Engaging youth and technology in the DRR process - Water and Floods

The main objective of this session is to showcase the results derived from the event to be organised in Colombia on preparations for the GPDRR 2019 called “Hack the risk- smart solutions on water issues and floods” which is going to be led by Water Youth Network (WYN) with the support of different organizations such as the National Aerodynamics and Space Administration (NASA), University of the Andes-Colombia and Group on Earth Observations (GEOSS). Other projects from all around the world aligned to this vision will be gathered and presented in this session as well.

During this session, the main outputs of a 48 hrs hackathon event will be displayed. These aim to be apps , prototipes, software etc, designed to help in the processes of DRR for Flood Risk Management and Water related issues. Moreover, to create stronger impact on how similar innovative solutions are applied worldwide, it is also planned to include other examples of innovations that have been developed by other youth organisations attending the GPDRR, which main focus lay on risk prevention and disaster management.

Regarding to the hackathon led by WYN, it aims to bring together software development experts, DRR managers, engineers, environmentalists and other young professionals that are eager to contribute with ideas for developing mobile applications, innovative software design or prototypes that may help addressing the many challenges faced in the processes of Flood risk and water related issues.

Hackathons are not a new concept. However, they are usually planned for helping solving more technical issues. The idea of taking advantage of them to focus on DRR issues and possibly support/assist in the processes of Flood Risk and water management seems as an opportunity and a good practice to be replicated around the world.

On the other hand, other successful examples, led by other organizations from around the globe, related to DRR and water related issues will be also showcased, always keeping in mind the importance of combining different technologies to propose effective solutions for DRR. For every case, there will be a panelist who presents the project, then a debate where challenges and opportunities will be discussed, and finally there will be time for some questions from the public.