Dominican Republic Officials Train On The Use Drones For Risk And Disaster Management
SANTO DOMINGO – Dominican officials involved with disaster risk management will participate in an international workshop on 28-31 March to train on the use of drones and new technologies to prevent emergencies and improve the assessment of areas that are vulnerable to disasters.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), with the support of the Water Centre for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC, in Spanish), will hold the workshop “Use of Drones for Risk and Disaster Management” at the Emergency Operations Centre (COE) in Santo Domingo.
The workshop aims to train officials in the use of drone technology to generate information for the analysis of areas that may be exposed to natural disasters. The use of drone technology will allow for predictions for the execution of preventive measures before the occurrence of floods and droughts. Drones can also be used for damage assessment following disasters in order to make preventive or operational decisions that help strengthen risk management in the Dominican Republic.
The course is divided into two modules that will address the issues related to obtaining images and their interpretation. On top of this, an instruction on scheduling flights that will allow an analysis of the areas affected by natural events will be conducted.
The workshop will be attended by technical officials from the Emergency Operations Centre (COE). In addition to them, the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment, the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI), the National Meteorological Office (ONAMET), Civil Defence, National Drinking Water (INAPA), and the National Geological Service (SGN) will all be in attendence.
“This workshop allows us to adapt to new technologies and provide a swift response in times of emergency,” said COE Deputy Director Edwin Olivares. “It becomes relevant to your work when you receive high resolution images from your drones or when you compare the financial costs of helicopters and planes versus drones.”
The event is part of the “Forecast-Based Financing” initiative, which is implemented by the National Emergency Commission and WFP with the financial support of Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The aim of the initiative is to strengthen the forecast mechanisms to minimize the impact of extreme weather-related events that may affect the Dominican Republic.
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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.
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For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Fernando Salazar, WFP/Dominican Republic, 849 - 356 2030
