# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
UNOSAT's latest LIVE maps can be seen below, these allow users to interact with UNOSAT's analysis in an intuitive and eye-catching manner, allowing easy visualisation of the affected areas, and allowing users to focus on what interests them most, giving a better local understanding of the situation. These maps are updated as new data is available over the course of an event.

The UNOSAT Flood Portal provides free access to satellite-derived flood data in GIS vector format. The portal includes data for flood events occurring since 2007 for which UNOSAT did satellite image analysis. You can find and freely load the flood data into online maps, ArcGIS and other GIS systems, such as Google Earth, to combine with your own data or do additional analysis - for example in support of disaster risk reduction.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
UNOSAT's latest LIVE maps can be seen below, these allow users to interact with UNOSAT's analysis in an intuitive and eye-catching manner, allowing easy visualisation of the affected areas, and allowing users to focus on what interests them most, giving a better local understanding of the situation.

# data[].attributes.body
evaluate the existing shelter centres to determine how they reduce people’s vulnerability to the risks associated with rural and urban landscapes. We used spatial analysis tools to delineate risk zones and to evaluate existing evacuation systems. A flood disaster risk map was produced to determine which communities are living with risks. Subsequently, the distribution of shelter centres examined whether they are able to support people living at the flood risk zones.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Shelter centres are important locations to safeguard people from helpless situations and are an integral part of disaster risk reduction (DRR), particularly for flood DRR. The establishment of shelter centres, and their design based on scientific assessment, is crucial. Yet, they are very much related to the geographic location, socio-economic conditions and the livelihoods of the affected communities. However, many parts of the developing world are still lagging behind in ensuring such scientific design. Considering the flood disaster in 2014 that affected the residents living along the Pahang River Basin, in this study we delineate the communities at risk and evaluate the existing shelter centres to determine how they reduce people's vulnerability to the risks associated with rural and urban landscapes. We used spatial analysis tools to delineate risk zones and to evaluate existing evacuation systems. A flood disaster risk map was produced to determine which communities are living with risks. Subsequently, the distribution of shelter centres examined whether they are able to support people living at the flood risk zones. These centres were also evaluated using a set of international guidelines for effective disaster shelters. This reveals that the number of shelter centres is not adequate. The designation and designing of shelter centres are not being done scientifically. The maps produced here have a lot of potential to support disaster management decisions, in particular site selection and the prioritisation of centres. The study concludes with a set of guidelines and recommendations for structural and non-structural measures, such as alternative livelihoods and the potential of ecotourism, which may improve the resilience among flood-affected communities; and the decision-making process for the overall flood DRR initiatives.

Pahang River Basin

The Pahang River, with a length of 459 km, is the longest river running through the state of Pahang, of Peninsular Malaysia. Originating from the Mountain Titiwangsa, Jelai and Tembeling rivers, they meet at Kuala Tembeling, at a confluence 300 km away from the estuary of the Pahang River (Kuala Pahang). The Pahang River drains into the South China Sea. The Pahang River Basin comprises almost all the districts of the state of Pahang, containing the Cameron Highlands, Temerloh, Pekan, Lipis, Jerantut, Bera, Maran and a part of Kuantan. The heavy rainfall, as a result of the northeast monsoon, occurs in this area from November to March of every year, and the lower areas of the basin experience frequently overflows beyond the danger level (Pan et al. 2011), which is an issue of great concern due to its cascading effects.

Kuantan River Basin

The Kuantan River runs from Sungai Lembing through Kuantan City before it flows out to the South China Sea. The elevation range is from 0 m at the mouth of the watershed to 1511 m above sea level at the highest tip of the northwestern watershed. The river basin contains several main tributaries, which drain the rural, agricultural, urban and industrial areas of Kuantan.

The shelter centres of Temerloh, Kuantan and Pekan were visited, and their location coordinates noted with a handheld GPS. An extensive house-to-house visit of the severely affected community was undertaken, and randomly selected residents from each area were interviewed (see ). Comprising a number of sub-districts and villages in each district, the study mainly focused on the worst affected rural and urban areas during the floods.

Data accumulation

Flooding data of 2014: The extensive data of flooding regime of the 2014 flood were collected through extensive field work in the study areas. The height and spatial extent of flood inundation were noted and noted using a GPS. Later, based on this information, three scales - high, moderate and low flood inundation regimes - were classified.

