Author Archives: codata_blog

Disaster Risk Reduction and Open Data Newsletter: April 2021 Edition

An early warning system could save global supply chain crisis
‘An industry’s supply chain is several miles long, but only an eighth of an inch deep’. Given the widespread strain a year ago regarding shortages, the global trading system has, in many ways, held up remarkably well during the pandemic. However, how resilient are our supply chains?”

Biden targets big offshore wind power expansion to fight climate change
The Biden administration on Monday unveiled a goal to expand the nation’s fledgling offshore wind energy industry in the coming decade by opening new areas to development, accelerating permits, and boosting public financing for projects.

‘Wilful ignorance’: Flood-hit Australia urged to rethink climate adaptation
As climate change impacts worsen, Australia’s population is exposed to more severe floods, droughts and bushfires, while action to protect people and their homes lags.

The science of tsunamis and what parts of New Zealand are most at risk
A tsunami warning was issued after an 8.1 earthquake struck near the Kermadec Islands in March – hours after a 7.4 quake near the Kermadecs and a 7.1 off the North Island coast of New Zealand.

UK Govt: Innovative projects to protect against flooding selected
Apps alerting residents to flooding, permeable road surfaces to improve drainage and schemes to protect vital sand dune beaches are among 25 new flooding and coastal resilience projects across England awarded funding today.

WMO: New water and climate coalition launched
A new Water and Climate Change coalition has been launched to achieve more effective integrated policy-making in an era when climate change, environmental degradation and population growth has exacerbated water-related hazards and scarcity.

Science for Disaster Risk Management 2020
The Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre has produced the “Science for disaster risk management 2020: acting today, protecting tomorrow”, the second of its series. The report represents a collaborative effort of more than 300 experts on disaster risk, coming from different sectors and disciplines, that worked for more than 2 years together to present the consequences of disasters on various assets at risk

The United Nations world water development report 2021: valuing water
This report groups current methodologies and approaches to the valuation of water into five interrelated perspectives.

Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF)
The Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF) provides a basis and guide for developing, integrating, strengthening and maximizing geospatial information management and related resources in all countries. It will assist countries in bridging the geospatial digital divide, secure socio-economic prosperity, and to leave no one behind.

First report of the WMO COVID-19 task team: Review on meteorological and air quality factors affecting the COVID-19 pandemic
This First Report of the WMO Research Board COVID-19 Task Team, provides an assessment of the state of knowledge of meteorological and air quality (MAQ) factors influencing the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking back at a year that changed the world: WHO’s response to COVID-19
This report reflects on WHO’s role at the centre of a global response that has unfolded on a scale that dwarfs any single organisation.

Looking back at a year that changed the world: WHO’s response to COVID-19
The report identifies the shifts needed to close gaps between current actions and those needed to achieve sustainable development. The analysis is anchored in current economic, social and ecological reality and framed by economics and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Universities’ Preparedness and Response towards Multi-Hazards: COVID-19, Natural, and Human-Induced Hazards
This publication collects the efforts made by universities in the response and preparedness toward the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other hazards such as earthquakes, fires, and anthropogenic hazards. This compilation includes 26 case studies from 13 countries. It aims to keep a record of what happened and success and failures to learn from the experience and prepare for the next hazardous events.

21-23 June (Virtual) – FAIR Festival 2021
The FAIR Festival 2021 will feature plenary sessions, provide an open space to continue ongoing discussions as well as allow a collaborative “Deep Dive” into crisp sessions where FAIR practices on GO BUILD – GO TRAIN – GO CHANGE will be presented by Implementation Networks.

Data for Policy Conference 2021 – Sept 14-16
The sixth International Data for Policy Conference will take place in London on September 14-16, 2021. The Data for Policy conference series is the premier global forum for multiple disciplinary and cross-sector discussions around the theories, applications and implications of data science innovation in governance and the public sector.

EGU21: Gather Online – 19–30 April 2021
The EGU General Assembly 2021 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. The EGU is looking forward to cordially welcoming you at its General Assembly.

