“I get passionate when we can engender system change, and that’s often through policy change. Sometimes that’s top down, but it can also often be bottom-up – it feels good when we can make change by having a community come together.
It’s great to see the data community continuing to broaden, particularly to embrace the importance of software in enhancing data analysis.”
 Title: ODDPub – a Text-Mining Algorithm to Detect Data Sharing in Biomedical Publications Author: Nico Riedel , Miriam Kip, Evgeny Bobrov URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-042 |
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 Title: The FAIR Data Maturity Model: An Approach to Harmonise FAIR Assessments Author: Christophe Bahim , Carlos Casorrán-Amilburu, Makx Dekkers, Edit Herczog, Nicolas Loozen, Konstantinos Repanas, Keith Russell, Shelley Stall URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-041 |
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 Title: From FAIR Leading Practices to FAIR Implementation and Back: An Inclusive Approach to FAIR at Leiden University Libraries Author: Kristina Maria Hettne, Peter Verhaar, Erik Schultes, Laurents Sesink URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-040 |
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 Title: Raising Curiosity about Open Data via the ‘Physiradio’ Musicalization IoT Device Author: Andrea Trentini, Simone Scaravati URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-039 |
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 Title: Data Warehouse Hybrid Modeling Methodology Author: Viktor László Takács , Katalin Bubnó, Gergely Gábor Ráthonyi, Éva Bácsné Bába, Róbert Szilágyi URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-038 |
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 Title: Earth Science and Biodiversity Journals can Improve Support for Data Sharing Author: Andreas Hübner URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-037 |
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 Title: Who Does What? – Research Data Management at ETH Zurich Author: Matthias Töwe, Caterina Barillari URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-036 |
New International Earth Observation Group Tackles Disaster Risk Reduction
This past June, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) established a new international working group for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) with over 90 members from around the world. This working group will promote good practice regarding the sharing of data and knowledge to improve DRR.
UN World Data Forum – Session recordings available
The UN World Data Forum was held from 19-21 October, and sessions recordings are now available. In particular, the CODATA session on Multi-Stakeholder Data Bridges may be of interest.
A new technique predicts how quakes would affect a city’s hospitals
A Stanford-led research team is helping disaster response officials figure out where injuries are likeliest to occur, so survivors can get to the hospitals best able to treat them.
Australia supporting Fiji with flood alleviation project
Australia is working in partnership with Fiji to mitigate the impact of floods on the major population centre of Nadi in a joint effort to save lives, reduce homelessness and protect the local economy. The Nadi Flood Alleviation Project will reduce the effects of these regular natural disasters on the commercial centre of Nadi town and on the Nadi flood plain.
Shaping the data governance landscape: A multi-sectoral approach to use, protection, and inclusive digital transformation
COVID-19 is rapidly shifting perceptions, priorities, and needs as they relate to digital and data policy, and this has accelerated the urgency of discussions around data governance. In this blog post, Tom Orrell, SDSN TReNDS’ member and Director of DataReady on behalf of Open Data Watch discusses the four recommendations that came out of a recent UN World Data Forum virtual session on this issue.
WMO: South Asia Flash Flood Guidance System Launched
The South Asia Flash Flood Guidance System (South Asia FFGS) has been officially launched, ushering in the prospect of improved early warnings for a major natural hazard in one of the world’s most populated regions.
Launch of INFORM Severity Index: a new tool to compare severity of crises
The INFORM Severity Index is an improved way to objectively measure and compare the severity of humanitarian crises and disasters globally. It can help us develop a shared understanding of crisis severity and ensure all those affected get the help they need.
New updated version of the DRMKC Risk Data Hub: a big step in the story of disaster loss data
The EC DRMKC Risk Data Hub proposes a facilitated access to knowledge, networks, tools, methods and disaster risk and loss data.
