The Second Global Summit of Research Institutes for Disaster Risk Reduction: Development of a Research Road Map for the Next Decade

Major Suggested Topics for Roadmap

(as of March 12)

1. Specific Sectors / issues

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• Integrated Disaster Risk Management
• Early warning systems (may be related also to (b), (c), (d))
• Disaster risk reduction security and safety measures in transport sectors
• Education models in high populated areas and modes of transport
• Changing destructive energy leading to disaster into renewable energy
• Capacity building and international network development for disaster mitigation research for cultural sustainability
• Development of disaster risk management on critical infrastructures(may be related also to (b), (c), (d))

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• Earthquake and Volcanic Disaster
• More detail technical research on earthquake disasters
• Further development and application of geophysical monitoring instruments (may be related also to (c ) and (d))
• Bridging the gap between weather services and uses
• Building integrated service platform for hydro-meteorological modeling and observation
• Urban earthquake risk assessment and mitigation
• Emergency response planning for the earthquake disaster
• Establishing river basin database for potential inundation map and potential debris flow map.

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• Atmospheric and Water Related Disaster
• Field observation (of glaciers and glacial lakes, etc..)
• Establishing core facilities to directly observe typhoon structure
• Emphasize on advanced observation techniques for extreme events such as typhoons and floods to improve forecast accuracy
• Statistical models for typhoon prediction and typhoon intensity
• Typhoon model calibration and validations with measured data

 

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• Geo-Hazards
• Developing a geo-hazards mitigation strategy for government
• Development of sound methods for early warning at regional and local scale of different types of geohazards
• Promote the fundamental research on mechanisms of landslides and related ground failures
• More understanding future risk patterns produced by giant landslide and debris-flow hazard
• Understanding the temporal connectivity of hillslope landsides with debris flows in steep upland channels to provide better real-time warnings.
• Understanding how active soil creep promotes incipient landslides and eventually deep-seated landslides in cohesive regoliths,
• Spatial distribution of landslides initiated by large earthquakes
• Chronic sediment hazards (non-point pollution) related to spatially and temporally distributed land management in large catchments.
• Interactions among regolith weathering, soil hydrology (both saturated and unsaturated), and spatially distributed geotechnical properties
• Soil accretion and future susceptibility of landslides in geomorphic hollows
• Contributions of mountain road and trail systems to sediment fluxes into important receiving waters
• Developing low-cost and rapid field tests to ascertain approximate values for spatially distributed soil physical and geotechnical properties that can be used in landslide models.
• Examining the potential for realistic scenarios of climate change to either increase or decrease the potential for different types of landslides.
• The influence of preferential flow pathways on both shallow and deep-seated landslide initiation

 

2. Technology

• Adoption of emerging technologies
• Application of satellite imaging to vulnerable regions
• Set up seismic observation network using GPS to monitor geodynamic activities
• Enhancing multi-purpose debris flow reduction technology
• Structural seismic defense technology and earthquake loss estimation technology
• Developing advanced coastal protection technologies which comprises soft and hard engineering to address the disaster risk reduction and at the same time meets the requirements of water zone utilization, recreation and ecology rehabilitation
• Information Technology related to earthquakes and disasters

 

3. Data, Information and Knowledge

• Hold workshops regularly to exchange information and share data from a wide range of research areas involving engineers and policy makers
• Open data policy that enables quick and detailed analysis of publicly or privately collected disaster response data.
• Availability of data for scientific research to all countries and researchers
• Capacity development to ensure that all countries can produce, have access to and use scientific information
• Knowledge transfer in less developed countries through capacity building workshops, staff or students exchange or joint projects implementation
• Intensification of scientific exchanges to share results, tools, concerns and data which may be widely used for specific field applications or generic methods
• Since risk analysis (currently, low implementation) cannot be separated from the availability of data and information, information system and data base of time histories are important.
• Development of knowledge database that facilitates the activities for improving disaster preparedness ( ex. library of disaster scenarios for functional exercises)
• Use of Earth Observation data that can provide efficient data to map and to monitor geohazards
• A knowledge tree will assist in data mining of DMR expertise and function as a pathfinder to access the demanded knowledge

 

4. Monitoring and Assessment

• Repeated investigation of feedback data from past disasters to strengthen models and assessments
• Long-term hot spot field investigation through monitoring and modeling.
• Safety monitoring and alarms
• Structural health monitoring
• Measure progress of research and development
• Assessment of current state of data availability and scientific knowledge on disaster risks and resilience(what is known, what is needed, what are uncertainties, etc.)
• 1)Monitoring and review to ensure that new and up-to-date scientific information is used in data collection and 2) monitoring progress towards disaster risk reduction and resilience building

 

5. Measurement and Modeling

• Probabilistic approach for measurements and modeling
• In order to improve modeling and prediction of disasters, it is necessary to enhance sensing capability and data fusion
• Application of real-time sensor network for data collection, equipment and model development.
• Enhancing rader & distributed runoff model

 

