The University of Twente, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), Netherlands, with its associate partner, the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) was selected by the World Bank to develop a handbook for the Caribbean Risk Information Programme (CRIP) to support the integration of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Strategies in critical sectors.
The project aims to support the mainstreaming of natural hazard and disaster risk information into decision-making in physical planning and infrastructure sectors in targeted Caribbean countries: Belize, St. Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
AIT experts Dr. Manzul Kumar Hazarika, Associate Director, Geoinformatics Center, AIT and Dr. Naveed Anwar, Executive Director, AIT Consulting and Disaster Risk Management Expert will provide their expertise in geospatial data management and structural engineering aspects of the project in consultation with representatives of national governments, regional organizations, and private sectors.
Subsequent to the handbook development, experts from AIT and ITC, will give training on selected modules of the handbook to support the use of the handbook for the selected five Caribbean countries by targeting specific case studies. These studies will serve as opportunities to provide practical guidance and training in the use of the handbook, and obtain feedback on how to improve the handbook for future use.
AIT will also be leading nine hazard mapping studies using the handbook in the five participating countries such as landslide and flood hazard maps at the national level for Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and a national flood hazard map for Belize.
