John Schneider participated in the COP26 Resilience Hub Event: Analytics matters: the bedrock of resilience - open source data, risk modelling measurement as a global public good on November 8th . John shared GEM’s insights on where the provision of open source data can make the most impact to support global resilience and how this can be best delivered to stakeholders.

John reiterated that the keys to GEM success to this day is remaining true to its guiding principles of collaboration, credibility, openness and public good. He added, “We believe strongly in thinking globally with respect to the science, the methodology and the tools, but very much acting locally sharing those methodologies, standards and tools and involving local experts to tailor solutions to their situation.”

The event featured subject experts from across the public and private sectors, and discussed the state of the art and future of public and private sector physical climate risk modelling and data, including practical examples of how open data sources and models were being, or could be, used to improve climate risk and resilience.

The event organized by Willis aimed to promote the benefits of public and private sector collaboration in the development and augmentation of data and models towards specific end user goals, including those aligned to increasing resilience against current and future climate risks at local, subnational, national and regional scales, whether through physical, social, financial or economic mechanisms, or in combination.

Global Resilience Index Initiative (GRII) launched

The Global Resilience Index Initiative, with GEM as a partner, was officially launched before the main session. The launch included presentations of case studies of practical uses of global physical hazard models as well as the importance of hazard, exposure and risk metrics and standards. This approach will enable consistent approaches to the integration of data and models at different scales, to inform and guide decision makers towards effective risk reduction strategies.

Rowan Douglas, who heads the Climate & Resilience Hub at Willis Towers Watson and is the Chair of IDF Operating Committee and Ex-Officio Member of IDF Steering Committee, gave the launch statement and acknowledged the role of GEM and UNDRR’s GAR (Global Assessment Report) as the building blocks in the creation of GRII, saying that the initiative is not starting from scratch, but heavily leverages what GAR and GEM have already started. Rowan further added GEM’s significant contributions to the creation of GRII, emphasizing that GEM may be focused on earthquakes, but so much of its remaining work is the same with other perils such as the data on the built environment, human systems, fragility and vulnerability, that are important to physical climate risk resilience.

Website: 

https://www.cgfi.ac.uk/global-resilience-index-initiative/

Press release: 

https://www.cgfi.ac.uk/2021/11/global-resilience-index-initiative-launched/

GRII Intro Video: 

https://youtu.be/NdJruGmEVw4