6. Hazard and Risk

• Hazard information sharing
• Learning from past histories of natural disasters to inform the risk of contemporary disasters
• Gaps in understanding of hazards: from science to hazard and mitigation; physical research in complex and changing environments should be integrated with rigorous statistical analyses both to improve knowledge and understanding of the physical processes and underlying uncertainty and to inform robust decision-making and policy formulation.
• It is crucial to extend the risk assessment not only for direct and tangible loss but also for indirect and intangible loss, including social impact; Big Data can help elucidate such indirect
• Improved understanding of uncertainties in risk, both in terms of integrating more robust statistics into assessing risk and in terms of addressing how risk and uncertainty is understood, communicated and accepted by different communities both inside and outside of academic research.
• Building evidence-base beyond ‘direct risk’ toward improved understanding of development-risk interaction (what drives individual and collective decision-making that creates risks, etc.)

 

7. From Science to Policy

• Improved science-policy interface for integrated DRR policy actions(new types of partnership, engagement and dialogues are needed )
• Research concerning decision-making and implementation (linkages between science/disaster management and public policy): many risks reduction practices are known but not implemented.
• Translation of scientific progresses (data, tools and methods) to concreted disaster risk reduction policies, which require regular dialogues with decision makers
• Disseminating scientific information into practical methods that can be integrated into policies, regulations and implementation
• Direct involvement of the policy makers and public institutions in the risk reduction discussion to find shared methodologies
• Short term and mid-term problem-solving oriented research which can be applied for society and populations
• Establishing a service platform to effectively provide information to decision-makers about the risk of the disasters
• With the focus on gaps between assessment and decision-making, it is required to have 1)methods for risk analysis and decision support in developing countries, and 2) focus on action into knowledge to facilitate delivery within local knowledge in participation approaches.
• Communication and engagement among policy-makers, stakeholders in all sectors in the S& T domains
• Evidence based policy in DRR supported by a good research base

 

8. Actions for Populations and Community

• Knowledge transfer to people living in vulnerable regions
• Increasing coastal community capability for disaster prevention
• Public participatory GIS in community based disaster risks

 

9. Multidisciplinary or Interdisciplinary Approach

• Multidisciplinary approaches including geological structure, geomorphogy, climate change, and adaptation strategies.
• Multidisciplinary approaches with the focus on socio-econimic assessments (assessment of the populations’ perception risks, potential costs of natural risks, effectiveness and efficiency of risk reduction strategies, etc.)
• Platform for research exchange and collaboration with specific actions and practical plans (multi-county joint funds, etc?)
• Identification of knowledge gaps involving cross-disciplines
• To involve stakeholders in different disciplines, research should apply new method that could involve the community and government as subject of research (collaborative research, participatory research, action research, applied research, etc.)
• Implementation of interdisciplinary approaches to meaningfully combine efforts in technological innovations, applications, governances, and education.

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10. Integrated or Coordinated Approach

• Water related disaster risk reduction programs should be accommodated to include extreme weather forecasting, flood forecasting and warning, improving flood control structure design and urban planning and exercising of disaster plans.
• Integration of disaster mitigation into development sector (integration of research on risk analysis, disaster mitigation, technology and innovation, etc.)
• Creation of mechanism for enhancing effective coordination between researchers and practitioners
• Research not only on the hazard component of risk but also on all the cascade effects that lead to damages
• Integrated management and perspective strategy for reducing risk of multi-hazards
• Developing comprehensive disaster risk assessment tools in smart platform.
• Strengthen transnational corporations among researchers of research institutes which are involved in disaster prevention and risk management
• Taking better account of the linkages between DRR, adaptation and development: closer investigation of ineffectual policies and governance structures that have the linkages is needed.
• More integration of disaster research with other fields such as health and disaster.

 

11. Resilience

• Promoting a broader understanding of “disaster resilience”: re-conceptualization of disaster resilience as that of “bouncing-forward” or a key to creating virtuous cycle of risk reduction, improved welfare, and sustainability
• Contribution to population resilience by developing alert systems and designing tools for systemic risks analysis and predictive modeling
• Activities and methodologies for strengthening community resilience
• Embracing new theory developments in disaster management that provide contributions to the resilience debate.

 

12. Redesign of Research Mode

• co-design or co-production through engagement with stakeholders beyond the science community, and to be transdisciplinary (see below for reference).

 

 

Bristol University and the Cabot Institute play crucial roles within the UKDC-Resilience (Bristol, Durham, King’s College, and UCL), which is an alliance of the leading UK centres of excellence for disaster risk and resilience research and learning. A collective perspective of the UKDC-Resilience on future disaster science agendas is illustrated below by identifying five key research priorities and three novel mechanisms for better connecting science to policy and society. Contemporary science is called to be increasingly impact-oriented, to embrace co-design or co-production through engagement with stakeholders beyond the science community, and to be transdisciplinary.

 

• Promoting a broader understanding of “disaster resilience”: re-conceptualization of disaster resilience as that of “bouncing-forward” or a key to creating virtuous cycle of risk reduction, improved welfare, and sustainability (the same one listed in 11. Resilience)