In the context of the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction 2021, organized by the United Nation for Disaster Risk Reduction and which took place from 24 to 26 November, the DRS-01 Cluster projects (LINKS, ENGAGE, BUILDERS and RESILOC) organized the session “Strengthening disaster risk governance at local level: enhancing information exchanges through new technologies and assessment models”.
In this session, our LINKS postdoc Anne presented the main findings from the LINKS project’s WP3 dedicated to the assessment of Disaster Management Processes.
The Post-Doctoral Researcher Anne Bach Nielsen, from COPE (Copenhagen Center for Disaster Research) at the University of Copenhagen, explained the aim of the project to increase the capacities of disaster management organizations in the context of social media and crowdsourcing. This is done with the aim of creating efficiency and inclusiveness in the Disaster Management Processes operations, focusing of four central drivers:
- sharing credible and accurate information,
- generating knowledge and exchanging this knowledge,
- increasing the sensitivity to include vulnerable groups,
- making institutions transparent and efficient.
To do that, two main shifts are fundamental to increase the efficient use of how we use social media and crowdsourcing :
- switch from a technology-driven to a people-centered approach;
- investing in communication during all the phases of disaster risk management (ie- not only focus on response but also on prevention, preparedness and recovery).