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In 2011, UNITAR and Esri decided to strengthen their relationship by signing an agreement for three years defining software and licensing issues and new cooperation in the areas of training, capacity development and e-learning. An important in-kind grant by Esri is also part of the agreement.
During humanitarian emergencies and other human security related operations, access to up-to-date, relevant information is crucial. With the development of Geographic Information Services, the time between an observation and the visualization of the work resulting from expert analysis...
While UNOSAT has consistently met high standards in very short delivery timelines, the new Data-in-hand strategy is an attempt to routinely approach actual near-real-time analysis. Francesco Pisano, Manager of UNOSAT, says “this level of responsiveness is not new at UNOSAT. What is new is our strategy to make this a standard feature. We keep looking downstream at user requirements in the field and we equip ourselves with what it takes to do better each time in responding to these”. In commenting on the attempts being done in some quarters of the GIS and space communities to...
In a change of focus determined by the conclusion of search and rescue operations in Haiti, UNOSAT closed its Rapid Mapping activation and embarked at the request of UNDP on a comprehensive damage assessment analysis over Port-au-Prince and neighbouring cities. The analysis, which builds also on parallel work performed by the European Commission JRC, French company SERTIT, Germany’s DRL/ZKI, Italy’s ITHACA and others, will contribute substantially in firming up the number of buildings affected by the tremor and will lead to a more precise estimate of the resources required ...
22 November 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - Since 2001, UNOSAT has been providing satellite imagery-based solutions and capacity development to UN funds, programmes, specialized agencies and Member States in support of the achievement of sustainable development. In 2021, the United Nations Economic and Social Council approved a resolution recognizing UNOSAT as the United Nations Satellite Centre. This event is an opportunity to recall the wide range of UNOSAT’s activities over the last two decades, from peace and security mapping, to geospatial analysis for Disaster R...
9 February 2022, Geneva, Switzerland - A category 5 Tropical Cyclone struck the Philippines in December 2021, causing significant damage and affecting a large part of the population. Following a request from the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (in Bangkok), of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UNOSAT’s Emergency Mapping service was activated to support the planning and coordination of emergency response operations with satellite imagery analysis., On the 16th of December 2021, Tropical Cyclone RAI-21 made landfall north ...
3 December 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - The ambitious agenda of COP 26 to accelerate action towards and beyond the goals of the Paris agreement may have been a let-down for most people. For the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT), it was also an opportunity to promote once more the added value of satellite-derived information for improving climate resilience.
The conference was “an important step but not enough” in the words of António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. Despite the negotiations underdelivering, many insightful events took place, where d...
In 2014, heavy rains flooded the Leitchour refugee camp, in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. In advance of the rainy season, UNHCR called upon the support of UNOSAT to access satellite imagery and support with flood analysis in order to assess the damages. Since then, satellite imagery-derived disaster risk analysis was systematically included in the site assessment process for all emerging crises. John Wain, Senior Emergency Shelter Officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), recalled the evolution of their work and how UNOSAT supported them ...
09 November 2021, Geneva, Switzerland - In South Asia, the monsoon season started early and forcefully this year. Nepal was particularly hit by heavy rainfall in June 2021: flooding and landslides were reported in many parts of the country and affected thousands of families*.
In August, rainfall intensified again for several consecutive days, with rivers overflowing, landslides triggered across the hills, and widespread inundation in the southern plains. In the affected areas, many houses, informal settlements, and other buildings were destroyed, forcing people to seek ref...
26 November 2021, Geneva, Switzerland – On Thursday 25th November, the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT), hosted an online event to celebrate 20 years of operations. The great discussions and testimonies from partners only scratched the surface of the tremendous work achieved so far, and what is to come.
“I am pleased to congratulate UNOSAT – the United Nations Satellite Centre – on 20 years of outstanding support to the United Nations System and its Member States. […] Satellite imagery and analysis is an essential resource for the United Nations and the broad...