CERN has hosted UNOSAT, the Operational Satellite Applications Programme of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), since 2002. With the renewal of the hosting agreement in December 2008, this relationship has developed, evolving from a hosting arrangement to the beginning of a promising partnership.
UNITAR has a mandate from the UN General Assembly to deliver innovative training and to conduct research on knowledge systems and methodologies. Through adult professional training and technical support, the institute contributes to developing the capacities of tens of thousands of professionals around the world using direct and distance learning.
UNOSAT is a technology-based programme of UNITAR, part of the institute’s research department. Created initially to explore the potential of satellite Earth observation, this programme has developed specific mapping and analysis services that are used by various UN agencies and by national experts worldwide. UNOSAT’s mission is to deliver integrated satellite-based solutions for human security, peace and socio-economic development, and the most important goal is to make satellite solutions and geographic information easily accessible to an increasing number of UN and national experts who work with geographic information systems (GIS).
The UNOSAT team combines the experience of satellite imagery analysts, database programmers, and geographic information experts with that of fieldworkers, geologists and development experts. This unique set of skills gives the UNOSAT team the ability to understand the needs of a variety of international and national users and to provide them with suitable solutions anywhere and anytime. Anywhere because thanks to CERN/IT support, UNOSAT is able to handle and store large amounts of data and transfer maps right to the middle of an ongoing humanitarian crisis via the Web; anytime because UNOSAT is possibly the only UN programme available for work 24 hours a day every day of the year.
In simple terms, UNOSAT acquires and processes satellite data to produce and deliver information, analysis and observations to be used by the UN or national entities for emergency response, to assess the impact of a disaster or conflict, or to plan sustainable development in the face of climate change. The main difference between this programme and other UN undertakings is that UNOSAT uses high-end technology to develop innovative solutions.
One of these innovations was the creation in 2003 of a new humanitarian rapid mapping service that is today fully developed and has been used in more than 100 major disasters and conflict situations, and has produced more than 900 satellite-derived analyses and maps.
This work implies the rapid acquisition and processing of satellite imagery and data for the creation of map and GIS layers which are then used by the headquarters of UN agencies to make decisions, and in the field during an emergency response to coordinate rescue teams and assess the impact of a given emergency. This type of map was of great use in the aftermath of the Asian Tsunami for example, and in responding to the Pakistan earthquake in 2005. Similar maps were also used to monitor the impact of the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon, and most recently during the Middle East crisis in Gaza.
There are tens of less publicized crises every year in which the UN is involved because of humanitarian consequences on thousands of innocent civilians in developing countries. UNOSAT supports the work of relief workers and NGO volunteers with timely and accurate analysis of a situation on the ground, and responds to requests from the field for particular geographic information.
The work of UNOSAT is not only about emergencies, although the maps you can see on the Web all refer to humanitarian assistance. This publication policy is linked to the need for humanitarian workers to access maps from various field locations by connecting via Internet or satellite telecommunications to download the maps prepared by UNOSAT at CERN. Yet a large number of maps and analyses are not publicly available on the UNOSAT website because they are part of project activities done in partnership with UN agencies such as the UN Development Programme, the International Organization for Migration, and the World Health Organization.
Once an emergency is over, the work of the UN continues with assistance to governments in rehabilitation and reconstruction. UNOSAT remains engaged beyond the emergency phase by supporting early recovery activities that are undertaken to help local populations get back to normal after a disaster or a conflict. Satellites can be helpful in these circumstances: think of the work required to reconstruct an entire cadastre, for example, without appropriate geographic information, or to plan the rehabilitation of road and rail networks without accurate information on the extent of damage suffered.
UNOSAT experience in mapping and analysis and its innovative methodologies are regularly transferred to the outside world thanks to training modules and events that are organized by the UN, or directly by UNITAR. For example, at CERN UNOSAT hosts and trains national experts from Nigeria, Indonesia, and Nicaragua, to mention a few recent cases. These experts follow intensive training sessions of two weeks during which they sojourn at CERN. In other cases, it is UNOSAT that sends their trainers abroad to develop knowledge and provide technical support to developing countries. All the experts trained by UNOSAT become part of a global network of technicians who can be connected to work together in case of need.
All the work of UNOSAT is made possible by the agreement between UNITAR and CERN. The support of CERN, visible or less visible as it may be, is of fundamental importance. The recognition and even the awards that UNOSAT enjoys in return for its relentless work go in part also to all those at CERN who help us and support us technically and institutionally. The future holds the concrete possibility for CERN and UNOSAT to work together on joint ideas and activities linked to computing and programming.
Useful links
UNITAR: www.unitar.org or play the video at www.unitar.org/media
UNOSAT: http://cern.ch/unosat/ To contact the UNOSAT team, e-mail unosat@unitar.org.