Using Data for Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) and enhanced Climate Adaptation
Today, it is essential that we look at Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) that goes beyond rescue and relief for building resilient communities. In the flood-vulnerable state of Assam, we have developed an intelligent data solution for DRR to strengthen, prioritise and map public expenditure and resource allocation. Informed by the SENDAI framework, we have leveraged data and technology to enhance sustainable climate action.
Climate change and its adverse impact on lives and livelihoods is undeniable. Every year millions of dollars are spent on planning and strategy for addressing it. The resultant climate action needs to be swift, resilient and transparent. Mapping, analysing, collecting and collating data for action oriented insights to climate change and reducing the loss of lives and livelihoods due to the increasing number of extreme weather events, is one such crucial approach for doing this. And the need to build innovative and sustainable interventions including viewing disaster risk reduction (DRR) beyond rescue and relief is more urgent now than ever before.
By harnessing data to understand the drivers of climate change and assess its impacts, we can develop proactive measures to mitigate risks and build resilience. From incorporating climate considerations into public procurement processes to advocating for climate-smart policies, data-driven approaches empower decision-makers to take meaningful action in the fight against climate change.
Based on these principles, we at CivicDataLab, along with Open Contracting Partnership with the support of The Rockefeller Foundation have developed a data driven solution to help decision makers take informed and impactful decisions to prioritise resource allocation for the most vulnerable communities and geographies impacted by climate change. This framework is built to enable authorities’ efforts in DRR and institutionalise inclusive, sustainable and transparent policy reform.
Our journey with the intelligent data solution for disaster risk reduction (IDS-DRR) started close to three years ago with support from the Patrick J McGovern Foundation, where we scoped and tested data models to inform strategic decision making for DRR. At present, the alpha version of this solution is being tested by the Assam Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) and other stakeholders. It will be publicly launched in the near future and we have begun work to scale the project to other vulnerable geographies like Odisha and Himachal Pradesh.
Making Data Effective and Actionable for DRR in Assam
ASDMA is among the forerunners in initiating the process of DRR in alignment with the recommendations of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR). The authority has already set up in multiple ways like the DRR Roadmap for Assam, capturing daily flood damage data through Flood Response Information Management System (FRIMS), maintaining a web GIS portal among other initiatives to address climate change in a sustainable manner.
Building upon these policy advancements, CivicDataLab is co-creating the IDS-DRR, which combines satellite & weather data, demographic data, access to Infrastructure data, losses and damages data and government response as seen through public procurement data. The framework is built to enhance effective flood mitigation strategies for the authorities. Our solution leverages advanced data science techniques like machine learning (ML) to derive insights for decision-makers and make it into a user-friendly, interactive open-access tool.
We have found that a significant obstacle in leveraging data for effective climate action and DRR is the fragmented and siloed nature of data. Relevant data is often scattered across different agencies, stored in disparate systems and presented in various formats. This fragmentation makes it challenging for decision-makers to build the required capacity, access, analyse and utilise data in a timely and coherent manner to take informed timely actions and create a robust data-driven policy framework.
However, our solution has attempted to address these challenges by following three key steps — creating a single point of access for all relevant high-value datasets (HVDs), enabling actionable data insights using a ML model and enhancing institutional data capacities of the implementing agencies like Disaster Management Authorities. IDS-DRR uses HVDs from 10 different sources that have been standardised and geocoded making them interoperable and enhancing strategic decisions for building long term resilience against floods in most vulnerable regions.
We piloted this project with the state of Assam authorities in 2021. We shared our findings and methodology with the state authorities in 2022, which they were able to use for their decision making showing us early impacts in resource allocation where 95% of the fund approvals in March FY 2023 were allotted to the affected districts identified by our data model.
IDS-DRR is an open-source platform that helps state-level and district-level Disaster Management Authorities to take timely data-driven decisions, prioritise expenditure of public funds and conduct public procurement in a manner that strengthens long-term DRR. From analysing risk profiles to tracking losses and damages, our intelligent data solution provides invaluable insights that inform decision-making processes at every level. In this platform, we bring together diverse HVDs from satellite, environmental, social, economic, demographic, infrastructure, loss & damages to data regarding government response to derive timely insights.
In a recent meeting (April 2024) held by the Assam State government to discuss flood preparedness in the state, CivicDataLab’s data-driven framework received a special mention. Covered in various media publications, our IDS-DRR is the result of working at the in collaboration with all stakeholders at the intersection of data, technology, people centric design and research. We believe that the success of intelligent data solutions for DRR is closely tied to collaboration and partnerships across sectors and stakeholders. From government agencies to international organisations, academia and the private sector, collaboration is essential for harnessing the full potential of data in DRR efforts.
NOTES:
With support from The Rockefeller Foundation, we at CivicDataLab, have been expanding our climate related work through co-creation of knowledge and dialogue between a diverse group of stakeholders. We have conducted virtual as well as in-person convenings to further strengthen the open data for public good ecosystem for leveraging evidence based decision making for sustainable climate action.
This article is part of CivicDataLab’s initiative Open Contracting India, and the project Intelligent Data Ecosystem Assam — Disaster Risk Reduction. The team members who contributed are Kabeer Arora, Gaurav Godhwani, Jeeno Soa George, Phani Datta Surampudi, Sai Krishna Dammalapati & shreya agrawal.
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The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity. Today, we are focused on advancing human opportunity and reversing the climate crisis by transforming systems in food, health, energy, and finance.
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Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) is a not-for-profit organization working with governments, businesses and civil society to transform government procurement so that it delivers better outcomes for people, planet and prosperity. We use the power of open data alongside inclusive and participatory approaches to open up public contracts, break down silos and inform decision-making. Over 50 countries all around the world are already implementing open contracting solutions. Our work has been endorsed by the G7, G20, and the UN amongst others. The proposed project blends our expertise on procurement, sustainability and open data. It will be overseen by Lindsey Marchessault, Director of Data and Engagement, and Bernadine Fernz, Head of Sustainability, Infrastructure and Asia. OCP team member profiles are available at: https://www.open-contracting.org/about/team
CivicDataLab works at the intersection of data, technology, design and social science to strengthen access to public information, evidence-based decision making and citizen participation in governance. Our work harnesses the potential of open knowledge movements to strengthen the data-for-public-good ecosystem and enable citizens to engage in matters of public reform. Our current areas of expertise include digital public goods & infrastructure (DPGs & DPI), climate change, public finance, urban development, open contracting and law & justice. We have co-created digital public goods like open data platforms, data exchanges, data science models and citizen-led apps for improving participatory data-driven governance in India and other countries.
Some of our publicly available open data initiatives include Open Budgets India, Justice Hub, Open Contracting India, Open City, CogniCity among others. We have co-created digital public goods with National Informatics Center (NIC), Ministry of Electronic & Information Technology (MeitY) and the Government of Assam. Additionally we actively build capacity for a diverse group of partners working to enhance social impact, situated in India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Panama and Scotland.