WHO: Pandemic fatigue – Reinvigorating the public to prevent COVID-19
Across the WHO European Region, Member States are reporting signs of pandemic fatigue in their populations – here defined as demotivation to follow recommended protective behaviours, emerging gradually over time and affected by a number of emotions, experiences and perceptions. Responding to a request from Member States for support in this field, this framework document provides key considerations for the planning and implementation of national and subnational strategies to maintain and reinvigorate public support to prevent COVID-19.
IDF: The Development Impact of Risk Analytics
The need for the Development Impact of Risk Analytics report became clear at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York in September 2019, which saw some fundamental shifts in risk policy. The authors of this report are united in the view that the ability to analyse risk should be shared more widely than it currently is, particularly for public sector decision-makers and other risk owners in climate-vulnerable countries. This can be achieved through cross-sector partnership, use of already available open-source technology and the application of open modelling principles.
Combining UAV Imagery, Volunteered Geographic Information, and Field Survey Data to Improve Characterization of Rural Water Points in Malawi
As the world is digitizing fast, the increase in Big and Small Data offers opportunities to enrich official statistics for reporting on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). However, survey data coming from an increased number of organizations (Small Data) and Big Data offer challenges in terms of data heterogeneity. This paper describes a methodology for combining various data sources to create a more comprehensive dataset on SDG 6.1.1. (proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services).
Communication structures and decision-making cues and criteria to support effective drought warning in Central Malawi
Early warning systems trigger early action and enable better disaster preparedness. People-centred dissemination and communication are pivotal for the effective uptake of early warnings. Current research predominantly focuses on sudden-onset hazards, such as floods, ignoring considerable differences with slow-onset hazards, such as droughts. In this paper, the essential factors contributing to effective drought dissemination and communication using the people-centred approach advocated in the WMOs Multi-Hazard Early Warning System Framework (MHEWS) are identified.
UNOPS – Infrastructure for small island developing States: The role of infrastructure in enabling sustainable, resilient and inclusive development in SIDS
In its latest report, UNOPS explores the role of sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructure in overcoming challenges and enabling development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
CODATA: Units of Measure for Humans and Machines: Making Units Clear for Machine Learning and Beyond
This document is a manifesto and call to action produced by the DRUM (Digital Representation of Units of Measure) Task Group as part of its efforts to mobilise representatives from International Scientific Unions and Associations to engage with this fundamentally important issue.
Nov 5 – UNDRR: World Tsunami Awareness Day 202- Ready for the Next Wave!
On 5 November 2020, UNDRR will invite country representatives at the Ambassadorial level, based in Geneva to a 60-minute High-Level Panel to share with a virtual audience how they are implementing disaster risk reduction plans and are preparing to face the next tsunami.
Nov 2-6: Fifth World Landslide Forum 2020
The ICL and the Global Promotion Committee of the International Programme on Landslides (GPC/IPL) will organize the Fifth World Landslide Forum (WLF5) on 2-6 November 2020 in Kyoto Japan. This conference is the mid-term conference of ISDR-ICL Sendai Partnerships 2015-2025. A new long-term global platform for understanding and reducing landslide disaster risk (Kyoto 2020 Commitment) to 2025, 2030 and beyond will be launched at WLF5. The ICL is now calling for speakers with full papers or abstracts and PPTs.
16-19 Nov: WMO Data Conference (Virtual Conference)
The WMO Data Conference aims to develop a common understanding among entities from all sectors of society of the roles, requirements and arrangements for the international exchange of observations and other data for monitoring and prediction of the Earth System environment, including weather, climate and water.
Nov 20 – CODATA Webinar – Better Software, Better Data Handling
Software practices, skills and training have become an essential part of the toolkit of any researcher who deals with data. In this webinar, we cover how better software skills help you become better at data handling and what support is out there to improve your practice. The webinar is focused on an ECR audience.
2-6 November – GEO WEEK 2020
GEO Week 2020 will showcase the efforts to implement the Canberra Declaration by highlighting initiatives from GEO Members, Participating Organizations and Associates in a series of live discussions and interactive content. The GEO Highlights Report will be launched as an interactive website and PDF showcasing the impact of the GEO Work Programme with highlights from 2020.
