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Material Information

Title:
Using Telecentres for Disaster Risk Management at the Community Level
Series Title:
Policy Brief in ICT Applications in the Knowledge Economy
Creator:
Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction (IDD)
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Publisher:
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2009
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Emergency management ( lcshac )
Risk management ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
Asia
Pacific Islands

Notes

Summary:
Timely information dispersal is critical to catastrophic event management, but this is particularly challenging in crisis situations. This overview explores the application of telecenters to facilitate disaster risk management. Telecentres are public access sites that provide telephones, computers, and internet access under one roof. Many telecentres supplement these services with other tools that improve the risk management capabilities of local residents and community leaders. The Village Knowledge Centre in Pondicherry, India is one example of a telecentre. It provides weather reports and disaster warnings in addition to its core services. The Regional Electronic Access to Communication for Health in Eastern Visayas has augmented its basic capabilities by hosting a database of local hazards. It also provides disaster management training with online content for local community leaders. These telecentres are innovative examples of multi-use, user-friendly disaster management facilities that are available to the local public. However, they do not represent a realization of potential. Access to communications systems and critical data also enables telecentres to function as command centers during and after crisis situations. During non-crisis periods, the centers can serve as gathering sites for interdisciplinary training and procedural design. As the potential of these centers becomes more clearly realized, their community value grows as well. The authors warn that telecentre designers and policy makers should be conscious of this reality. Thus, they recommend that proactive measures be taken to ensure that these centers will function in the most trying of circumstances. Protective policies such as regular data backup schedules and allocations for storage space should be a priority, in addition to the readily available power generation that is an integral component of any critical facility. ( English )
Subject:
General Disaster Risk Management ( English )
Citation/Reference:
(2009). Policy brief on ICT applications in the knowledge economy. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
Resource Identifier:
FI13042534

dpSobek Membership

Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction