Workshop on DesInventar in Vietnam

A workshop on Building Systematic Disaster Inventories in Vietnam was held on 24 and 25 of May, 2004 in Hanoi. Objectives of the workshop were to introduce concepts and methodology of the DesInventar system, a tool for building disaster database which was developed by the Network for Social Studies on Disaster Prevention in Latin America, and to explore possibilities of replicating this system in Vietnam as well as to identify possible partners for undertaking this exercise. Based on a relational database structure and a disciplined expert assisted structure for data collection and classification, DesInventar permits the homogeneous capture, analysis and graphic representation of geo-referenced information on disaster occurrence and loss. Such databases would enable in-charge government bodies and officials to make more effective disaster risk management decisions.  

This program has been implemented successfully in quite a few countries across Latin America and in some South Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.  

The workshop was initiated and funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and organized by the Disaster Management Center, Department of Dyke Management and Flood and Storm Control (DDFSC)-MARD in an effort to introduce and apply new and advanced technologies into the disaster management field in Vietnam. The workshop gathered participants from different agencies and projects specializing in disaster preparedness and mitigation, namely Vietnam Red Cross, Central Hydro-Meteorological Forecast Center, General Statistics Office, DDFSC, UNDP Project VIE/97/002 – Support to the Disaster Management System in Vietnam, etc. A common assessment drawn at the end of the workshop was that the software is both useful and user-friendly. A roadmap for creating such disaster inventories in Vietnam has been being prepared and proceeded by UNDP in collaboration with related agencies.             

Further information on the program can be obtained from DMC at email address: pclb@fpt.vn or dmc@ccfsc.org.vn

 Summarized by DMU