From LINKS Community Center
Collection of Helpful Resources
This page provides links to helpful resources that we have identified, i.e. interesting and relevant websites or apps.
Knowledge Base
- PreventionWeb
- PreventionWeb is a collaborative knowledge sharing platform on disaster risk reduction (DRR), managed by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The site offers a range of knowledge products and services to facilitate the work of DRR professionals.
- Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT)
- The main objective of the database is to serve the purposes of humanitarian action at national and international levels. The initiative aims to rationalise decision making for disaster preparedness, as well as provide an objective base for vulnerability assessment and priority setting. EM-DAT contains essential core data on the occurrence and effects of over 22,000 mass disasters in the world from 1900 to the present day. The database is compiled from various sources, including UN agencies, non-governmental organisations, insurance companies, research institutes and press agencies.
Social Media
Search Engines
- Social Searcher
- Social Searcher is a free social media search engine, also available for iOS devices at the App Store
Demographics
Crowdsourcing Websites
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC)
- For potentially destructive earthquakes, the EMSC operates an Earthquake Notification Service in which email/SMS/fax are disseminated to the registered end-users within 20–30 minutes on average after the earthquake occurrence. It also provides an app including a report option for citizens (available for iOS and Android).
- Dürremonitor Deutschland – Drought Monitor Germany (in German)
- The drought monitor of the Helmholtz Institute for Environmental Research provides daily area-wide information on soil moisture conditions in Germany. On the maps one can see the daily drought status of the total soil and the topsoil, which reacts more quickly to short-term precipitation events, as well as the plant-available water in the soil. Private individuals can upload pictures of drought phenomains to the website.
- Earthquake Monitor Istituto Nazionale Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Italy (in Italian)
- Blog INGVterremoti is a communication channel of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) created to disseminate information on ongoing seismic activity, especially during strong earthquakes, seismic sequences and tidal waves, and on the results of INGV studies and research.
- * The blog publishes articles on seismicity in Italy and around the world, particularly on the occasion of earthquakes of magnitude M≥4.0 occurring in Italy. There are also in-depth articles and updates during major seismic sequences.
- * In addition to the blog, the INGVterremoti platform provides everyone with information on the seismicity taking place in Italy through other communication and social channels: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the App for iPhone and Android.
Risk Mapping & Warning
- Radar-DPC is the platform of the Civil Protection Department that allows to see on a national scale both ongoing phenomena and phenomena recorded within 24 hours through the elaboration in real time of raw data from the national radar network, rain and temperature stations networks, satellite data and lightning network.
- Weather warnings, Germany
- The German Weather Service (DWD) is responsible for meeting the meteorological needs of all economic and social sectors in Germany, including
- Provision of meteorological and climatological services
- Meteorological protection of aviation (aeronautical meteorological service), maritime shipping, transport routes and important infrastructures - especially energy supply and communication systems
- Issuing official warnings about weather phenomena
- European Flood Awareness System
- The aim of EFAS is to support preparatory measures before major flood events strike, particularly in the large trans-national river basins and throughout Europe in general. EFAS is the first operational European system monitoring and forecasting floods across Europe. It provides complementary, added-value information (e.g. probabilistic, medium range flood forecasts, flash flood indicators or impact forecasts) to the relevant national and regional authorities. Furthermore, EFAS keeps the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) informed about ongoing and possibly upcoming flood events across Europe.
- European Drought Observatory
- The EDO pages contain drought-relevant information such as maps of indicators derived from different data sources (e.g., precipitation measurements, satellite measurements, modelled soil moisture content). Different tools, like Compare Layers, allow for displaying and analysing the information and drought reports give an overview of the situation in case of imminent droughts.
- European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
- The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is an independent intergovernmental organisation supported by 35 states. ECMWF is both a research institute and a 24/7 operational service, producing and disseminating numerical weather predictions to its Member States. This data is fully available to the national meteorological services in the Member States. The Centre also offers a catalogue of forecast data that can be purchased by businesses worldwide and other commercial customers.
- European Forest Fire Information System
- European Forest Fire Information System - supports the services in charge of the protection of forests against fires in the EU and neighbor countries and provides the European Commission services and the European Parliament with updated and reliable information on wildland fires in Europe. EFFIS is supported by a network of experts from the countries in what is called the Expert Group on Forest Fires, which is registered under the Secretariat General of the European Commission.
- Copernicus Emergency Management Service - Mapping
- Rapid Mapping provides geospatial information within hours or days of a service request in order to support emergency management activities in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
- Risk & Recovery Mapping supplies geospatial information in support of Disaster Management activities including prevention, preparedness, risk reduction and recovery phases.
Emergency Response Coordination
- ERCC – European Response Coordination Centre
- EADRCC – Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre
- GDACS – Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System
E-Learning
- Resilience and Disaster Risk Management Learning Lab
- In partnership with the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the World Bank has, over the past decade, emerged as a global leader in assessing exposure to hazards and addressing disaster risks. Drawing on our accumulated experience and expertise, these virtually facilitated and self-paced courses are designed to enhance your knowledge as a resilience and disaster risk management professional.