Shelter centre data: A list of shelter centres in the study area were collected from the district offices of Pekan, Kuantan and Temerloh. These shelter centres were visited, and coordination points were recorded using a handheld GPS. Later these points were placed on the digitised risk map.

House location data: The house location data (shapefile format) were elicited from a land-use map obtained from the Department of Survey and Mapping, Malaysia (JUPM). Later these house location points were plotted on the risk map.

Digitising data layers

Digitisation in GIS is a process of 'tracking', in a geographically correct way, information from images or maps. The gross flood disaster risk paper map was collected from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) in Malaysia. This map was used as the base map for the digitising process (scale 1:200 000) and the part of the thematic paper map was scanned using a high-performance (HP) scanner. The scanned maps were saved in the Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) form and ArcGIS 9.3 was used for the digitising process. Before the digitising process, the data layers were georeferenced, which relies on the coordination of points on the scanned image (data to be georeferenced) with points on a geographically referenced data map. By 'linking' points on the image with those same locations in the geographically referenced data, a polynomial transformation was created that converts the location of the entire image to the correct geographical location.

After georeferencing each image, a digitisation process was performed using ArcGIS 9.3. Digitising is the process of converting a paper map or image data to vector digital data. In ArcGIS, the point, line or polygon of an image can be redrawn following the source data. In this case, redrawing was done through controlling a cursor and using a computer mouse; sample vertices were drawn to define those attributes. The structures of these vertices can be seen in the images of the data layer in its editable form where those features are assigned additional spatial and non-spatial attributes. Through this process, digital versions of maps were generated, which have an attribute table associated with them. The digitising process was started by creating a new (vector) layer in ArcCatalog, and then adding features to them in ArcMap (ArcGIS 9.3 Desktop). Editor Toolbar was used for the digitisation of the data layer in the newly created vector layer or shape file.

Mapping procedure

At first, all data layers were geocoded and georeferenced in the same coordination system. These data layers were integrated, and they were then overlaid in a GIS platform. ArcGIS 9.3 was used to integrate data layers for subsequent analyses. All the data layers were overlaid using the Spatial Union in the GIS platform.

Sphere Project analysis

Overall infrastructural design and specifically designated shelters were assessed. The present study focused on several evacuation centres in close proximity to the town of Temerloh, Malaysia, which was assessed in terms of the location of evacuation centres, site planning, the use of appropriate materials, facilities, spatial layout and capacity. The study concludes with a section for further improvements and suggestions for policymakers.

The Sphere Project's Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response was used as a benchmark. These standards are useful in a range of response scenarios for displaced and non-displaced populations, including temporary or transitional household shelters, temporary accommodation with host families or temporary communal settlements comprising planned or self-settled camps, collective centres, et cetera (The Sphere Project 2011). A social survey was conducted to evaluate the livelihood assets and vulnerabilities as well as the acceptance of bamboo as a sustainable construction material as a flood risk reduction strategy. Ecotourism livelihood assets were evaluated as the basis for further development of the ecotourism concept for DRR through livelihood enhancement strategies.

Ecotourism potential analysis

The ecotourism potential of the study area has been evaluated and considered social, cultural, environmental and economic importance and potentials of the locally available material (i.e. bamboo). Similar evaluations have been applied through the work of many researchers (e.g. Akinlabi & Adeniran 2014; Bansil et al. 2015; Jiang 2008). Here, we have selected the indicators and evaluated their potential through direct field observations and interviewing local community leaders and members.

Flood risk zones and structures

Using satellite images and GIS technology, an approximation of a flood risk map was produced (). The 2014 flood (which occurred between December 2014 and January 2015) affected populations. Their houses have been visualised in this map and showed that a considerable proportion of the community has been residing in the flood disaster risk zones in the Pahang and Kuantan river basin areas.

Additionally, shows the households that are located in the flood risk zones. These maps show the flood risk zones according to the degree of risk and the location of houses in these areas. Simultaneously, the shelter centres (in green circles) are visualised. The analyses revealed that the proportion of the shelter centres versus the affected population is not adequate. On the other hand, it is clear that the designing of the shelter centres is not being scientifically done. In general, a similiar case is found in Temerloh, Pekan and Kuantan. More specific analyses can be made using this mapping. This map also clearly shows the areas that need more shelter centres to support the disaster-affected communities. The government should take action on a priority basis to designate and design more shelter centres in the high-risk zones to save communities from the potential threats in the coming monsoonal period.

