Geo-powering cities to assess risk, increase resilience and reduce vulnerability: Establishing an ecosystem approach
use · risk assessment · early warning · landslide
Workshop Summary:The urban data revolution is underway. Over the last decade, cities have been offered unprecedented opportunities to mobilize geospatial data to enhance livability and reduce vulnerability through risk-informed decision making. Data, especially geospatial data, is helping local governments prioritize investments to build resilient cities and boost sustainable development. But truly geo-powering cities involves not only the use of geospatial data but ensuring that data turns into information and decision makers have the capacity and tools to make evidence-based decisions. This requires moving away from sectoral egos towards an ecosystem approach where identification of risks and solutions is done in a collaborative manner; and innovation, technology, capacity, and regulation work together to establish a robust, mutually reinforcing system. Such an approach is being promoted by the World Bank’s City Planning Labs (CPL) to geo-power client governments through Municipal Spatial Data Infrastructure (MSDI). MSDI is operationalized under four inter-connected pillars: Institutional Arrangements, People, Data and Systems, or IPDS in short. Diagnostics, tools and regulatory processes are embedded within each of these four pillars that work together to ensure systematic information flows and effective use of geospatial intelligence for risk assessment, prevention and mitigation by increasing the ability of local governments to prioritize actions. Participants will learn how MSDI’s four pillar framework (i.e. IPDS) and its associated tools offers a unique solution for institutionalizing resilient urban planning and management though enhanced inter-agency collaboration, robust data foundations, cutting edge risks analytical tools and digital platforms developed under CPL. The model has been developed and successfully tested for local government relevance and application.Implementing MSDI requires an important mindset shift: to think of data as infrastructure. The workshop will systematically lead the participants through this mindset shift by demonstrating parallels with infrastructure elements across each four pillars of the MSDI framework through powerful analogies that will be backed up by practical toolkits participants can immediately implement within their contexts after the workshop. Looking ahead, the workshop will kick-off a virtual international MSDI network of geospatial practitioners, firms and government representatives as champions and pioneers of MSDI. Audience: Priority will be given to World Bank city delegations and task team leaders participating in UR 2020. A limited number of slots will be open to other participants. Format of the workshop: The proposed interactive workshop will take place over two days. Participants will engage with the content of MSDI’s four pillars and learn about the range of available risks diagnostics, tools and manuals, while simultaneously experiencing simulated collaborative working exercises. Exercises and activities will apply creative approaches, including use of technology. The workshop will be supported by international experts from Singapore, Finland, Mexico and Indonesia (among others) who will use a practical, hands-on approach during the workshop to engage with real-life problems posed by the participants. Day 1 – Exploring MSDI What does it mean to implement Municipal Spatial Data Infrastructure in a city? What are the advantages and why cities should invest in this approach? Day one of this workshop answers these questions by engaging with participant experiences of utilizing geospatial data and connect to MSDI as an effective framework for institutionalizing evidence-driven, risk-informed decision making. Participants explore how this ecosystem approach integrates technology, innovation, regulatory structures and human capital to implement long-term, risk-informed and resilient solutions.This first day will start by building a collaborative environment. The main topics are 1) Why MSDI? 2) MSDI and the mind shift to an Ecosystem Approach, 3) Exploring the Four pillars: Institutions, People, Data, and Systems, 4) MSDI as an instrument for inter-sectoral collaboration, and 5) MSDI’s key role in risk assessment, prevention and adapting to disasters.Day 2 – Jump-starting MSDINow aware of MSDI and its benefits, how should cities get started? Day two takes participants through the development of an MSDI roadmap that mainstreams addressing specific local risks. In addition, Day 2 also focuses on CPL’s unique digital platform that combines the power of three Urban Planning Tools – Land Suitability, Urban Performance and CollabMap – along with a state-of-the-art, agile, open source Integrated Data Platform (a Geoportal capable of handling spatial and non-spatial data). In a collaborative setting, participants will learn, through hands-on activities, how this modular approach allows practitioners to adapt CPL’s tools and products to assess risks in different contexts. The products (including source code etc.) will be available for all participants to be used and adapted in their contexts.The second day of the workshop consists of five sessions. The main topics are 1) Jumpstarting MSDI 2) Developing an MSDI roadmap 3) Deep dive on Institutions and System (including Tools) pillars 4) Exploring an Integrated Data platform (IDP) and Urban Planning Tools that allow cutting-edge analytics including risk assessing, evidence-based spatial planning, and service delivery. Participants’ experiences are central to the workshop. They interact with CPL and partner city experts to learn about the relevance of regulatory and technological innovations and how they go hand in hand. Throughout the interventions, speakers from Singapore Land Authority (SLA), Finland, Indonesia’s National Geospatial Agency (BIG), and Mexico will be engaging in structured discussions.
This event will provide an overview of landslide early warning systems from both a technical and operational/practical perspective, drawing on experiences and knowledge across the globe and case studies of Nepal and India from the Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience programme (SHEAR). Both slope and regional scale landslide early warning systems will be covered in a marketplace format to encourage discussions and tailored sharing of knowledge aligned with participants’ interests and needs. The essential value of a combined approach across physical science, social science and practitioners will be emphasised in order to achieve an operational, sustainable system.
The event will also test launch a new guidance resource for setting up and implementing landslide early warning systems, getting feedback from the participants to ensure the guide provides appropriate and comprehensive information for stakeholders embarking on landslide early warning.
Organizer: City Planning Labs (CPL)
Partner Organizations: Singapore Land Authority