2021 is likely to be a very significant year for the transformation of science and the adoption of Open Science and FAIR practices. UNESCO, the educational, scientific and cultural organization of the United Nations, is preparing a Recommendation on Open Science to be adopted (it is hoped) by the UNESCO General Assembly in November 2021. Against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic—which has accentuated the need for international research cooperation, scientific transparency and data sharing for robust evidence and informed decisionmaking—UNESCO has conducted a global consultation and drafting process for the Recommendation on Open Science.
In June 2020, CODATA coordinated and published ‘Open Science for a Global Transformation’, a response to the UNESCO consultation from a number of partner international data organisations. The first draft of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science was released for feedback from member states and the scientific community in early October 2020.
To encourage further discussion around the issues addressed in ‘Open Science for a Global Transformation’ and the draft Recommendation on Open Science, we invite 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. Our intention is to create a forum for debate and ultimately a body of reasoned argumentation which can be referenced throughout the UNESCO process. In the Data Science Journal, this will also form a significant body of scholarly material exploring and defining issues around Open Science.
Three venues are envisaged for this discussion:
We invite scholarly essays, review articles, practice papers and research articles that discuss issues around Open Science and relate their argumentation to topics addressed in ‘Open Science for a Global Transformation’ and in the draft UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science. Please consult the scope of the Data Science Journal and the descriptions of the categories of article. All submissions should be scholarly and will be peer reviewed. While ensuring quality and rigour, the editorial team will do its best to expedite publication. The collection will serve as a scholarly contribution to the global debate on the content of the UNESCO Recommendation and on the contours and characteristics of Open Science in general. We will aim to ensure that any articles submitted by 15 December, will be published in time to be referenced during the timescales of the UNESCO review process (see below). Accepted articles submitted after that date will be included in the collection on Open Science and will still be relevant to the ongoing discussion and debate around the Recommendation. Submit contributions to the Special Collection at https://datascience.codata.org/about/submissions/
If you would like to contribute to this discussion through something more like a blog post, and opinion piece, or if you would like to test your ideas before submitting an more scholarly contribution to the Data Science Journal, then you can do this through a curated collection on the CODATA blog. To do so, please send your piece to asha@codata.org. The proposed blog posted will be checked by the CODATA secretariat and a member of the author group and then published.
Finally, we also encourage the community to share ideas and discussion of the draft Recommendation through the CODATA International news and discussion list. Simply subscribe to the list and send your ideas and views to codata-international@lists.codata.org. Be sure to start the title of your message with ‘UNESCO Open Science Recommendation’.
We welcome any and all contributions to these forums!
The UNESCO Consultation and Recommendation on Open Science
The practices of Open Science and calls for transformations of the way science is practiced, communicated and assessed have accelerated in the past two decades. Leading transnational organisations including the International Council for Science, OECD and European Commission, have recognised Open Science as the key mode for research in the 21st century. Recognising the significance of the movement, but also aware that in a ‘fragmented scientific and policy environment, a global understanding of the meaning, opportunities and challenges of Open Science is still missing’, UNESCO launched a global consultation in March 2020. This has as its objective ‘to build a coherent vision of Open Science and a shared set of overarching principles and shared values’ through the development of ‘an international standard-setting instrument on Open Science in the form of a UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science’ to be agreed at the UNESCO General Assembly in November 2021.
This is a precious opportunity for the worldwide research community to express priorities, report relevant experiences, and share visions for the future, thus helping to shape a new global order for research and its governance. A UNESCO Recommendation is a timely, important and urgent way to promote Open Science and provide concrete suggestions to national governments and research organisations, including scholarly societies, universities, and research groups.
