Crowdsource Mapping for Preparedness and Emergency Response

30 June 2011- Uploaded Draft List of Participants 30 June 2011 and Draft Programme 30 June 2011 (see attachment section bottom of page)

15 June 2011"UN-SPIDER July Vienna Meeting _ Useful Information.pdf" uploaded (see attachment section bottom of page) with hotel details and basic information for attending participants.

In recent years, advancements in technologies have made it possible for virtual communities such as OpenStreetMap, Ushahidi, Sahana, CrisisMappers, Virtual Disaster Viewer, Google MapMaker and INSTEDD to provide increasing support to disaster preparedness and emergencyresponse efforts. Important cornerstones of this virtual effort are the possibility to access and take advantage of post-disaster satellite imagery as well as the use of other space-based technologies such as telecommunications satellites and global navigation satellite systems. Taking note of the need to connect these pioneering communities with the space industry as well as the disaster management community, the UN-SPIDER Programme is carrying out a one-year project (“Space-based information for Crowdsource Mapping”) aiming at identifying specific actions that could ensure a closer cooperation among the three communities. The first activity of this project will be an Expert Meeting to be held in Vienna to discuss strategies that will contribute to supporting civil protection and emergency management agencies to make use of products generated by such groups in areas of preparedness and emergency response and provide a better understanding to these groups on the specific needs of the disaster management community.