International Data Week’s SciDataCon 2021: Data to Improve our World –  Deadline for proposals – 30 April
Proposals are invited for sessions at International Data Week’s SciDataCon 2021: Data to Improve our World. The deadline for proposals is 23:59 UTC on 30 April 2021.

Open Science for a Global Transformation: Call for Papers for a Special Collection in Data Science Journal
To encourage further discussion around the issues addressed in ‘Open Science for a Global Transformation’ and the draft Recommendation on Open Science, CODATA invites the global research data community to share their views, critiques, and positions in an open discussion prompted by the draft recommendation and the CODATA-coordinated document.

UNDRR: Online Capacity Development Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies and Digital Governance for Local Resilience – Online – 6 April-13 April
This training will provide concepts, tools, and approaches for implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 at the local level. It will also provide guidance for digital government for disaster risk reduction and resilience.

Disaster Risk Reduction and Open Data Newsletter: March 2021 Edition

UNOCHA: Why the climate crisis is a humanitarian emergency
The unfolding climate emergency is adding an additional layer of stress to humanitarian organisations that are already stretched thinner than ever before.

Texas Blackouts Point to Coast-to-Coast Crises Waiting to Happen
Continent-spanning storms triggered blackouts in Oklahoma and Mississippi, halted one-third of U.S. oil production and disrupted vaccinations in 20 states.

Smart weather app helps Kenya’s herders brace for drought
As climate change brings more weather extremes, access to village-level drought updates and advice via smartphones is helping under-pressure pastoralists cope.

WMO: Artificial intelligence can boost disaster management
The World Meteorological Organization is participating in a new interdisciplinary Focus Group to contend with the increasing prevalence and severity of natural hazards with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).

Drier European summers projected under climate change
A new study projects that summers across the continent will become drier for most of Europe through the century. Furthermore, human-induced climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extremely dry conditions across all of Europe.

UNEP: Making Peace With Nature – A scientific blueprint to tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution emergencies
This report identifies the shifts needed to close gaps between current actions and those needed to achieve sustainable development. The analysis is anchored in current economic, social and ecological reality and framed by economics and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Heat and health in the WHO European Region: updated evidence for effective prevention
This publication collates and summarises the most relevant evidence published since 2008, focusing primarily on Member States in the WHO European Region. Findings are organised around the elements the original guidance document identified as “core” to a comprehensive heat–health action plan (HHAP), and these are complemented in each chapter with the results of a WHO survey of heat–health action planning in 2019, where relevant to the topic covered.

UNEP: The climate risk landscape – Mapping climate-related financial risk assessment methodologies
The report ‘The Climate Risk Landscape: Mapping Climate-related Financial Risk Assessment Methodologies’ provides a summary of the key developments across third party climate risk assessment providers since May 2019, including new and updated scenarios, methodological tools, key guidelines, as well as an overview of the changing regulatory landscape and potential developments into 2021.

WHO guidance for climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable health care facilities
The aim of this guidance is to enhance the capacity of health care facilities to protect and improve the health of their target communities in an unstable and changing climate; and to empower health care facilities to be environmentally sustainable, by optimizing the use of resources and minimizing the release of waste into the environment.

21-23 June (Virtual) – FAIR Festival 2021
The FAIR Festival 2021 will feature plenary sessions, provide an open space to continue ongoing discussions as well as allow a collaborative “Deep Dive” into crisp sessions where FAIR practices on GO BUILD – GO TRAIN – GO CHANGE will be presented by Implementation Networks.

8 March – International Women’s Day: Women in leadership – achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world
This International Women’s Day, UNDRR’s Women’s International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction and UN Women’s Regional Office for Asia-Pacific will co-host a virtual event highlighting the need for women’s leadership in COVID-19 recovery, and recognising the women who have played an essential role in their country’s COVID-19 response.

22 March – GYA Satellite Panel: Trust in Climate Change
This GYA event brings together senior and early-career scientists to address trust in climate science, starting from the contributions of their diverse scientific disciplines..