Consultation on the Draft UNESCO Recommendation
The first draft of the UNESCO Recommendation was produced, on the basis of the consultation and supported by the UNESCO Open Science team, by an international Open Science Advisory Committee, and was published for consultation in early October 2020. Feedback on the draft Recommendation is invited from UNESCO Member States and from the global research community until the end of January 2021. After that point, the Advisory Committee will resume its work to produce a second draft. The revised draft, approved by the UNESCO Director General will be sent to Member States in April 2021. This will be followed by a process of negotiation culminating, it is hoped, in the adoption of the text at the General Conference in November 2021.
The draft Recommendation offers a definition of Open Science and it presents a set of core values and principles. Importantly, it lays out seven key areas of action, directed at Member States and other named stakeholders:
Like any such document, the draft Recommendation tries to synthesise and reconcile a range of views and positions (not necessarily opposed or divergent, but with different emphases, concerns and priorities). Therefore, discussion and critique of the ‘Open Science for a Global Transformation’ document and the draft Recommendation are to be expected and encouraged. It is precisely through such scrutiny that we can ensure that this global statement on Open Science is as robust as possible.
We invite the global research data community, such as the readership of the Data Science Journal and those engaged with the Data Together organisations and other data and information organisations, to seize this opportunity and to use these venues described above to share scholarly discussion, opinion pieces, critiques and proposals in relation to the UNESCO process and Recommendation. This will both provide a resource which can be fed into the direct process of consultation and feedback, and offer a longer-lasting collection of public and reasoned views and debate on the age-defining issue of Open Science.
We are particularly interested in articles documenting regional dimensions, exploring neglected issues, critiques and arguments to improve the Recommendation, and discussions of issues to address in order to ensure positive and equitable outcomes from Open Science implementation. There will also be opportunities for further discussion at the International (Virtual) FAIR Convergence Symposium in December 2020 and other events such as the Virtual RDA Plenary meeting in November 2020.
 Title: Who Does What? – Research Data Management at ETH Zurich Author: Matthias Töwe, Caterina Barillari URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-036 |
New Zealand first in the world to require climate risk reporting
New Zealand will be the first country in the world to require the financial sector to report on climate risks, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw has announced. The changes build on the huge progress the NZ Government has made to tackle the climate crisis.
Hurricane Sally’s Fierce Rain Shows How Climate Change Raises Storm Risks
Staggering rain totals, fuelled by a warming atmosphere that can hold more moisture, are being recorded from the storm.
WMO: Arctic sea ice minimum is 2nd lowest on record
Arctic sea ice – a key climate change indicator – has reached its annual minimum extent after the summer melt season. It was the second-lowest extent only after the record low observed in 2012.
UNDRR chief’s 5-point plan for resilient infrastructure
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mami Mizutori, delivered remarks in which she proposed “5 points to consider for investing in new or replacing existing infrastructure, as a core element of recovery from COVID-19, and beyond”
Stanford researchers identify ‘landfalling droughts’ that originate over ocean
Researchers have identified a new type of “landfalling drought” that originates over the ocean before traveling onto land, and which can cause larger, drier conditions than other droughts.
UNFCCC: Innovative approaches to accelerating and scaling up climate technology implementation for mitigation and adaptation
The Paris Agreement calls for international collaboration on technology development and transfer to support the purpose and goals of the Paris Agreement. This publication explores innovative approaches to stimulating the uptake of existing climate technologies for mitigation and adaptation
WHO Guidance on Research Methods for Health and Disaster Risk Management
The WHO Guidance on Research Methods for Health EDRM is the culmination of many face-to-face and virtual consultations among experts from WHO, Member States and partner organisations, who have contributed to the development and review of this document. The Guidance is derived from the existing scientific evidence in Health EDRM, and is delineated in 43 chapters that cover a wide range of research fields.
