CNDS Centrum för naturkatastrofslära Natural disaster science Emergence of a new, interdisciplinary. Sven Halldin. Centre for Natural Disaster Science

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1 disaster science Emergence of a new, interdisciplinary science field

2 Characteristics of CNDS/CANDIM A new area with great growth potential! What characterises a natural disaster? Inter-disciplinarty, how and what?

3 A new area with great growth potential! 2009: The UN-system ISDR want coordinated research

4 A new area with great growth potential! 2010: ICSU established the IRDR programme (just as IPCC) with an IPO in Beijing

5 A new area with great growth potential! 2010: The EU Environmental Agency presents a mapping of the monumental costs that strikes the union in the form of natural disasters

6 A new area with great growth potential! 2011: The global financial markets need information about extreme weather events since they cost so enormously much and destroy the functioning of the market.

7 What characterises a natural disaster? Elbe 2002 A natural disaster takes place when the vulnerability and limited resilience of a society is facing a natural hazard. A natural disaster is by definition born at the interface between the nature and the society and the problems can only be solved with collaborating skills from engineering, natural, and social sciences. Arvika 2000

8 disaster science Besides the need for inter-disciplinary collaboration there is a need for a perspective where you, together from different aspects, study the different phases of a natural disaster: Before during after learning from previous phases to improve preparedness for the next event.

9 Methodology for natural disaster science Research in natural disaster science requires interand multi-disciplinary methodology, e.g. for: Vulnerability assessment Extreme-value analysis and estimation of risk versus relative cost Implementation of uncertainty analysis into management and political decision making. Development of support system being used and which are efficient at the man-machine interface Systems for protection of critical infrastructure

10 Inter-disciplinarity, a huge challenge ICSU (2008) A Plan for Integrated Research on Risk: identified the most significant research gaps to be interdisciplinary cohesion, i.e. the intersections of the natural, socio-economic, health and engineering sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of, The Environmental Committe (2009) Inter-disciplinarity necessary to meet the challenges of today s environment (in Swedish): Today there are expectations and demands on how the society should manage great challenges like climate change, global development and stressed ecosystems. These challenges cannot be solved through disciplinary research since they take place at the interface between man and nature.

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12 CNDS Plan: the short story 1. Workshops with people from SENDIM and CANDIM discussing their different cultures (definitions, empirical tools, thematical focus) 2. Inter-disciplinary working groups (research projects and areas for inter-disciplinary collaboration) 3. Reports and evaluations by the funding agencies (the Government, MSB, Sida)

13 Plan: Areas of collaboration Combine intra-disciplinary skill with interdisciplinary collaboration and relevance for policy work Three research and collaboration areas: 1. Design and efficient use of systems for early warning 2. Design of systems for decision support and crisis communication 3. Integration of data, information, and expert knowledge in processes of evaluation and change

14 CNDS Plan: Research Projects WP1: Communication of Risks and Threats in Hazards Proj 1. Communication and Preparedness Proj 2. Information-Sharing, Interpretation and Response Proj 3. Informing Learning and Change Management WP 2: Effective Collaboration with Regard to s Proj 4. Organisational Cooperation and Conflict Proj 5. Accountability and Legitimacy at the Public-Private-Civil Interface

15 CNDS forskningsplan: forskningsprojekt (forts) WP3: Information gathering and analysis to mitigate or prevent natural disasters Proj 6. Decision- and Process-Support to Prevention and Mitigation Proj 7. Early-Warnings and Real-Time Modelling Proj 8. Systematic -Event Analysis and Database Management WP4: Autonomous and Robust Information Systems and Energy Management Proj 9. Portable Wind-Powered Generator for Emergency Needs Proj 10. Robust Communication in Intermittent Wireless Networks

16 The Plan: empirical focus Three type cases: National disasters in Sweden (e.g. the storm Gudrun) Transnational (regional) events with direct consequences for Sweden (e.g. the recent volcano eruption on Iceland). International events where Sweden is involved through international collaboration/aid programmes (e.g. earth-quake on Haiti).

17 The Research Schools SENDIM and CANDIM - Governed by a syllabus ( särskild studieplan ) - PhD students are admitted to disciplinary subjects and follow their study plans - One course presently designed, other will follow - Common seminar series - Support for collaboration around concrete cases and study object, preferably co-publication where this is possible

18 Thank you for your attention! Haiti, 2010