Slide presentations developed to demonstrate how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) be used to address climate change, and why ICTs are a crucial part of the solution – i.e. in promoting efficiency, Green Growth & sustainable development, in dealing with climate change and for climate and environmental action. These slide presentations were delivered in February 2011 in Seongnam, near Seoul in Korea. These presentations were developed and delivered over 2.5 days on the occasion of a Regional Training of Trainers Workshop for upcoming Academy modules on ICT for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Abatement. These modules were developed as part of the Academy of ICT Essentials for Government leaders developed by the United Nations (UN) Asia Pacific Centre for ICT Training (APCICT), based in Songdo City, in the Republic of South Korea. These presentations were developed in 2011, and are somewhat out of date, but most of the principles still apply. Module 10, which has been published, does not include much of the information outlined in these presentations, which are fairly technical. They were developed to address a significant gap in understanding of the technical basis of using ICTs for climate action and because there is a clear bias in development circles against the importance of dealing with climate change mitigation in developing countries. These presentations are an attempt to redress this lack and are published here with this purpose in mind. The author, Richard Labelle, is presently working on updating these presentations to further highlight the importance of addressing climate change and the important role that technology including ICTs, play in this effort.

1. Module 10
Session 3
(Seoul, Korea, 24 February 2011)
ICTs for climate change adaptation
Richard Labelle
rlab@sympatico.ca

2. 2
Objectives of Module 10
To show that ICTs be used to address
climate change
To demonstrate why ICTs are a crucial
part of the solution – i.e. in promoting
efficiency, Green Growth & sustainable
development

3. 3
Objectives of Section 6 – key ICT
applications for climate change
adaptation
Provide examples of some ICT applications
for climate change adaptation for:
Enhancing environmental understanding;
Helping people, communities and organizations
to adapt to climate change; and
Building capacity for environmental and
climate change adaptation.

4. 4
Technologies for enhancing
environmental understanding (1)
Remote sensing technologies
Satellite based
Ground based sensors and sensor
technologies:
WSNs, Internet of Things, embedded
processors
Powerful and user friendly handheld
devices
Data recording, analysis, visualization
Environmental sensing
Extending the reach of cloud computing
services

5. 5
Technologies for enhancing
environmental understanding (2)
High speed processors (CPUs, GPUs
& peripherals)
Geographic information system )GIS)
Cloud based GIS: Google Earth,
Microsoft Virtual Earth
Global positioning systems (GPS)

6. 6
Technologies for enhancing
environmental understanding (3)
Digital data archives
Database management systems
Web 2.0 & Web 3.0 technologies
Mashups of these various
technologies
Social networks:
Crowsourcing that facilitates
environmental observation

7. 7
Some examples (1)
Satellite based weather observation
systems & terrestrial weather
stations
WMO’s World Weather Watch system
discussed in Section 4
Automatic weather stations remotely
connected to weather network
Many auto weather stations increase
data reliability and weather
predictability

8. 8
Some examples (2)
FluxNet: a global network of weather
stations focusing on CO2, H20 &
energy exchanges at earth’s surface
Used for modelling & understanding
terrestrial energy balance

9. 9
Some examples (3)
NatureServe:
Uses ICTs for biodiversity mapping &
management
GIS, GPS, handheld devices, wireless
nets for real time data collection &
analysis
Useful for measuring impact of CC on
biodiversity
More long term

10. NatureServe Biotics app for biodiversity
10
observation
[http://www.natureserve.org/prodServices/biotics.jsp

11. 11
Some examples (4)
Using remote sensing and WSNs for:
Mapping soil capability & matching
agricultural technologies & practices to
best suit these characteristics
Use existing knowledge bases for this:
CGIAR, FAO & other UN, etc.

12. 12
Examples (5)
Use remote sensing & GIS to map
soil capability characteristics
 identify appropriate:
land use practices,
crops and animals,
 to put into place sustainable
agricultural practices

13. 13
Some examples (6)
Using ICTs for REDD:
Measuring vegetation cover & changes
in cover
Tracking vegetation health
Satellite based remote sensing, GIS,
GPS, handheld mobile devices, WSNs,
etc.

14. 14
Some examples (7)
The Global Earth Observation System
of Systems (GEOSS)
Facilitates access to digital imagery data
archives

15. REDD – the Green Belt Movement (Kenya)
15
GBM uses:
GIS @ GBM
– Satellite data to identify areas of forest loss where urgent
reforestation or tree planting should be carried out.
– GIS and Remote Sensing for identification of the location,
delineate the extent of specific potential community-based
tree planting project sites.
– Field measurements to estimate baseline biomass and
carbon stocks for the community tree planting project sites
– Mapping and field based-monitoring using GIS to ensure
high survival of the planted trees
– Web-based mapping application for reporting of project
progress to the management and project partners
[Maathai, W. and Ndunda, P. 2009. The Green Belt Movement International. Cop15. Dec. 8, 2009.