NZ Climate Measurement Standards Initiative (CMSI): Seamless Integration for Foreseeable Future
As the effects of climate change and extreme weather become more apparent, the need for improved prediction and forecasting of these events is increasing. This allows for enhanced risk reduction measures to be implemented, as well as providing readiness for emergency responses. This need is of relevance to all sectors, particularly insurance, finance and banking – as the New Zealand government moves toward implementing mandatory climate-related financial disclosure reporting
UNEP FI and IIF’s TCFD Report Playbook
UNEP FI and the Institute of International Finance (IIF) have developed a TCFD Playbook to serve as a resource for firms at different stages of their TCFD journey, with support from EY. The TCFD Playbook provides guidance and insight for each of the 11 recommended TCFD disclosures in order to help firms enhance their TCFD reports and climate risk disclosures
UNDP: Global compendium of good practices on post-disaster recovery
This systemisation prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) compiles Good Practices on Post Disaster Recovery, to disseminate and highlight the work and recovery processes that are being carried out in different countries of the following regions: Africa, Asia, East Europe (ECIS) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
UNICEF: The climate crisis climate change impacts, trends and vulnerabilities of children in Sub Saharan Africa
This report reviews the climate change risks, trends and impacts and the related vulnerabilities on children in sub-Saharan Africa. It also highlights UNICEF’s mandate as the advocate for children and women affected by the climate crisis, and demonstrates existing climate adaptation, mitigation, and communications and advocacy initiatives
The Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services (SCOSS) – Fundraiser
The Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services (SCOSS), of which the Association of African Universities is a member, launched its second funding cycle which will benefit three vital Open Science infrastructure service providers: the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) and Open Access Publishing in European Networks (OAPEN), the Public Knowledge Project (PKP), and OpenCitations.
Virtual UN World Data Forum – 19–21 October
The Programme of the UN World Data Forum is organised around six main thematic areas covering a wide range of topics, and developed through an open call for session proposals. The live stream programme structure and session titles for the Virtual Forum can be found in the link above.
Science for a Sustainable Future: A Global Virtual Conference – Oct 8
Springer Nature and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) with its Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics (TReNDS) will host a three-hour virtual conference on science for a sustainable future. This global virtual conference will bring together policymakers, government representatives, UN officials, as well as leading scientists and researchers from around the world to discuss the role of science in achieving the SDGs.
WMO Data Conference (Virtual Conference) – 16 Nov-19 Nov
The WMO Data Conference aims to develop a common understanding among entities from all sectors of society of the roles, requirements and arrangements for the international exchange of observations and other data for monitoring and prediction of the Earth System environment, including weather, climate and water.
2020 Asia Pacific Science and Technology Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction – 15 Oct
Malaysia will host the 2020 Asia-Pacific Science and Technology Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (eAPSTCDRR) virtually on 15 October 2020, in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s (UNDRR) Asia Pacific Science Technology and Academia Advisory Group (APSTAAG).
The Stockholm High-Level Meeting on Addressing the Humanitarian Impact of Climate Change – 21 October
The Government of Sweden, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are pleased to invite you to a High-Level Meeting on Addressing the Humanitarian Impact of Climate Change. The meeting is organised in collaboration with the Swedish Red Cross.
Digital Preservation Awards season is upon us! 
Celebrating excellence in maintaining our digital legacy, the Digital Preservation Awards take place every two years and I’m delighted to be one of this year’s judges[1].
Digital preservation is a compelling research area as well as the technological bedrock of data infrastructure, and as such the resources and community of the Digital Preservation Coalition are invaluable resources for my work here at CODATA.
How does digital preservation connect to research data? Preservation, including appraisal, selection and storage decision-making, is fundamental in any effort towards making and keeping digital research data findable, comprehensible and reusable.
Judging is a fantastic way to get better informed on the global digital preservation community – it’s a chance to wade through a large stack of interesting, innovative and sometimes surprising ideas showing the range and diversity of recent activity in digital preservation. Projects include technical development, community building and skills development activities, all of which are necessary for digital preservation to happen. Each nominated project must be formally supported by a senior colleague – a useful way to ensure that each organisation is aware of the innovative work being developed by their staff.
