengthened inter-regional cooperation on building the resilience to face extreme events, including tropical cyclones disasters. The workshop aims to build early warning skills in risk assessment and predicting the impact of tropical cyclones.

Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2020 – 29 June-2 July- Brisbane, Australia
Attracting more than 3,000 delegates from over 40 countries, the APMCDRR is the largest gathering in the Asia-Pacific to progress disaster risk reduction efforts. Participants include ministers, government officials, representatives of the private sector, non-for-profits, civil society, and vulnerable groups.

Bushfire crisis: More than half of all Australians found to have been directly affected
More than half of all Australians have been directly affected by the summer’s bushfire crisis, including millions suffering health effects, according to a new survey from the Australia Institute.

How AI is battling the coronavirus outbreak
AI helped spot an early warning about the outbreak, and researchers have used flight traveller data to figure out where the novel coronavirus could pop up next.

Philippines lowers Taal Volcano alerts as eruptions wane
The alert was reduced to 3 from 4 out of a 5 rating-scale, says the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. The agency has cautioned the downgrade “should not be interpreted that unrest has ceased or that the threat of a hazardous eruption has disappeared.”

Thailand: Government sets up water crisis centre
With Thailand facing a drought disaster, the government has set up a special command centre chaired by the Prime Minister, to handle the crisis and assist affected villages.

Major boost for disaster risk management in Vanuatu
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a contingent US$10 million in support to Vanuatu that will strengthen the island nation’s resilience to disasters, support climate adaption, and help manage its debt.

Deep data helps cities prepare for disasters
Disaster response experts have begun utilising non-traditional data sources to assist with planning including high-resolution images from satellites and drones, localised temperature and seismic intelligence from microsensors, and open data repositories such as social media activity to street maps from thousands of volunteer digital cartographers.

World Economic Forum: The top risks facing the world in 2020
The World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report identifies the top threats facing the world by likelihood and extent of impact, and names failure to mitigate and adapt to climate change as the key concern for the Forum’s network of business leaders, NGOs, academics and others.

Using mobile phone surveys to track survey resilience and post-disaster recovery: A how-to guide
Around the world, increasing access to mobile technologies is making it easier (and cheaper) to gather information about people’s lives and livelihoods, allowing it to inform development and humanitarian activities.

Preferences for improved early warning services among coastal communities at risk in cyclone prone south-west region of Bangladesh
This study aims to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for improved warning services by considering the at-risk households’ trade-off between proposed improved EWS and existing EWS in coastal Bangladesh.

Early warning action report on food security and agriculture (Jan-March 2020)
The report provides a quarterly forward-looking analysis of major disaster risks to food security and agriculture, specifically highlighting potential new emergencies resulting from imminent disaster threats and new developments in countries already affected by protracted crises.

Australia’s annual climate statement 2019
Released through the Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology, 2019 has been noted as Australia’s warmest and driest year on record.

International Monetary Fund – Natural disaster insurance for sovereigns: issues, challenges and optimality
The paper discusses sovereign experience with disaster insurance as a key instrument to mitigate the risks; proposes ways to judge the adequacy of insurance; and considers ways to enhance its use by vulnerable countries.

OCHA – Latin America and the Caribbean: Natural disasters 2000-2019
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is the second most disaster-prone region in the world. Some 152 million people have been affected by 1,205 disasters (2000-2019). The collective impact of recurring climate shocks, most notably protracted droughts followed by seasonal flooding, leads to complex and multidimensional humanitarian needs.

UNDRR: Global Consultative Workshop – Scaling up DRR in Humanitarian/Development Contexts – 27 Feb – Geneva, Switzerland
The main objective of this workshop is to consider the extent to which DRR is currently integrated in humanitarian/development contexts, including the identification of barriers and enablers.

2020 Asia-Pacific Science and Technology Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APSTCDRR) – 16-17 Mar – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The 2020 Asia-Pacific Science and Technology Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction aims to provide an opportunity to the science, technology, and academia community in Asia and the Pacific to continue the much-needed science-policy dialogue to ensure that implementation of disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures are based on reliable science, technology and innovation.

The Sustainability Research and Innovation 2020 Congress – 14-17 June- Brisbane, Australia
The Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2020 (SRI2020) will be a unique gathering to connect those at the forefront of sustainability science, innovation, funding, communication and implementation across sectors and disciplines.

Open Data Day 2020 – mini-grant scheme launch
This scheme will provide small funds to support the organisation of open data-related events across the world on Saturday 7th March 2020.