February 2021: Publications in the Data Science Journal


Title: A School and a Network: CODATA-RDA Data Science Summer Schools Alumni Survey
Author: Louise Bezuidenhout, Sara Drummond-Curtis, Bridget Walker, Hugh Shanahan, Marcela Alfaro-Córdoba
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2021-010

Title: Implementing Data Management Workflows in Research Groups Through Integrated Library Consultancy
Author: Joshua Borycz
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/ds,j-2021-009

Title: Kadi4Mat: A Research Data Infrastructure for Materials Science
Author:Nico Brandt, Lars Griem, Christoph Herrmann, Ephraim Schoof, Giovanna Tosato, Yinghan Zhao, Philipp Zschumme, Michael Selzer
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2021-008

Title: Stewardship Maturity Assessment Tools for Modernization of Climate Data Management
Author:Robert Dunn, Christina Lief, Ge Peng, William Wright, Omar Baddour, Markus Donat, Brigitte Dubuisson, Jean-François Legeais, Peter Siegmund, Reinaldo Silveira, Xiaolan L. Wang, Markus Ziese
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2021-007

Title: Leading FAIR Adoption Across the Institution: A Collaboration Between an Academic Library and a Technology Provider
Author: Danuta A. Nitecki, Adi Alter
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2021-006

Title: Relationship between the Metadata and Relevance Criteria of Scientific Data
Author: Guilan Zhang, Jian Wang , Jianping Liu, Yao Pan
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2021-005

Title: From Conceptualization to Implementation: FAIR Assessment of Research Data Objects
Author: Anusuriya Devaraju , Mustapha Mokrane, Linas Cepinskas, Robert Huber, Patricia Herterich, Jerry de Vries, Vesa Akerman, Hervé L’Hours, Joy Davidson, Michael Diepenbroek
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2021-004

Two more #terms4FAIRskills hackathons to start the new year!

The Terms4FAIRskills project continued its engagement with the wider community with two more hack sessions on the 27th and 29th January 2021.  Building on the work of the the last two hack sessions in December 2020, the project core team – Yann Le Franc, Pete McQuilton and Laura Molloy – once again welcomed colleagues from the FAIRsFAIR project, FAIRsharing, ELIXIR, EOSC-Life, the Digital Curation Centre, DANS, CINES and CODATA to find out more about the Semaphora annotation plugin, derived from the EOSC semantic annotation service, B2NOTE, and how it works with a revised version of the Terms4FAIRskills terminology to describe online training resources.

Once installation was successfully completed, participants were enthusiastic about the ease with which they were able to choose from existing terms and suggest their own terms to annotate their training materials with their own choice of FAIR-related skills and competences.  Participants were also pleased to be able to search annotations on the Semaphora plugin, making it easier to find appropriate training materials for their needs. As always, the core team learned a lot from the lively discussion throughout the sessions, and we are once again working with the feedback from participants to improve both the terminology and the annotation tool.

Dr Angus Whyte, Senior Institutional Support Officer, reflected: “This felt like a very useful session to me. Having the Semaphora tool made quite a difference. It was quite helpful that it hides the hierarchical structure in the terminology, as we know that is a work-in-progress. The value of the work that has gone into distilling the terms was pretty clear, as was the ease of using the tool. A bit of practice with the annotation helped too. It takes a bit of discipline to be economical with the choice of terms to tag an item with. And we had an interesting and useful discussion about the level of granularity at which the annotation is most helpful.”

Prof Hugh Shanahan, Professor of Open Science at Royal Holloway, University of London, agreed: “The sessions were enormously helpful in understanding what’s been achieved because of the EOSC [co-creation] funding. The project has reached a significant level of maturity and it’s much clearer now what the finished project will look like as a tool for annotating and finding FAIR related training materials.”

We are currently planning a final remote sprint to complete this phase of activity for which we are grateful to have received funds from the EOSC Co-creation award.

For further information about the terminology, please see the terms4FAIRskills website, follow the #terms4FAIRskills hashtag on Twitter and/or email terms4FAIRskills@codata.org.