16. 16
REDD – Green Belt Movement
ESRI: GIS platform
Google Earth & data sharing
The European Space Agency: remote
sensing data (satellite)
Spot Image as partner
Trimble: positioning solutions
Leica Geosystems:
Technologies that capture, visualize and
process 3D spatial data

17. Use of GIS by the Green Belt Movement in
17
Kenya
GBM uses:
GIS @ GBM
– Satellite data to identify areas of forest loss where urgent
reforestation or tree planting should be carried out.
– GIS and Remote Sensing for identification of the location,
delineate the extent of specific potential community-based
tree planting project sites.
– Field measurements to estimate baseline biomass and
carbon stocks for the community tree planting project sites
– Mapping and field based-monitoring using GIS to ensure
high survival of the planted trees
– Web-based mapping application for reporting of project
progress to the management and project partners
[Maathai, W. and Ndunda, P. 2009. The Green Belt Movement International. Cop15. Dec. 8, 2009.

18. ICTs for helping people, communities
18
and organizations adapt to CC
For DRR & DRM:
Remote sensing technologies & satellite
& wireless telecommunication
technologies including NGNs
Sensors & sensor nets (WSNs)
Digital imagery for crowsource mapping
A social networking application
GIS & browser based GIS (Google
Earth, Microsoft Virtual Earth, etc.)
WSNs for drought and flood monitoring
& control, irrigation control, etc.

19. Crowdsourcing apps for emergency
19
preparedness & response (1)
OpenStreetMap:
OpenStreetMap allows you to view, edit
and use geographical data in a
collaborative way from anywhere on
Earth.

20. 20
OpenStreetMap
http://www.openstreetmap.org/

21. Crowdsourcing apps for emergency
21
preparedness & response (2)
Google Mapmaker:
The Google equivalent allowing cloud-based
sharing of mapping information
that can also be considered a geospatial
data hosting service
It allows users of the (free) service to
annotate places for people to see in
Google maps.

22. 22
Google Map Maker
http://www.google.com/mapmaker/pulse

23. Crowdsourcing apps for emergency
23
preparedness & response (3)
Ushahidi:
The Ushahidi platform provides tools for
communities to crowdsource real-time
information using SMS, email, Twitter
and the Web

24. Ushahidi :bushfire connect – reporting bushfires in
24
Australia
http://bushfireconnect.org/ & http://crowdmap.com/ & http://www.ushahidi.com/products/crowdmap

25. Crowdsourcing apps for emergency
25
preparedness & response (4)
Sahana:
Web-based collaboration tool that
addresses common coordination
problems during a disaster from finding
missing people, managing aid,
managing volunteers and tracking
camps effectively between government
groups, civil society (NGOs) and the
affected themselves
Crowdsourcing allows to consult a wider
group to gather info & for better
situational analysis

26. 26
Role of ICTs (6)
After disaster: information for damage
assessment and planning of relief
operations mainly obtained by space
remote sensing systems (Vassiliev,ITU).

27. 27
Role of ICTs (7)
Tools that can help governments,
people, organizations and
communities become more efficient
ICT based modernization of business
processes: e-government in general +
specialized e-applications in particular

28. Applications: Agriculture (FEWS 1)
28
Famine Early Warning
System(FEWS)
For vulnerability and food security
assessments, Food security alerts,
updates and briefings, etc.
Satellite based remote sensing
Assist small scale farmers to predict
crop yields in relation to seasonal
weather and precipitation trends

29. Applications: Agriculture (FEWS 2)
29
Famine Early Warning
System(FEWS)
Prepare for famine and delay growing
seasons when drought places farming at
risk
Africa & beyond (Afghanistan)

30. 30
The Famine Early Warning System (Fews) -
Estimated food security conditions, 2nd Quarter
2010 (April-June)
FEWS. 2010. Estimated food security conditions, 2nd Quarter 2010 (April-June). http://www.fews.net/Pages/default.aspx

31. 31
Applications: agriculture
Nano Ganesh (India)
Mobile phone application that triggers
irrigation pumps remotely
Saves water and is helping over 10,000
farmers manage pumps that would
otherwise require manual control

32. 32
Applications: agriculture
CHEWACS (Indonesia)
Climate Change Early Warning for
Agricultural Communities
e-Environment decision support system
WSNs to gather microclimate data
Sensors detect T, humidity, wind, sunlight
radiation, air pollution
Data relayed to servers for processing
Info to provide warnings to agricultural
communities and governments

33. 33
Applications: weather info
Enhancing the capacity of weather
and environmental ministries and
services to collect data and
communicate it to the public
Automatic weather stations connected
to the national weather info. system
Ericsson “Weather for all” project
PPP to build 5,000 automatic weather
stations at mobile network sites (cell
towers, etc.) across Africa