UNDRR SRSG Mami Mizutori speaks in Auckland
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction and the head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mami Mizutori, recently spoke on resiliency and sustainable development at Tonkin + Taylor’s Auckland office. Click above for a link to the livestream video.

Fiji: Cyclone Early Warning System for Pacific goes live
An operational system has been developed and implemented for the Fiji Islands to produce and disseminate new early warning information on coastal flooding, which will help save lives and protect property in low-lying, populated coastal areas. For more on the CIFDP click the link above, and to listen to an interview with Bapon Fakhruddin on the development of the system, click here.

Countdown starts for Sendai 2020 deadline
Target (e) of the Sendai Framework’s seven targets, sets a 2020 deadline for developing national and local strategies for disaster risk reduction. The same deadline applies to UN member states finalising National Adaptation Plans under the Paris Agreement on climate.

Data For Now Inception Workshop in Rwanda
SDSN TReNDS recently joined the World Bank, the UN Statistics Division, The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data and representatives from eight very diverse countries (Bangladesh, Columbia, Ghana, Mongolia, Nepal, Paraguay, Rwanda, and Senegal) in Kigali, Rwanda to discuss priority data needs as part of the new Data For Now initiative.

Bangladeshi farmers reap the benefits of new weather forecasts
Customised weather forecasts delivered to smartphones and rural meeting halls are helping farmers in Bangladesh better manage crops in the field as rain becomes more erratic.

Asia and the Pacific set priorities for accelerated disaster risk reduction
In the face of growing disaster losses and risk in the Asia-Pacific region, government disaster risk management agencies, international organizations, and civil society groups met in Brisbane to agree on priorities for accelerating action for reducing the risk of disasters.

NASA Space Data Can Cut Disaster Response Times, Costs
According to a new study, emergency responders could cut costs and save time by using near-real-time satellite data along with other decision-making tools after a flooding disaster.

Yearbook of Global Climate Action 2019
The Yearbook of Global Climate Action 2019 takes stock, highlighting climate action success stories and the need for conditions conducive to stepped-up climate action, while the Climate Action Pathways suggest transformational actions and milestones towards neutrality in key areas, such as energy, industry, transport, human settlements, water, land use, and resilience to the inevitable effects of climate change.

Protecting our world heritage, insuring our sustainable future
The economic and social costs of natural disasters are escalating, and the insurance protection gap is widening. Protecting World Heritage Sites through their core business activities has been unclear to insurers. This guide shows that collaboration is essential and highlights the increasingly important role that the industry needs to play in protecting World Heritage Sites.

Climate Extremes and their Implications for Impact and Risk Assessment
Climate Extremes and Their Implications for Impact and Risk Assessment describes challenges, opportunities and methodologies for the analysis of the impacts of climate extremes across various sectors to support their impact and risk assessment.

UNDRR: Work Programme 2020-2021
The UNDRR Work Programme 2020-2021 outlines the plans to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The plans are developed in line with the existing Strategic Framework covering 2016-2021 and focuses on the key results under each Strategic Objective of UNDRR.

Total Warning System for Tropical Cyclones
The IWTC is one of the WMO’s major quadrennial workshop series organised by its World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) and Tropical Cyclone Programme (TCP). The main objectives of these workshops were to examine current knowledge, forecasting and research trends on tropical cyclones from an integrated global perspective, and to report on these aspects while offering recommendations for future forecasting studies and research with special regard to the varying needs of different regions.

EGU General Assembly 2020 –  3-8 May, Vienna, Austria
The EGU General Assembly 2020 will bring together geoscientists from all over the world to one meeting covering all disciplines of the Earth, planetary and space sciences. The EGU aims to provide a forum where scientists, especially early career researchers, can present their work and discuss their ideas with experts in all fields of geoscience.

4th Arab Partnership Meeting for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) – 9-10 December – Cairo, Egypt
The 4th Arab Partnership meeting for Disaster Risk Reduction will be held in Cairo, Egypt. The two-day meeting will focus on updating governments and stakeholders on the progress in DRR in the region and will provide an opportunity for governments and partners to discuss the way forward for the region in implementing the Sendai Framework and achieving target E of the Sendai Framework by 2020.

Regional Assessment Report (RAR) on DRR for Arab States 2nd Editorial Committee Meeting (ECM) – 11 December – Cairo, Egypt
The Regional Assessment Report is an important initiative of the UNDRR – Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) that contributes to the achievement of the Sendai Framework through monitoring risk patterns and trends and progress in disaster risk reduction in the Arab region while discussing various challenges and opportunities for development of Arab countries in DRR. The objective of developing this Regional assessment report is to give an overview on disaster risks in the region based on evidence-based analysis.