How do we handle such a range of different types of work? Nominations are sorted into six broad categories, with a prize going to the winner of each category. This year, categories are:
– Communication and Collaboration
– Research and Innovation
– Teaching and Communication
– Commerce, Industry and The Third Sector
– Best Student Work
– Safeguarding the Digital Legacy
Each category is assessed on ten separate criteria and we are looking for things like usability, community engagement, value for money, transparency and ethical design, plus that elusive sparkle and verve in the projects that we review. The shortlist we have decided upon will soon be open to voting by DPC members. Our next step will then be to interview finalists and delve deeper into each project. The winner of each category will be announced on World Digital Preservation Day[2], 5th of November 2020.
To find out more about the work of the Digital Preservation Coalition – and the Digital Preservation Awards – please visit https://www.dpconline.org, or follow @dpc_chat on Twitter.
Laura Molloy
CODATA Senior Research Lead
Tw: @LM_HATII
[1] https://www.dpconline.org/events/digital-preservation-awards/judges
[2] https://www.dpconline.org/events/world-digital-preservation-day
World Bank: Hurricanes don’t know borders. Neither does a pandemic.
In the field of disaster risk management, when a new risk appears in an already risky situation, we call it a compound risk. The COVID-19 pandemic means communities need to prepare even more thoroughly for disasters, as resources are limited or have been reallocated to respond to the health crisis. In simple terms, the economic and health impacts of COVID-19 are making already-disaster-prone countries more vulnerable than ever before.
U.S. flood strategy shifts to ‘unavoidable’ relocation of entire neighbourhoods
Using tax dollars to move whole communities out of flood zones, an idea long dismissed as radical is swiftly becoming policy, marking a new and more disruptive phase of climate change.
Scientists drove radars inside Hurricane Laura’s fiercest winds, hoping to unravel their mysteries
The scientists’ goal? Capture ultra-detailed radar scans from the inside of Laura, probing the tempest in a way that traditional Doppler radar simply couldn’t. The team was particularly interested in Hurricane Laura’s eyewall, the unbroken ring of extreme winds and rain surrounding the storm’s eerily calm eye.
Tackling the Environmental Crisis Can Boost the Economy Says WEF Report
Entitled ‘The Future of Nature and Business’, the report warns that when the world recovers from the coronavirus pandemic there can be no business-as-usual, with today’s destruction of the natural world-threatening over half of global GDP.
How can the UN help prevent another Beirut disaster?
The devastation caused by the Beirut explosions on 4 August has focused attention on the risks involved in the transportation and storage of dangerous goods around the world. The UN is at the forefront of international efforts to reduce these risks and save lives.
Community-based response to the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of South Asian community in Auckland, New Zealand
This policy brief is based on the survey of the South Asian community living in New Zealand and their coping with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impact. The findings of this survey may also be useful for other ethnic groups. Understanding the impact of a pandemic on ethnic minority groups is important to better prepare for transition and recovery strategies, and build community resilience. The brief concludes that capacity building and community cohesion are therefore essential to prepare the population for a possible future re-emergence of the pandemic outbreak
World Economic Forum: The future of nature and business
This report lays out in practical terms what needs to be done to achieve this new future, by laying out a pragmatic framework for the industry to lead the transition towards a nature-positive economy. According to the authors, this is a path that can provide a win-win for nature, people and business. It can unlock an estimated $10 trillion of business opportunities by transforming economic systems that are responsible for almost 80% of nature loss.
You’ll Be Surprised How Often You Actually Touch Your Face
Coronavirus has made people more aware of personal hygiene, but there are still many unhygienic things you probably don’t know you’re doing. One is just how often you touch your face — an activity that happens far more frequently than you might think.
ESCAP: Investing in innovative solutions to manage cascading disaster risks: Key takeaways for stakeholders
This issue brief on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) focuses on the innovations which are protecting communities from cascading hazards, the challenges, and opportunities therein, and offers policy guidance to shape the future management of cascading hazards.
