Paving the Way for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure - UN CC:Learn

PART IChapter 4: A ‘No-Regrets’ Risk-Based Approach to Climate Proofing Public Infrastructurecatalogue of risk information, allowing for maximum inter-operability with existing systems. At the softwarelevel it allows users to build their own applications — using all or part of CAPRA— enhancing thefunctionality of the software.The CAPRA initiative is embracing Web 2.0 technologies and the underlying premise of collaborationoffering new ways to communicate and work together. All CAPRA hazard and risk reports are availableonline in a wiki form (a collaborative Web site set up to allow user editing and adding of content), providinga space for users to debate and pose questions about the CAPRA methodology through an online discussionforum (www.ecapra.org/wiki).In recent years, GIS have allowed the public to display and manipulate geo-referenced data throughtools such as Google Earth/Maps, Virtual Earth and WorldWind Java. CAPRA is using these 3-D models tocommunicate ideas and collect data in new ways. To overcome the critical challenge of data collection inCentral America, CAPRA is exploring new technologies, such as high-resolution aerial photography, satelliteimagery and ‘crowd sourcing.’ An example of the use of crowd-sourcing to collect exposure data canbe viewed on the wiki, in a risk assessment made for Bluefields, Nicaragua.CAPRA applicationsOnce risk is determined, decision makers can use the various CAPRA applications to address the situationand engage in a comprehensive disaster risk management approach. CAPRA applications include:a hazard assessment report for territorial planning;a cost-benefit application for analysis of retrofitting projects;a calculator of technical premiums for insurance.The CAPRA platform has the potential to assess the impact of climate change by using hazard modelsderived from climate, rather than historical data. For example, CAPRA could provide a risk evaluation of aclimate change impact scenario using a model and future scenario projection from the IPCC.The CAPRA communityCAPRA users range from technical experts, academics, government institutions, and emergency responseorganizations, to risk management consultants and decision makers, a wide and far-reaching community.The CAPRA initiative is engaging universities to work with CAPRA software and collect data. Scholarshipsare offered to post graduate students to explore the potential of the CAPRA tools within the academicsector and especially to support graduate student projects. The CAPRA initiative recognizes the importanceof educating the current generation of professionals in the fields related to disaster risk and thereforewelcomes students’ contributions and initiatives to expand and improve its tools and applicationsCAPRA, moving away from the standard single hazard analysis approach, provides a multi-hazard riskassessment based on probabilistic modeling, and taking into account vulnerability, exposure and damage.This risk information can be applied at various levels and in different sectors including health, education,housing and planning. With the CAPRA applications, decisions can be made to prevent, mitigate orrespond to disaster risk. CAPRA thus provides a holistic risk management approach and creates a broaddisaster risk management community.ConclusionCAPRA is part of an ongoing effort to promote a proactive disaster risk management strategy in theCentral American region. Ultimately CAPRA hopes to contribute to Central America’s sustainable developmentby supporting a regional strategy that advances disaster risk evaluation and risk managementdecision-making across all sectors.Paving the Way for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: Conference Proceedings 51