January 2021: Publications in the Data Science Journal


Title: Investigation and Development of the Workflow to Clarify Conditions of Use for Research Data Publishing in China
Author: Lili Zhang , Robert R. Downs, Jianhui Li, Liangming Wen, Chengzan Li
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2021-003

Title:Fostering Interdisciplinary Data Cultures through Early Career Development: The RDA/US Data Share Fellowship
Author:Inna Kouper, Lois A. Scheidt, Beth A. Plale
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/ds,j-2021-002

Title: Improving Opportunities for New Value of Open Data: Assessing and Certifying Research Data Repositories
Author: Robert R. Downs
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2021-001

December 2020: Publications in the Data Science Journal


Title: Investigation and Development of the Workflow to Clarify Conditions of Use for Research Data Publishing in Japan
Author: Yasuyuki Minamiyama, Ui Ikeuchi, Kunihiko Ueshima, Nobuya Okayama, Hideaki Takeda
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-053

Title: Open Data Challenges in Climate Science
Author: Francesca Eggleton, Kate Winfield
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/ds,j-2020-052

Title: Historical Scientific Analog Data: Life Sciences Faculty’s Perspectives on Management, Reuse and Preservation
Author: Shannon L. Farrell, Lois G. Hendrickson, Kristen L. Mastel , Julia A. Kelly
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-051

Title: Incorporating RDA Outputs in the Design of a European Research Infrastructure for Natural Science Collections
Author: Sharif Islam , Alex Hardisty, Wouter Addink, Claus Weiland, Falko Glöckler
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-050

Title: Implementing the RDA Research Data Policy Framework in Slovenian Scientific Journals
Author: Janez Štebe , Maja Dolinar, Sonja Bezjak, Ana Inkret
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-049

Title: Role of a Croatian National Repository Infrastructure in Promotion and Support of Research Data Management
Author: Kristina Posavec , Draženko Celjak, Ljiljana Jertec Musap
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-048

Title: 39 Hints to Facilitate the Use of Semantics for Data on Agriculture and Nutrition
Author: Caterina Caracciolo , Sophie Aubin, Clement Jonquet, Emna Amdouni, Romain David, Leyla Garcia, Brandon Whitehead, Catherine Roussey, Armando Stellato, Ferdinando Villa
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-047

Title: Going Digital: Persistent Identifiers for Research Samples, Resources and Instruments
Author: Esther Plomp
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-046

#terms4FAIRskills hackathons – December 2020

By Laura Molloy and Peter McQuilton

The terms4FAIRskills core team was delighted to welcome a group of keen annotators from across Europe to join in a hackathon on 11th and 15th December 2020.  Participants from FAIRsFAIR, FAIRsharing, ELIXIR, EOSC-Pillar, the Digital Curation Centre, DANS, CINES and CODATA worked actively with a range of training materials of their choice, and experimented with annotating these materials with terms from the current version of the terms4FAIRskills terminology.

The terms4FAIRskills project aims to create a formalised terminology that describes the competencies, skills and knowledge associated with making and keeping data FAIR.  When mature, this terminology will apply to a variety of use cases, including:

  • To assist with the creation and assessment of data stewardship curricula;
  • To facilitate the annotation, discovery and evaluation of FAIR-enabling materials (e.g. training) and resources;
  • To enable the formalisation of job descriptions and CVs/résumés with recognised, structured competencies.

The completed terminology will be of use to trainers who teach FAIR data skills, researchers who wish to identify skill gaps in their teams, and managers who need to recruit individuals to relevant roles.

Started as a volunteer, bottom-up effort, #terms4FAIRskills has recently received an EOSC co-creation grant to enable collaborative development of the terminology via a core team of ontology experts alongside a coordinating group. The grant also funds a series of hackathons to bring together representatives from the community of prospective users.

In the first virtual hackathon, with lively discussion throughout, we iteratively refined the terminology through the practical annotation of training materials from ELIXIR TeSS and the RDA/CODATA Summer Schools.  Thanks to this feedback, the core team will continue to review the terminology, add synonyms, refine the hierarchy and adapt the current model.

We will run a follow-on hackathon in early 2021, where we will once again test the model through practical annotation of real world training material.