An integrated approach to sustainable development, National Resilience, and COVID-19 responses: The case of Japan
The aim of the paper is to review whether the Japanese governments’ responses in terms of financial stimulus considers longer-term resilience and sustainability. This paper reviews pertinent academic literature and publicly available data from governments and organisations.
Psychological distress and state boredom during the COVID-19 outbreak in China: the role of meaning in life and media use
Epidemics are associated with increased burden of psychological distress. However, the role of boredom on mental health during epidemic periods has seldom been explored. This study attempted to examine the effect of state boredom on psychological outcomes, and the role of media use and meaning in life among the indirectly exposed Chinese adults in the initial phase of the COVID-19 outbreak.
WMO Data Conference (Virtual Conference) – 16 Nov-19 Nov
The WMO Data Conference aims to develop a common understanding among entities from all sectors of society of the roles, requirements and arrangements for the international exchange of observations and other data for monitoring and prediction of the Earth System environment, including weather, climate and water.
2020 Asia Pacific Science and Technology Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction – 15 Oct
Malaysia will host the 2020 Asia-Pacific Science and Technology Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (eAPSTCDRR) virtually on 15 October 2020, in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s (UNDRR) Asia Pacific Science Technology and Academia Advisory Group (APSTAAG).
ICSD 2020: 8th international conference on sustainable development – 9-10 Sept
The International Conference on Sustainable Development is organised by the European Center of Sustainable Development in collaboration with CIT University. The 8th ICSD 2020 is inspired by the critical challenge of human, environmental, and economic sustainability concerning the present and future generations in a global-scale context.
Loss and damage – research, policy and lived experience in least developed countries – 8 Sept
The IIED and ICCCAD will host a webinar featuring least developed countries’ national experts sharing their research and lived experience of loss and damage. The discussion aims to ensure that loss and damage remains a priority issue in the lead up to COP2.
Protecting our Most Vulnerable- Disaster Impact Assessment for the Rohingya Refugee Community, Thursday 17th Sept
In 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya people fled their home country of Myanmar to escape the horrific ethnic cleansing they faced for being Muslim. They settled in the southeast of Bangladesh, joining 250,000 Rohingya already living there. Now, more than one million Rohingya inhabit the largest refugee camp in the world, with no sign of a return home in the near future. United Nations Development Programme engaged Tonkin + Taylor International to develop a multi-hazards impact model for the Rohingya refugees and surrounding host communities.
Making Cities Resilient: Developing and implementing local disaster risk reduction strategy to respond to COVID-19 and to better prepare for the future 8 Sept-6 October
The aim of this training is to strengthen an understanding on making cities resilient and to provide a suite of tools to develop an evidence-based local disaster risk reduction planning with multi-stakeholder engagement and in alignment with the national DRR strategies and Sendai Framework.
 Title: SparkNN: A Distributed In-Memory Data Partitioning for KNN Queries on Big Spatial Data Author: Zaher Al Aghbari, Tasneem Ismail, Ibrahim Kamel URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-035 |
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 Title: Unified Geomagnetic Database from Different Observation Networks for Geomagnetic Hazard Assessment Tasks Author: Michael Dobrovolsky, Dmitriy Kudin, Roman Krasnoperov URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-034 |
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 Title: Progress in Activities of WDS-China Data Centers Author: Juanle Wang , Kun Bu, Yanjie Wang, Yating Shao URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-033 |
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 Title: FAIRness Literacy: The Achilles’ Heel of Applying FAIR Principles Author: Romain David , Laurence Mabile, Alison Specht, Sarah Stryeck, Mogens Thomsen, Mohamed Yahia, Clement Jonquet, Laurent Dollé, Daniel Jacob, Daniele Bailo, Elena Bravo, Sophie Gachet, Hannah Gunderman, Jean-Eudes Hollebecq, Vassilios Ioannidis, Yvan Le Bras, Emilie Lerigoleur, Anne Cambon-Thomsen, The Research Data Alliance – SHAring Reward and Credit (SHARC) Interest Group URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-032 |
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 Title: Developing Open Science in Africa: Barriers, Solutions and Opportunities Author: Joseph Mwelwa , Geoffrey Boulton, Joseph Muliaro Wafula, Cheikh Loucoubar URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-031 |
