Asia and the Pacific

The United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) has been implementing training and capacity development activities to strengthen the capacities of regional and national authorities for Disaster Risk Reduction for over 15 years. Thanks to the support from the regional liaison office in Bangkok hosted at United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the training teams have been able to develop and deliver tailored trainings in the Asia Pacific, a region prone to seasonal floods and tropical cyclones.

Small island nations are on the frontline of Climate Change’s devastating impacts. With most of their population living on low-laying land, they are specially vulnerable to the threat of rising sea levels, degrading their coastlines, their communities, and their livelihoods. Through the IPP CommonSensing, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, are developing geospatial analysis capacity and are able to set new standards for requesting and reporting on climate funds.

Experts at the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia (LAPAN) developed the LAPAN Hub COVID-19 to integrate satellite-derived, geospatial and statistical data in a user-friendly interface designed to help decision makers identify high risk areas. This risk data is delivered to the government and public rapidly, in near-real time, and continuously through a reliable platform.

India has been making significant progress in responding to the demands of today’s cities by incorporating robust space technologies and GIS into the urban planning, transport management and traffic navigation techniques.

The TanSat mission is the first Chinese mini-satellite dedicated to the detection and monitoring of carbon dioxide (CO2). In 2016, the satellite was launched into space, making China the third country after Japan and the United States of America to monitor greenhouse gas emissions through its own satellite. The data collected by TanSat has helped to improve the understanding of global carbon dioxide distribution, its seasonal variation, and its impacts on climate change.

To determine the suitability of a location for generating solar energy, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) uses solar data derived from measurements on-board the geostationary satellite Kalpana. This is used in conjunction with global horizontal, direct normal and diffuse horizontal irradiance along with capacity utilization factors, these are available at an hourly temporal resolution.

To help address the challenges of drought monitoring, Mongolia became the first pilot country for ESCAP’s Regional Drought Mechanism. The process began in 2013 following a request to ESCAP to pilot the Mechanism through the Mongolian National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) within the Information and Research Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment (IRIMHE).

Similar to coral reefs and seagrass, mangroves are extremely biodiverse ecosystems that are critical as nursery grounds for many marine species, including those essential to global fisheries. They purify water, stabilize coastlines, provide protection from storms, and are important sources of food and resources for local communities.