The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) has opened enrolment to the “8th International Training Course on GIS for Disaster Risk Management (GIS4DRM-8)” that will take place in Bangkok from 07th-18th May 2012.

The course is co-organized by ADPC the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation of the University of Twente, the Netherlands (ITC), and UNOSAT.  The GIS4DRM course aims to provide an overview of the use of spatial information in Disaster Risk Management. During their two weeks in Bangkok participants learn what spatial data is and how it is collected, but also how to make use of such spatial data during pre- and post-event disaster management. The course delves also into early warning, hazard, vulnerability and risk assessment, as well as damage assessment. Some of the training modules demonstrate how GIS can assist in deciding appropriate risk reduction measures in several typical situations. The course is a mix of lectures and practical exercises. Among these, the UNOSAT component is based on UNOSAT hands-on methodology, using data from actual disasters from within the Asian region.

UNOSAT joined the Course in 2011 in the frameowrk of a wider partnership with ADPC that is bringing benefits to Asian countries in the areas of applied disaster risk reduction (DRR) and satellite mapping for emergency response.

The course is still open for enrolment. More information about the course is available online at the ADPC website.