Evaluation of shelter centres

Evacuation centres are the main lifesaving shelters during flood events. A socio-economic understanding can allow centres to be specifically equipped with the necessary facilities and functionalities. Having assessed the evacuation centres in the vicinity of Temerloh, based on the Sphere Project guidelines, the study concluded that not much development is needed in terms of structural strength but rather the design, management strategies and logistics that are involved in using evacuation centres. Recommendations for further improvement in the flood resilience of evacuation centres in the area include input from and action by all parties, including the local community, city council, academics and the private sector. Up-to-date data and information can be made available to comprehensively understand the geographical and socio-economic changes, in terms of land use, landform and local people's needs. An integrated approach which utilises GIS technology should be used to understand the affected sites and the best locations for evacuation sites. While the use of LiDAR technology for mapping structures and landscapes may be expensive at this point in time, the high geospatial accuracy exhibited by such maps should be considered as an investment to give accurate guidance on land-use planning for DRR (Serafica 2013). Schools are prioritised as evacuation centres for several good reasons. However, the themes and objectives of the Sendai Framework for DRR must be put into action, especially the concept of 'Build Back Better'. Schools and other buildings that have been identified as suitable evacuation centres should be designed to be adaptable and multifunctional. The Sphere Project emphasises safe public design and construction. Temporary and permanent public buildings such as schools should be constructed or repaired to be disaster-resilient. Accessibility for those with mobility, visual or communication disabilities must also be considered. It should also be considered whether it is necessary to build permanent evacuation centres instead of relying on public buildings. If not, more public buildings and public spaces should be designed to serve as evacuation centres to eliminate the sole dependency on schools.

For post-disaster reconstruction, many shelter home designs fail to be practical because the designs were not made in consultation with the community and with their livelihoods in mind (Goodier 2015). Priority 4 of the Sendai Framework stipulates that flood risk management has to take into account how post-flood structural design can be used and improved effectively by involving communities. Resilient structures are designed in such a way as to reduce costs and the time required to rebuild and reuse should it be flooded. Alternatively, finishes can be designed to be removable or sacrificial and easily replaced in the zone affected by flooding. The design should be culturally appropriate, and preferably involve the participation of local community members at the construction stage. Robust materials and finishes should be used.

Resilient structure for rural landscapes

It is different while the sustainable and resilient structural designing perform for the rural landscapes. Generally, robust structural materials should have a coping capacity with the surrounding environment. The materials used should take costs, availability and ease of transport into consideration. In a life cycle assessment study that compares local and global materials for constructing shelters, Escamilla and Harbert ( 2015) found that although global materials such as steel and concrete are generally more superior in terms of providing efficient structures that can resist natural hazards, these materials incur a much higher embedded energy than local materials such as bamboo and wood. Local materials have the added advantage of having a higher potential for low environmental impacts and costs (Song, Mithraratne & Zhang 2016). The design consideration is of the utmost importance in using local materials so as to provide structures that resist natural hazards. Among all the materials studied, bamboo-based shelters incur the lowest impact and cost pre-functional unit. Locally in Malaysia, wood has become an unsustainable and costly material as there are now many restrictions for logging, as well as environmental issues. Bamboo has traditionally been used for the construction of temporary shelters. In recent years, rural communities in many countries emphasise the use of sustainable construction materials, such as bamboo to mitigate floods (see ; Bishwakarma, Pokharel & Gautam 2010). However, the local Malaysian populace has, in effect, lost the skills of bamboo construction because of the overdependence on global materials as a result of the nation's development. Although bamboo can be found all over the country, the accessibility for the utilisation of bamboo as a construction material is limited. It is apparent that with proper planning for skills building in bamboo construction, and a concerted effort to plant bamboo species for construction, bamboo can be the sustainable material of choice for disaster reconstruction for the country in the foreseeable future.

Ecotourism for livelihood enhancement

Structural measures for DRR are often only effective when the design and construction of the structures are conducted in consultation with and the involvement of the community, who are well informed of flood disaster risks and whose livelihoods may be enhanced (or not threatened) by these measures. These measures therefore need to be culturally acceptable to the community in the design and location. Floodplains, with attendant natural beauty and natural resources, can be utilised for ecotourism, thereby enhancing the community's income and economy. The social and livelihood capitals of the village of Kg. Mengkarak, which is situated within the high flood-risk zone along the Pahang River Basin, has been studied. lists the livelihood assets related to ecotourism potential for this small village on the banks of the Pahang River.

