CommonSensing (UNITAR) (IPP funded)
www.unitar.org/unosat
Overview
The overall aim of CommonSensing is to improve national resilience towards climate change, including disaster risk reduction, and contribute to sustainable development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), through the use of satellite Earth observation (EO). This is done by assessing climate predictions, coupled with hazard mapping and food security analysis to provide countries capacity to better access climate funds and thus become more resilient to climate change.
Solution benefits
- Strengthens national and regional technical capacity towards applying and reporting for climate funds and informing climate action policy.
- Reduced impact and improved risk management of disasters generated by hydro-meteorological e.g. hurricanes and geophysical e.g. earthquakes.
- Enhanced sustainable development in main economic sectors at a national level
Case studies
CommonSensing is currently being developed with the governments of Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, supported by IPP.
Organisation overview
An autonomous UN body established in 1963, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a training arm of the United Nations System and has the mandate to enhance the effectiveness of the UN through diplomatic training, and to increase the impact of national actions through public awareness-raising, education and training of public policy officials.
UNITAR’s Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) is the lead agency for CommonSensing and a technology-intensive programme delivering imagery analysis and satellite solutions to relief and development organisations within and outside the UN system to help make a difference in critical areas such as humanitarian relief, human security, strategic territorial and development planning.