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UNOSAT organizes and participates in conferences with the aim to raise awareness about the benefits of Geospatial Information Technology. The focus topics include Disaster Risk Reduction, Emergency Response and Sustainable Development Goals.
Our events target a wide range of stakeholders including governments, regional actors, international organisations, NGOs and the private sector.
Examples of past conferences and technical workshops we have held include:
Global challenges
Flood and drought management
Disaster risk re...
UNOSAT is the operational satellite applications programme of UNITAR, promoting evidence-based decision making for peace, security and resilience by using geospatial information technologies (GIT). One of UNOSAT’s main strategic objectives is to build and develop capacities of Member States to use earth observation (EO) and GIT. As a part of its capacity development activities, UNOSAT delivered a one-week training entitled “ASEAN Regional Training Course on Geospatial Big Data Applications for Sustainable Development” f...
The devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti resulted in an outpouring of relief and an unprecedented variety of crowdsourcing efforts. UNOSAT was heavily involved in damage assessment and analysis activities, ingesting data from the crowd but also synthesizing lessons learned from previous emergencies. The work was conducted in integrated and participatory involving the European Commission Joint Research Centre and the World Bank-GFDRR, the Haitian National Centre for Geo-Spatial Information, Swisstopo and the University of Zurich. This widespread effort combined im...
When Mr.Jully Odhiambo Ouma was recommended by his director to attend the UNITAR training on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), he was a Master Degree student in Meteorology at the University of Nairobi, Kenya and a research assistant at Climate Prediction & Applications Centre (ICPAC) within the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). At that time, he was making meteorological prediction maps about the probability amounts of rain, using a basic graphic software. The probabilities were presented in a way that was often difficult for local farmers and…
28 February 2024, Geneva, Switzerland - An innovative training course on using satellite imagery as evidence in international judicial proceedings has been launched by UNITAR-UNOSAT, the Asser Institute, the Geneva Science-Policy Interface (GSPI), and IUSTICOM. Legal professionals working with international justice organizations are the first beneficiaries of the course concerning technical and legal requirements of using satellite images as evidence in court.
Satellite images are often the only way to prove that human rights abuses and...
11 – 12 December 2019, Bangkok, Thailand.
UNOSAT in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, UNESCAP, have conducted a training with the aim to strengthen a gender-responsive approach to Disaster Risk Reduction.
The socially and culturally constructed differences such as roles and responsibilities between men and women tend to determine how they experience a disaster as well as their ability to prepare and recover from it. This is distinct for women living in countries that tolerate gender discrimination, ma...
Branson Pitakia, Information Technology Officer at the Solomon Islands National Disaster Management Office, illustrates the potential of knowledge and innovation in disaster management. His story shows how geospatial technology can help in disaster preparedness and response, and ultimately protect communities.
Branson Pitakia's quest for knowledge led him to enrol in UNOSAT's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) training courses, which are part of the project “Strengthening Capacities in the Use of Geospatial Information for Improved Resilience in Asia-Pacific and Africa (...
UNOSAT is UNITAR's Unit focused on applying remote sensing, satellite imagery analysis, and broader geospatial technologies to challenges across the UN system and in support to Governments. Founded more than 18 years ago UNOSAT has grown to encompass activities on disaster response, supporting human rights, humanitarian relief, climate resilience, water management and other issues integral to the SDGs and the pillars of the UN. UNOSAT focuses its efforts on collaborations with thematically mandated UN partners which allows robust and significant production of analyses and d...
10 June 2022, Geneva, Switzerland - On Saturday 15th January 2022, the ongoing volcanic eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai triggered a tsunami across the Pacific. The scale of the explosion was so large, undersea communications lines were damaged, leaving the population of the Kingdom of Tonga out of reach. The dense ash clouds, added to the poor meteorological conditions, limited the flying capabilities and visual confirmation of the situation on the ground. Satellite imagery, therefore, became a key source of information to assess the extent and severity of the damages...
November 2023, Port Vila, Vanuatu – The United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) joined hands with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to extend the delivery of technical training in geospatial information technology at the subnational level in Vanuatu. These trainings had been designed for the PWD engineers, specifically focusing on the use of GIT and road network digitization in Vanuatu. The first training for Shefa was conducted in May 2023, followed by the training in Torba and Sanma in August. Trainings in Tafea and Penama provinces we...