It is evident from that the area has a lot of social and livelihood capitals that have a high potential to support social entrepreneurship (Akinlabi & Adeniran 2014; Bansil et al. 2015). The community of this area may take effective initiatives for ecotourism and other sustainable initiatives to enhance their livelihoods. These initiatives will certainly enhance the community resilience to combat future potential threats from floods.

This research has been conducted by the courtesy of the Ministry of Higher Education through the grant TRGS/1/2015/UKM/01/1/4. The authors also acknowledge the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for the support provided for further the study through the grant GUP-2016-025.

How to cite this article: Isahak, A., Reza, M.I.H., Siwar, C., Ismail, S.M., Sulaiman, N., Hanafi, Z. et al., 2018, 'Delineating risk zones and evaluation of shelter centres for flood disaster management along the Pahang River Basin, Malaysia', Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies 10(1), a501. https://doi.org/10.4102/jamba.v10i1.501

Akinlabi F.J. & Adeniran A.J., 2014, 'Place and memory: An evaluation of ecotourism potentials of selected cultural landscapes in Ile-Ife, Nigeria', American Journal of Tourism Management 3(1A), 20-32.https://doi.org/10.5923/s.tourism.201401.04

Bansil P.D., Capellan S.A., Castillo R.C., Quezon C.D. & Sarmiento D.M., 2015, 'Local community assessment on the economic, environmental and social aspects of ecotourism in Lobo, Philippines', Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research 3(4), 132-139, viewed 25 February 2017, fromhttp://www.apjmr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/APJMR-2015-3.4.3.17.pdf

Bashawri A., Garrity S. & Moodley K., 2014, 'An overview of the design of disaster relief shelters', Procedia Economics and Finance 18, 924-931.https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(14)01019-3

Bishwakarma M.C., Pokharel S. & Gautam S., 2010, Bamboo and bioengineering interventions for mitigation of river bank erosion: A case study. Kailali disaster risk reduction, Mercy Corps Nepal, Ulla Dons, viewed 12 March 2017, from https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/nepal/bamboo-and-bio-engineering-interventions-mitigation-riverbank-erosion

Designboom , 2013, 'Low cost bamboo housing in Vietnam by H&P architects', Designboom, 8 April, viewed 15 February 2017, from http://www.designboom.com/architecture/low-cost-house-for-middle-vietnam/

Escamilla E.Z. & Habert G., 2015, 'Global or local construction materials for post-disaster reconstruction? Sustainability assessment of twenty post-disaster shelter designs', [Building and Environment 92, 692-702.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.05.036 PMC free article]

Felix D., Branco J.M. & Feio A., 2013, 'Temporary housing after disasters: A state of the art survey', Habitat International 40, 136-141.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2013.03.006

Goodier R. (ed.), 2015, Engineering for change, 11 November 2015, Emergency shelter for the people: Four questions with Tom Newby, viewed 07 November 2015, https://www.engineeringforchange.org/emergency-shelter-for-the-people-four-questions-wiom-newby/th-t

Jiang J., 2008, 'Evaluation of the potential of ecotourism to contribute to local sustainable development: A case study of Tengtou Village, China', Master's thesis, Massey University, New Zealand, viewed 27 February 2017, from https://muir.massey.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10179/703/02whole.pdf

Kalema A.N., 2013, Controlling floods with Bamboo, Agri Pro-Focus, viewed 03 March 2017, from https://agriprofocus.com/post/544f8aa3d58d831122c048a5

Norris F.H., Stevens S.P., Pfefferbaum B., Wyche K.F. & Pfefferbaum R.L., 2008, 'Community resilience as a metaphor, theory, set of capacities, and strategy for disaster readiness', American Journal Community Psychology 41, 127-150.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-007-9156-6

Pan I.L., Gasim M.B., Toriman M.E., Rahim S.A. & Kamaruddin K.A., 2011, 'Hydrological pattern of Pahang River Basin and their relation to flood historical event', e-BANGI: Jurnal Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan 6(1), 29-37, viewed 27 March 2017, fromhttp://journalarticle.ukm.my/2664/

