A Collaborative Multi-agency Platform for Building Resilient Communities

有重要证据表明，自然灾害在全球范围内不断增加。亚太地区仍然是世界上最容易发生灾害的地区；该地区有许多低收入/中等收入国家，在2015年全球344起灾害中占47%，造成16,046人死亡，该地区报告的经济损失为51亿美元。在这方面，最容易发生灾害的次区域是南亚，2015年发生了52起灾害，造成14 647人死亡，占全球死亡人数的64%。科学研究表明，灾害风险的存在不仅仅是因为物理危害的存在；脆弱性的存在使这些问题更加复杂。因此，迫切需要将我们的重点从单纯的应急和恢复转向可持续的减灾框架，该框架侧重于在灾害易发地区建立复原力，让政府机构和当地社区参与，以减少灾害的影响。然而，目前各机构缺乏可用的工具和方法，使它们能够共同了解灾害易发地区的潜在脆弱性，并建立复原力，以减少灾害对社区的影响。数字技术有可能为各机构和社区创造一个协作环境，共同采取行动，减少灾害的影响。该项目的目标是开发一个多机构协作平台，用于在中低收入国家的灾害易发地区建设具有复原力的社区。该项目将重点关注马来西亚、巴基斯坦和斯里兰卡这三个国家面临的挑战。这些国家经常受到包括洪水、山体滑坡、旋风、干旱和地震在内的多种自然灾害的影响，因此被选为本研究的重点，以捕捉中低收入国家普遍存在的更广泛的灾害条件和需求。该项目旨在解决以下研究问题：使中低收入国家能够评估其脆弱性和复原能力并采取措施建设复原社区的复原力框架的性质是什么？我们如何加强中低收入国家内部的多机构合作？在技术、组织结构和协作过程方面需要哪些变化来加强多机构协作？能够支持多机构集体脆弱性评估和减少的协作平台的特征是什么？我们如何建立一个系统动态模型，以支持由于危险对关键基础设施系统的级联效应的模拟？我们如何构建基于近实时3D卫星数据和分析的协同3D环境，以支持重大灾害发生后的早期响应和损害评估？在解决这些问题的过程中，该项目将开发一个先进的数字平台，可用于低收入/中等收入国家，以增强其抗灾能力。项目团队由索尔福德大学（THINKlab & Disaster Resilience中心）、莫拉图瓦大学和科伦坡大学（斯里兰卡）、Tun Hussein Onn大学（马来西亚）和白沙瓦大学（巴基斯坦）组成。该团队将得到一系列广泛的项目合作伙伴的支持，包括在英国灾害恢复城市议程中发挥关键作用的行业和政府机构，包括内阁办公室民事应急秘书处、大曼彻斯特恢复力论坛、洛克菲勒基金会、环境署、卫星应用弹射器、Telespazio Vega有限公司和安全信息保障有限公司。同样，在每个合作国家，我们都建立了行业和政府机构利益相关者小组，以参与和引导项目取得更大的影响。

There is significant evidence of the growth of natural disasters on a global level. The Asia-Pacific region continues to be the world's most disaster prone region; it has many low-/middle-income countries and accounted for 47% of the world's 344 disasters in 2015 with 16,046 fatalities and reported economic damage in the region of US$ 5.1 Billion. In this context, the most disaster-prone sub-region is South Asia, recording 52 disasters and 14,647 deaths, representing 64% of the global fatalities, in 2015. Scientific research has shown that disaster risks do not only exist because of the presence of a physical hazard; they are compounded by the presence of vulnerability. Therefore, there is an urgent need to shift our focus from pure emergency response and recovery towards a sustainable disaster mitigation framework that focuses on building resilience within a disaster prone area, involving government agencies and the local community to reduce the impact of a hazard. However, at present there is a lack of tools and methods available to agencies to enable them to come together to understand the underlying vulnerabilities of a disaster prone area and build resilience to reduce disaster impact on a community. Digital technology has the potential for creating a collaboration environment for various agencies and communities to act collectively to reduce the impact of disasters. The goal of this project is to develop a Collaborative Multi-agency Platform that can be used for building resilient communities in disaster prone areas in low-/middle-income countries. The project will focus on the challenges faced by three countries: Malaysia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. These countries are frequently affected by a multitude of natural hazards including floods, landslides, cyclones, droughts, and earthquakes and have therefore been chosen as the focus for this research to capture broader set of disaster conditions and requirements common to low-/middle-income countries. The project aims to address the following research questions: What is the nature of a resilience framework that will allow low-/middle-income countries to assess their vulnerabilities and resilience capabilities and take measures to build resilient communities? How can we enhance multi-agency collaboration within low-/middle-income countries? What changes are required in terms of technology, organizational structures and collaboration processes to enhance multi-agency collaboration? What are the characteristics of a collaboration platform that can support collective vulnerability assessment and reduction by multi-agencies? How can we establish a system dynamic model that can support the simulation of cascading effect on critical infrastructure systems due to a hazard? How can we construct a collaborative 3D environment based on near real-time 3D satellite data and analysis for supporting early response and damage assessment after a major disaster? In addressing itself to these questions, the project will lead to development of an advanced digital platform that can be used in low-/middle-income countries to strengthen their resilience capacities for disaster. The project team is comprised of University of Salford (THINKlab & Centre for Disaster Resilience), the Universities of Moratuwa & Colombo (Sri Lanka), Tun Hussein Onn University (Malaysia) and the University of Peshawar (Pakistan). This team will be supported by a broad set of project partners, including industry and government agencies who are playing a key role in disaster resilience city agenda in UK, including: the Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat, the Greater Manchester Resilience Forum, Rockefeller Foundation, Environment Agency, the Satellite Applications Catapult, Telespazio Vega Ltd and Secure Information Assurance Ltd. Similarly, in each partner country we have established industry and government agency stakeholder groups to engage and steer the project to achieve a greater impact.