34. Applications: micro insurance (1)
34
ICTs used to enhance quality &
availability of weather data  helps
make risk assessment more
accurate, allows micro insurers to
offer competitive pricing
Availability of timely, accurate and
reliable weather data, insurance
companies see opportunities to provide
farmers with affordable micro insurance
plans

35. Applications: micro insurance (2)
35
Data used:
weather records published by the local
weather station,
key data on morbidity,
disease data from epidemiological surveys
and data banks, etc.
ICTs and especially mobile devices
enhancing the efficiency of the micro
insurance market: i.e. selling and / or
buying micro insurance, registering
claims and receiving compensation

36. Applications: micro insurance (3)
36
Indonesia has developed an index-based
flood insurance credit card
scheme;
The Philippines has a typhoon index
crop insurance scheme for rice
farmers

37. 37
6.3 Building capacity for
environmental & CC adaptation (1)
Some technologies:
E-government
Internet based learning networks
Online streaming of multimedia content
for:
Diffusing news and knowledge and for
enhancing participation in conferences and
meetings, etc.
Teleconferencing systems (high
definition video conferencing,
telepresence, etc.)

38. 38
6.3 Building capacity for
environmental & CC adaptation (2)
Some technologies:
Social networks & apps available via
social nets
Various Web based distance learning
resources

39. 39
Some examples (1)
E-government apps:
To strengthen the capacity of
government to address climate change
adaptation
ICT enhance data collection
Minimize the health impacts pf climate
change by:
Strengthening public health systems
Enhancing capacity
Strengthening surveillance & control of
disease

40. 40
Some examples (2)
E-learning:
UN climate change learning platforms
World Bank distance learning course on
climate change science & policy
APCICT Virtual Academy (AVA)
Various specialised courses available
online

41. 41
Some cross cutting ICT based
applications for building capacity for
climate change adaptation

42. 42
Resources for the Future (USA)
Adaptation Atlas:
Web-based application for user driven,
dynamically generated maps of climate
impacts and adaptation activities
Database of impacts
Repository of adaptation projects
Data available for download and uploads
User can select different locations,
timeframes, scenarios and overlay
resulting data across sectors

43. 43
Google (1)
Several projects to enhance access
to data on adaptation using ICTs
http://www.weadapt.org/ : explore
ways of improving access to info. on
climate adaptation using Google Earth
GEO Forest Carbon Tracking (FCT)
initiative: to support countries wanting
to establish national forest-change,
carbon estimation and reporting
systems:
Using satellite imagery for measuring /
monitoring world's forests using Google
Earth

44. 44
Google (2)
Earth Engine Demo
Many possible uses
Forest monitoring, reporting and verification
(MRV) in support of efforts such as REDD
Uses Google cloud for storage,
computation, analysis & visualization
Respects data ownership
Open Data Kit:
Tools to help organizations collect,
aggregate and visualize data

45. 45
Google (3)
Google Crisis Response:
Use imagery - Cyclone Nargis Hits
Myanmar using Google Map Maker
Available soon:
Airborne affordable versatile hi res
imagery from a small plane
World Bank Development Indicators
in Google Search
Information Technology support for
Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance
Network

46. 46
Microsoft
SenseWeb:
geo-based web interface for publishing
and browsing live sensor data
SensorMap:
Visualization of info.
Mashes up sensor data from SenseWeb
on a map interface
Provides interactive tools to selectively
query sensors and visualize data, along
with authenticated access to manage
sensors

47. 47
Government of Korea
Sensor networks for managing water
pollution and measuring water levels

48. Sensor networks monitor water level and
48
pollutants in Korea
Four Major Rivers through u-River Control
Preventing water pollution by establishing real-time environment monitoring system
based on Ubiquitous Sensor Network (USN) to support the Four River Revival Project
and monitor the ecological environment
[National Information Society Agency (NIA), Government of Korea
UV Index: 5 - the average level
- Needs to have protection
(sunscreen/sunshade)
Stroll Path: Temperature/
humidity/illumination - good
- Good for jogging and walking
River Condition Index: 9 - good
- Throwing wastes into river
prohibited
Water Level of River: normal
20/15
Messages to Electronic
Bulletin Boards
Wire
Wireless
USN Zigbee Network
- 2.4Ghz, 100m range
- Sensor/Router/Gateway
Real-time detection
of pollution source
• Sensors : Air temperature/illumination/humidity/UV(14EA), water
level(7EA), water temperature/dissolved oxygen(DO)/PH (14EA)
• Relay nodes : Zigbee Router Node (14EA), including water level CDMA+SINK
Node(7EA) Total: 49EA

49. 49
Discussion