Serafica R., 2013, 'LiDAR flood maps completed for disaster risk reduction', viewed 07 November 2015, http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/41611-lidar-flood-hazard-maps-completed

Song Y., Mithraratne N. & Zhang H., 2016, 'Life-time performance of post-disaster temporary housing: A case study in Nanjing', Energy and Buildings 128, 394-404.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.07.019

The Sphere Project , 2011, The Sphere project: Humanitarian charter and minimum standards in humanitarian response, viewed 07 November 2015, from http://www.ifrc.org/PageFiles/95530/The-Sphere-Project-Handbook-20111.pdf

UNISDR , 2015, Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction, viewed 07 November 2015, from http://www.unisdr.org/we/coordinate/sendai-framework

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Delineating risk zones and evaluation of shelter centres for flood disaster management along the Pahang River Basin, Malaysia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Shelter centres are important locations to safeguard people from helpless situations and are an integral part of disaster risk reduction (DRR), particularly for flood DRR. The establishment of shelter centres, and their design based on scientific assessment, is crucial. Yet, they are very much related to the geographic location, socio-economic conditions and the livelihoods of the affected communities.

# data[].attributes.body
Water level, rainfall warning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An experimental system to detect and map in near-real time major river floods based on daily passive microwave satellite observations. The purpose is to identify and measure floods with potential humanitarian consequences after they occur.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Malaysia Flood Mapping (banjir #BBNGO) 2017 - Google My Maps

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Flood Mapping - Malaysia November 2017 Pemetaan Banjir BBNGO 2017 (Logistik)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Self-paced tutorials that review key data literacy concepts and data analysis skills. Published materials can be found at: - NEONScience/NEON-Data-Skills

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.neonscience.org/overview-disturbance-events-co13flood  Quantifying The Drivers and Impacts of Natural Disturbance Events – The 2013 Colorado Floods (download dataset for this flood pre/post event here)

# data[].attributes.body
Using data to understand flood

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In September 2013, a cold weather system slowly moved across Boulder county, Colorado causing unprecedented rainfall and devastating floods resulting in multiple fatalities and over $2 billion in damages. Using data that was collected before, during and after the storm, NEON has published its first undergraduate teaching module aimed specifically at faculty wanting to use data in undergraduate classrooms. The free module, available on neondataskills.org, allows students to use real-world ecological data to better understand the causes and effects of natural disturbance events like floods.

Staff scientist and science educator, Megan Jones explains, "In addition to using LiDAR measurements collected by the NEON Airborne Observation Platform, we incorporated satellite imagery, drought index, rainfall and stream gauge data from the USGS and NOAA into the lesson. The combination of these data provide great insight into what happened during those floods and can help understand future flood events and their impacts on society."

What's in the teaching module

Quantifying The Drivers and Impacts of Natural Disturbance Events - The 2013 Colorado Floods was developed in collaboration with Leah Wasser and Mariela Perignon, both at University of Colorado, Boulder. The goal behind the module was to make it very accessible for instructors and students alike, even those fairly new to working with data in the classroom. Jones says, "Working with data in the classroom can be intimidating, yet it's so important for being able to address larger, more complex ecological questions - and even questions beyond ecology that students encounter daily. This module hopefully gives instructors an out of the box solution for exposing their students to interpreting and working with data."

The module includes a lesson page with explanatory text, videos, graphics and charts that explore different types of data and how they allow us to understand why a major disturbance events occur. Instructors can use the figures to have students discuss and interpret the data. There are also data activities in R that teaches students how to work with each type of data and create the plots used in the lesson. In addition, there is a short video introducing the 2013 floods and data associated with the event.

Organized, downloadable data subsets

All of the curated teaching data subsets are provided for download so that instructors and students know that the data are clean and will work in a classroom teaching setting. Instructions for accessing the data sets directly from the original databases are also provided, allowing instructors to create extensions where students ask their own questions of the full data.

Although the teaching module is about a specific event, the skills learned in the lesson and associated data activities transfer to working with other types of data.

The specific data sets used include:

The module will be listed with QUBES and faculty in the Spring 2017 DIG into Data for the Biology Classroom Faculty Mentoring Network will have the opportunity to use this module and develop other teaching modules using NEON data.
Explore the teaching module now

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New teaching module for using data to understand ecological disturbances

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In September 2013, a cold weather system slowly moved across Boulder county, Colorado causing unprecedented rainfall and devastating floods resulting in multiple fatalities and over $2 billion in damages.

