Community Event - From Local to Global: Case studies and trends in disaster preparedness and response (Regional GEO Session)

Description

The session highlights the critical role of cross-regional collaboration in GEO in advancing disaster preparedness and response by connecting local innovation with global capabilities aligned with the GEO Post-2025 Strategy and the GEO Work Programme, particularly its focus on weather, hazard, and disaster resilience. Through real-world case studies from GEO Members, Participating Organizations and Associates, the session reinforces GEO’s shift toward co-designed, user-driven services while advancing core priorities such as inclusive partnerships, capacity development, and the delivery of relevant, operational solutions.

The primary objective of the session is to demonstrate how locally led, partnership-driven approaches can transform Earth observation data into actionable Earth intelligence for disaster preparedness and response while identifying pathways to scale these models across GEO regions.

The discussion will explore:

How we can ensure the transition from globally driven to locally owned disaster response systems while ensuring interoperability and global value chains of Earth intelligence.
What partnership models and capacities are needed within GEO (e.g., Regional GEOs, Work Programme activities) to scale successful local case studies into sustainable, cross-regional solutions.

Agenda

Welcome and Introduction (Pat Cummens)

Showcases and Panel Discussion

Case Study 1 - Hurricane Melissa: From Earth Observations to Action: A locally led model for disaster relief leveraging drones and GIS (Olivier Cottray, Valrie Grant, Sonja Betschart)
Case Study 2 - Multi-Hazard Early Warning for Disaster Resilience (Manuel Ntumba, Yoma Baka, Latifou Issaou, Marco Massabo, Tania Gascon)
Case Study 3 - Transforming Multi-source Observations into Actionable Knowledge for Geohazard Resilience (Lingfeng He)

Feedback from Regional GEO and Open Discussion (Pat Cummens, Elliot Matthews, Ken Kaswera)

How can GEO better align with local needs by supporting the transition to locally owned disaster response systems across regions? Is there a good fit?
What partnership models and capacities are needed within GEO (e.g., Regional GEOs, Work Programme activities) to scale successful local case studies into sustainable, cross-regional solutions?

Wrap-up and Next Steps (Pat Cummens)