Achievements

UNOSAT relies on a number of partners from the public and private sector. Among them, CERN (the European Centre of High Energy Physics) hosts the UNOSAT computing and technical centre and allows our experts to dialogue with CERN specialists.

The history of our achievements is based on technical soundness; a constant effort to focus on user needs and concrete solutions, technological advantage, and high impact at a low cost.

One important achievement is our dedicated support to the planning and coordination of humanitarian relief operations. In 2003, the programme incorporated a humanitarian rapid mapping service which has been activated over 179 times by relief and coordination agencies. UNOSAT operates this service 24 hours a day all year-round, ensuring that experts are available whenever needed for rapid acquisition and processing of satellite imagery and data for the creation of map and GIS layers in support of emergency response and humanitarian relief coordination. This support service has earned UNOSAT credibility and visibility within the international community.

Our engagement to supporting the UN system in the field extends well beyond the emergency phase. Once relief operations are over, we work to support early recovery and development activities to help countries recover after disasters and crises. The ability of UNOSAT to capitalize on data and information generated at the time of crisis to benefit recovery and development actors has been recognized in 2005 with the inclusion of UNOSAT in the Early Recovery Cluster of the Humanitarian Response Reform process (UNOSAT participates also in the Shelter and Emergency Telecommunications Clusters).

Another important achievement is the growing number of national and international development projects that receive support from UNOSAT for strategic territorial planning and advanced GIS applications. In these projects we use the expertise accumulated by the UNOSAT technical team and their field experience to bring a new technological edge to local capacity development often in the form of high quality consultancy and on-site support services.

UNOSAT experience is not limited to technical support; we are engaged in supporting the development of capacity locally and help communities to retain this capacity. To do so, we develop and implement integrated training modules and programmes that typically include the design and realization of GIS and cartographic centres that will continue to operate long after cooperation projects.

Created initially to exploit fully the potential of satellite earth observation, UNOSAT has developed skills in additional technical areas, such as satellite navigation and telecommunications, and is today looking into the future of integrated solutions.


Some Facts and Figures: 2009

  • UNOSAT supports the humanitarian community (UN and non-UN) with maps and analyses derived from satellite imagery acquired commercially or via the International Charter Sapce and Major Disasters. In 2009 UNOSAT covered 40 operations with an increasing share of complex emergencies representing almost one third of the total number of activations.
  • Last June the Operational Board of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters has designated formally UNOSAT as "Charter User Intermediary". This status grants UNOSAT the privilege "to act as gateway for request submissions on behalf of UN users related with humanitarian actions", confirming the central role of UNOSAT in triggering and using Charter mechanism in support of humanitarian emergency relief in case of major natural and technological disaster. Since that date, UNOSAT triggered the Charter on behalf of different UN sister agencies 9 times.
  • UNOSAT supported with satellite mapping 100% of the field emergency missions sent by OCHA to countries affected by disasters (UNDAC Team Missions).
  •  UNOSAT contributed to the EU funded TANGO project aiming at integrating telecommunication solutions in GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security). TANGO solutions aims notably to provide satellite telecommunication tools to enhance rapid exchange of geospatial data for humanitarian aid coordination in the field.
  • Agreements were signed with Spot Image, the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation - ITC, EC Joint Research Centre, UNICRI and UNICEF.


Output, Users, and Beneficiaries: 2009

  • In terms of services implemented, UNOSAT supported 40 major emergency response operations led by the United Nations system with maps and analyses.
  • In terms of output, UNOSAT produced over 200 different maps and analyses, of which 165 were made available to users via internet; 30 were used in development projects at the specific request of UNDP and national authorities.
  • Users of UNOSAT products and services included: OCHA, UNHCR, WHO, UNICEF, the humanitarian Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), UNDP/BCPR, UNDP country offices, UN-HABITAT, the governments and local authorities of several Member States.
  • The direct beneficiaries of UNOSAT work constituted two distinct categories: 1) humanitarian field and HQ staff in UN and NGOs entities, and 2) fieldworkers and local authorities engaged in development and land planning projects. Most importantly, the ultimate beneficiaries were the people and authorities in the countries were UNOSAT lent its support, for example: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (Gaza Strip), the Philippines, American Samoa, Samoa, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Uruguay,Vietnam, Yemen and Zambia.