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 Title: Research Data Management for Master’s Students: From Awareness to Action Author: Daen Adriaan Ben Smits, Marta Teperek URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-030 |
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 Title: Research Data Management Status of Science and Technology Research Institutes in Korea Author: Myung-seok Choi, Sanghwan Lee URL: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-029 |
On 30 June 2020, a webinar titled “Urban Data Observatory Framework and ClimateSmart City Assessment Framework in India” was organized by the CODATA Connect Alumni and Early Career Network. This was the fifth 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. Umamaheshwaran Rajasekar is the Chair of Urban Resilience at the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in New Delhi, India. As a team leader and project manager, he has spearheaded pioneering data-informed policy efforts in India including implementation of end to end early warning systems for urban floods, the establishment of urban health and climate resilience centre, development of urban disease surveillance system, mainstreaming of urban service monitoring systems, the conduct of urban risk analysis, and preparation of city resilience strategies. He has recently worked towards bridging the gap between technology and society to enable informed decision-making in a changing environment across 100 smart cities in India.
Umamaheshwaran began his talk by introducing India’s urban futures. He opined that half of India’s population is expected to be living in urban areas by 2050. Indian cities need to be better prepared to accommodate the expected growth as well as manage shocks and stresses. He further stated that many cities in India face challenges in providing essential civic services and managing their natural resources. He also opined that the poor planning for Indian cities would cost the economy between 1.2 and 6.3 percent of GDP. Many Indian cities are underprepared to manage shocks, such as the Chennai floods in 2015, and the Cyclone Hudhud in 2014 resulted in cumulative damages worth more than INR 240 billion, and loss of many human lives. Additionally, 116 AMRUT cities and 30 smart cities in India are prone to high risk of earthquakes. He then introduced the Datasmart Cities initiative in India of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to help 100 smart cities promote data for better governance and innovation. In 2020, MoHUA established the Climate Center for Cities (C-CUBE) within NIUA with a vision to build climate actions in cities. This is a one-stop-shop for informed climate actions. He then introduced the Climatesmart Cities Assessment Framework 2.0, a first-of-its-kind city assessment framework on India’s climate-relevant parameters. The Framework is progressive and aspirational in nature and includes indicators in five broad categories, namely, Energy and Green Building; Urban Planning, Green Cover and Biodiversity; Mobility and Air Quality; Water Resource Management; and Waste Management.
He then discussed the concept of Data Observatory for Indian Cities. He defined an urban data observatory (UDO) as a platform that serves as a repository for accurate and frequently updated city-specific spatial and non-spatial data, and aids as a decision support system. The decision-makers will be able to use the data observatory to visualize trends, analyse data, and build scenarios to help stakeholders solve complex urban problems. The UDO adopts a multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral approach, collating and visualizing data from various government and non-government agencies. He informed the audience that the NIUA is establishing a UDO in Chennai very soon in collaboration with Chennai Smart City Ltd, the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and IIT-Madras. He then presented a use case on water challenges in Indian cities. At the same time, a typical UDO for an Indian city serves the stakeholders such as the Municipal Commissioner, local businesses, and city dwellers. For each stakeholder, how a UDO contributes to a changed scenario is also discussed.
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 the urban rejuvenation of Indian cities, their sustainability pathways, green cover, online availability of city-level data, data-driven decision making, and the climate-smart city assessment framework.
The session was concluded with a vote of thanks presented by Shaily. She also announced the forthcoming activities of the CODATA Connect, including an Essay Writing Competition on “Open Data Challenges to Address Global and Societal Issues”, the second webinar series “Research Skills Development”, and Smart and Sustainable Cities Datathon for the CODATA alumni and early career professionals.
Prepared by:
Anup Kumar Das
(Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, anup_csp@jnu.ac.in)