# data[].attributes.body
a cooperation framework between scientific organisations and flood disaster managers worldwide to develop flood observational and modelling infrastructure, leveraging on existing initiatives for better predicting and managing flood disaster impacts and flood risk globally. GFP is hosted as an Expert Working Group by GDACS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
global disaster alert and coordination system portal for document management and administration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
GDACS Portal > Expert working groups > Global Flood Partnership

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System Portal for document management and administration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Copyright subsists in all materials on this website. No materials may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Building damage assessment using airborne lidar

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Journal of Applied Remote Sensing (JARS) is an online journal that optimizes the communication of concepts, information, and progress within the remote sensing community to improve the societal benefit for monitoring and management of natural disasters, weather forecasting, agricultural and urban land-use planning, environmental quality monitoring, ecological restoration, and numerous other commercial and scientific applications.

# data[].attributes.body
CAPRA-GIS is a geographic information system developed by ERN-AL, which is oriented to probabilistic risk calculations (pp56-66 highlights abt risk calc and linked data).https://ecapra.org/topics/capra-gis

# data[].attributes.headline
NOAH-nationwide operational assessment of hazard for Philippines 

# data[].attributes.subject
NOAH-nationwide operational assessment of hazard for Philippines 

# data[].attributes.body
web-based Assesment of - landslide, earthquake, weather surge, critical infrastructure etceteras

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The official website of UP NOAH. View near-real time weather information, scenario-based hazard maps, and impact assessments for the Philippines

# data[].attributes.body
INASafe-application for understanding and assessing risk

# data[].attributes.body
UNOSAT rapid mapping

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Operational since 2003, UNOSAT Rapid Mapping provides satellite image analysis during humanitarian emergencies, both natural disasters and conflict-situations. With a 24/7 year round availability to process requests, a team of experience analysts ensure timely delivery of satellite imagery derived maps, reports and data ready for direct inclusion in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) according to needs.

Typical situations for which UNOSAT Rapid Mapping is activated include floods, earthquakes, storms, landslides, volcanoes, oil spills, chemical waste, refugee and Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camp mapping, conflict damage assessment and situation analysis. UNOSAT benefits from a variety of sources for its satellite imagery: Free and open source, commercial vendors, International Charter Space and Major Disasters (natural and technological disasters only), in-kind donations.

The service is free of charge for UN sister agencies and humanitarian entities operating in line with UN policies.

Output products include maps, GIS-ready data (for example flood extents, damage assessments), statistics and reports.

How to activate UNOSAT Rapid Mapping Service
1. Send a request

No specific format is required for submitting requests, but the following information should be included:

Type (for example tropical storm, flood, earthquake, conflict)

Geographic area/location, ideally sent as KML file or latitude/longitude coordinates, however place names are also acceptable

Contact information UNOSAT can reach requestor at: name, function, e-mail, office phone and mobile phone

Submit requests via e-mail to emergencymapping@unosat.org immediately followed by a phone call to the 24/7 hotline +41 75 411 4998 to confirm submission to UNOSAT on-call officer. Requests can also be submitted to 24/7 hotline directly if no internet connection available for e-mail.

2. Get feedback
We will assess your request and gect back to you with a plan for satellite imagery acqusition and product delivery within the next few hours.
3. Production & follow up
We start the analysis and notify you about the product delivery.
4. Delivery
Satellite Imagery Derived Products are available for digital download in different formats: GIS-ready data, Maps - Live Maps, Reports & Statistcs.

See UNOSAT Geospatial Catalogue for examples of satellite imagery derived products you can request to support humanitarian operations.

See also the UNOSAT rapid mapping video on YouTube for examples and activation procedure.

Who can request?

UN offices and agencies

Government agencies

Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRC and IFRC)

International and regional organizations

Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is it? Operational since 2003, UNOSAT Rapid Mapping provides satellite image analysis during humanitarian emergencies, both natural disasters and conflict-situations. With a 24/7 year round availability to process requests, a team of experience analysts ensure timely delivery of satellite imagery derived maps, reports and data ready for direct inclusion in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) according to needs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mapping Banjir BBNGO Kelantan - Google My Maps

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
BBNGO Mapping Banjir, Mapping Banjir BBNGO Kelantan