Organised by UNOOSA and DLR Bonn, Germany 13-15 October 2008

UN-SPIDER is a program established by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs as a result of its resolution 61/110 of 14 December 2006 to ensure that all countries and international/regional organizations have access to and develop the capacity to use space-based information to create solutions for disaster management, humanitarian aid and emergency response in case of sudden-onset and creeping hazards at different scales. For example, work is being done to assess tsunami vulnerability in Egypt and Indonesia, also assesing flood vulnerability in Vietnam and Germany. The program also wants to serve as a bridge to connect the diaster management and space communities, in order to facilitate them to work together in space development projects and information sharing.

In order to promote these goals UN-SPIDER held its first international workshop in October 2007 in Bonn and the second one has been scheduled again in October 2008 (Bonn). The second workshop will include four topical sessions:

1 .Space Technology in support of risk and disaster management

2 .Vulnerability and Risk Assessment

3 .Contribution of space-based technologies to exiting and proposed Early Warning Systems (EWS)

4 .Disaster Medicine, Telemedicine and Integrated Vector Management

It will bring together a total of 100 decision-makers and senior experts. These participants are required to hold managerial or professional positions at national and regional institutions responsible for risk and diaster management, emergency and diaster medicine, capacity building and promoting the use of space-based technologies, also the representatives of UN-SPIDER regional support offices, UN agencies and NGOs involved in disaster management, space agencies, academic and research institutions and geospatial information managament and IT companies. A fruitful brainstorming and in-depth discussion can be expected from this workshop as a result.