For further information about the terminology, please see the terms4FAIRskills website, follow the #terms4FAIRskills hashtag on Twitter and/or email terms4FAIRskills@codata.org.

Core team

  • Peter McQuilton, FAIRsharing and University of Oxford
  • Yann Le Franc, e-Science Data Factory
  • Laura Molloy, CODATA
  • Allyson Lister, FAIRsharing and University of Oxford

December 2020 virtual hackathon attendees

  • Hugh Shanahan, RDA/CODATA Summer Schools
  • Celia van Gelder, ELIXIR / DTL
  • Victoria Dominguez del Angel, ELIXIR / INRA
  • Angus Whyte, FAIRsFAIR / DCC
  • Marjan Grootveld, FAIRsFAIR / DANS
  • Marie-Anne Maurel, FAIRsFAIR / CINES
  • Samuel Viscapi, FAIRsFAIR / CINES

Coordination group

  • Celia van Gelder (DTL/ELIXIR-NL, NL)
  • Simon Hodson (CODATA, FR)
  • Yann Le Franc (e-Science Data Factory, FR)
  • Peter McQuilton (FAIRsharing and University of Oxford, UK)
  • Susanna-Assunta Sansone (FAIRsharing and University of Oxford, UK)
  • Hugh Shanahan (Royal Holloway, UK)
  • Angus Whyte (DCC, UK)
  • Laura Molloy (CODATA, FR)
 

A CODATA Connect Webinar on “Urban Data Space as New Frontier: A Responsible Research and Innovation Perspective” by Robert Braun

On 21 September 2020, a webinar titled “Urban Data Space as New Frontier: A Responsible Research and Innovation Perspective” was organized by the CODATA Connect Alumni and Early Career Network. This was the sixth webinar in the series on Smart and Resilient Cities, while other webinars are planned in the coming months throughout 2020. Dr. Shaily Gandhi of the CODATA Connect introduced the speaker and theme of the webinar series. As introduced, the speaker Dr. Robert Braun is currently a Senior Researcher and the Deputy Head of the Techno-Science & Societal Transformation research group at Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) in Vienna, and Associate Professor at Masaryk University in Brno. He studied philosophy of arts and history at the University of Budapest and completed a Ph.D. in philosophy. He taught at numerous universities in the EU and the US. His research projects involve the representation and engagement of stakeholders in corporate communities as well as the societal impacts of autonomous mobility. 

Robert began his talk by introducing DataSpace and its short history. DataSpace is one of the new frontiers of innovation in digital technology. In recent conceptualizations of industrial DataSpace technology, different scholars envisioned DataSpace as an open business ecosystem for securing exchange and easy linkage of data, as Fraunhofer (2018) observed. Smart City projects worldwide intend to manage big data in urban environments and face the challenges of organizational complexities. European cities and communities require a set of tools to achieve a sustainable transformation towards smarter cities and municipalities and a structured approach to leverage the emerging data-driven economy’s potential, as perceived by Cuno et al. (2019). Then Robert introduced the Urban DataSpace (UDS), which facilitates an ecosystem for data exchange and added value creation utilizing various data types within a smart city or municipality. UDS may, thus, be seen as a new type of urban infrastructure. He pointed out while the relational database management systems served to focus the data management community for decades, rapidly expanding demands of ‘data everywhere’ have led to a new field in data science to emerge. UDS is one such emerging field.

He describes the actor-network theory (ANT) vis-à-vis the responsible research and innovation (RRI). In the ANT framework, technology serves as a distributed agency in actor-actant networks, networks serve as performed material-semiotic spaces, and there are multiple realities. On the other hand, the RRI framework assesses the social desirability, anticipation, reflexivity, responsiveness, and inclusivity of technology and innovation. 

He described the semiotics of DataSpace, i.e., mapping the problems in an artificial intelligence (AI)-based, or a data-driven environment. DataSpace serves as a ‘sign relational complex’ to support data science pragmatics, such as ascertaining, assessing, and researching the processes and intentions of data collecting agents or data analytics elements. There are concerns related to AI learning issues, particularly debiasing, black-boxing, semiotic complexities, and the multistability and multidimensionality of data. He briefly narrated the characteristics of trustworthy DataSpace and responsible DataSpace, respectively, based on the trustworthy AI principles and the RRI principles.

He opined that COVID-19 poses dangers of onlinefication of everything and (big)data-driven research and innovation. He further opined that the EU promotes responsible research and innovation (RRI) in principle, but the implementation leaves much to be desired. Robert Braun concludes that there is a need to improve the alignment of research policy and societal values in urban DataSpace and data-driven society.

Mr. Felix Emeka Anyiam of the CODATA Connect moderated the Question and Answer session and was assigned to obtain questions from the online participants keyed into the webinar question handle. Some of the questions were related to data sovereignty, how data localization can help in responsible and ethical DataSpace, and how GDPR takes care of responsible DataSpace. The speaker briefly appraised the audience on recent EU and international frameworks on the subject.  

The session was concluded with a vote of thanks presented by Shaily. She also announced the forthcoming activities of the CODATA Connect for the CODATA alumni and early career data science professionals.

Prepared by:
Anup Kumar Das
(Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, anup_csp@jnu.ac.in)

November 2020: Publications in the Data Science Journal


Title: Fitness for Use of Data Objects Described with Quality Maturity Matrix at Different Phases of Data Production
Author: Heinke Höck, Frank Toussaint, Hannes Thiemann
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-045

Title: Open Data for Sustainable Development on a Knowledge-Based Economy: The Case of Botswana
Author: Oarabile Sebubi, Irina Zlotnikova, Hlomani Hlomani
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/ds,j-2020-044

Title: The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance
Author: Stephanie Russo Carroll , Ibrahim Garba, Oscar L. Figueroa-Rodríguez, Jarita Holbrook, Raymond Lovett, Simeon Materechera, Mark Parsons, Kay Raseroka, Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear, Robyn Rowe, Rodrigo Sara, Jennifer D. Walker, Jane Anderson, Maui Hudson
URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-043

Disaster Risk Reduction and Open Data Newsletter: December 2020 Edition

Heatwaves in Southland (NZ) expected to double in 20 years
A report presented to the Southland District Council’s water supply subcommittee meetings in November says climate change has the most potential to affect the general wellbeing of the district, particularly over the next 20 to 80 years.

Modelling the Cascading Infrastructure Impacts of Climate Change
New research highlights how interdependencies among infrastructure systems like roads can complicate climate adaptation.

CODATA Task Group on FAIR Data for Disaster Risk Research wins 2020 GEO SDG Award
Developed as part of the response to the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence, the Rapid Damage Mapping tool (RDM) uses LiDAR, satellite images, and other Earth observational data to gather integrated initial damage mapping information within that first post-disaster period – fundamental in aiding an efficient, effective disaster response and recovery.

Droughts in the Amazon rainforest can be predicted up to 18 months in advance
A study within the TiPES project has revealed how surface temperatures in two coupled areas of the tropical Atlantic Ocean can be used to accurately predict these severe climate events.

Scientists improve model of landslide-induced tsunami
MIPT researchers have created a model of landslide-induced tsunamis that accounts for the initial location of the landslide body. Reported in Landslides, the model reveals that tsunami height is affected by the coastal slope and the position of the landmass before slipping.

Can Climate Preparedness Mitigate Emerging Pandemics?
The coronavirus pandemic presents different challenges in different countries, but it was never going to be easy in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 500 islands and 274 million people. But according to development workers, the fight against coronavirus is getting a boost from an unexpected source: climate preparedness.

New Report from SDSN TReNDS and DataReady on COVID-19 Data and Data Sharing Agreements
There has been an explosion in new technologies and new data partnerships in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, this has also brought about a range of new questions around how data should or should not be used; intellectual property rights; limitations on data re-use; how long data should be used for; and ultimately what should happen to collected data once the pandemic is over. This report explores these issues and the potential of sunset clauses and sunset provisions to safeguard rights and limit the future use of data post-COVID-19.

Should I stay or should I go now? Why risk communication is the critical component in disaster risk reduction
This paper discusses the importance of risk communication as a critical component of early warning systems and explores the constant challenges that vulnerable communities face, how early warning systems sit within the wider Sendai Framework, and what governments have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and discusses how we can communicate more effectively in the future to reduce harm.

UNDRR: Status report on Target E implementation 2020
With the deadline for achieving Target E of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 just around the corner at the end of 2020, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) presents this report as an overview of the status of countries’ progress towards this target. This report covers progress made by Member States from 2015 to 2019.

UN World Data Forum one-pager
The 2020 Virtual UN World Data Forum’s one-pager provides highlights from the forum including session highlights and participant profiles.

UN-Habitat – World Cities Report 2020: The Value of Sustainable Urbanisation
The World Cities Report 2020 shows that the intrinsic value of sustainable urbanisation can and should be harnessed for the wellbeing of all. The report provides evidence and policy analysis of the value of urbanisation from an economic, social and environmental perspective, including the unquantifiable value that gives cities their unique character; and also explores the role of innovation and technology, local governments, targeted investments and the effective implementation of the New Urban Agenda in fostering the value of sustainable urbanisation.

WHO technical guidance notes on Sendai Framework reporting for Ministries of Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) technical guidance notes on Sendai Framework reporting by ministries of health aims to guide the health sector, in particular ministries of health, on their role in collecting and reporting data that are relevant for the Sendai Framework targets and other related frameworks, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The guidance notes comprise an overview and specific guidance notes for each of the seven Sendai Framework targets.

UNDP Issues Brief on Urban Climate Resilience
Cities globally are highly exposed to disaster and climate-related risks. With accelerating urban growth, increasing exposure to climate change risks and multi-dimensional vulnerability, it is critical for cities to employ an integrated, climate risk-informed development approach to advance resilient lives and livelihoods and achieve progress towards the SDGs.

World Bank – Resilient industries: Competitiveness in the face of disasters
Based on the studies of global cases, this report calls for proactive approaches to industry resilience, provides policymakers with ways to boost industry competitiveness in the face of disasters, and considers the roles of various stakeholders in advancing these goals.

Plenary Session 4: Crisis Reduction and Response and the Role of FAIR Data – Dec 4 (Online)
This double plenary session will explore the role of FAIR data in crisis reduction and response, with a specific focus on the COVID-19 pandemic.

International Urban Resilience Forum Seoul 2020 – Dec 9 (Online)
The forum is aimed at introducing trends and best practices and facilitating discussions about ways to strengthen resilience and sustainable city development in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The forum will provide excellent opportunities for city leaders and executives, experts, relevant organisations, and members of civil society to share their experience and knowledge regarding recent disaster-related issues.

Columbia University Climate School: Engaging the World’s Future Now – Dec 14 (Online)
Columbia is establishing this school to marshal its powerful assets in climate research and applied climate and Earth sciences to confront the myriad challenges of climate change. By establishing this first-of-its-kind school, the university will accelerate progress, nurture the most talented research community anywhere, launch innovative education programs, and forge new solutions.

Open Science for a Global Transformation: Call for Papers for a Special Collection in Data Science Journal – Dec 15
To encourage further discussion around the issues addressed in ‘Open Science for a Global Transformation’ and the draft Recommendation on Open Science, CODATA invites the global research data community to share their views, critiques and positions in an open discussion prompted by the draft recommendation and the CODATA-coordinated document.

Natural Hazards Center: The Opportunities and Challenges of Implementing Buyouts – Dec 8 (Online)
In this webinar, a panel of cross-sector experts will review the current state of knowledge about buyouts and discuss questions, concerns, and possibilities associated with relocation through buyout programs.

Using DDI-CDI to Describe Data Processing and Provenance: Dec 9 (Online)
In order to introduce potential reviewers to the parts of the specification which apply to the description of data processing and provenance, a webinar will be held on Weds 9 Dec at 15:00 UTC. The specification will be introduced, followed by a discussion period, with each the webinar lasting for an hour.