Cosponsored Event
Informal settlements are the common features of urban growth in most developing countries and are typically the product of an urgent need for shelter by the urban poor. Rapid urbanization, inefficient land administration and inadequate capability to cope with the housing needs of people in urban areas have contributed to the development of informal settlements or slums. The problem related to informal settlements is a very serious urban issue for developing countries. Informal settlers are more exposed and vulnerable to natural hazards that the general population and they are more likely to be affected and displaced by disasters. They tends to receive less housing assistance in their aftermath and are one of the vulnerable groups after disasters as they do not have legal land ownership documents and they are invisible on the records of city authorities. The humanitarian response and the reconstruction program led by central government or concerned authority tends to overlook informal settlers. The spatial data and technology can play a significant role for building resilience of vulnerable urban groups such as informal settlers. This presentation explores the role of spatial data infrastructure (SDI) and technology for disaster risk reduction and community resilience. A case of Nepal Earthquake 2015 has been taken as a case study.
Dev Raj Paudyal is a Lecturer in the School of Civil Engineering and Surveying, University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Australia. He has a M. Sc. Degree in Geoinformation Management (GIM2) from ITC, the Netherlands and a Doctor of Philosophy from University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Australia. He has more than 15 years of professional experience and approximately 40 research publications. Dev is currently the individual member representative and director at Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association (GSDIA) Board, Past President of International Geospatial Society (IGA), Co-chair of International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) Technical Commission WGIV/4, member of Mixed Methods International Research Association and registered Graduate Surveyor at Surveyors Board of Queensland (SBQ), Australia. Dev’s research interests lie in the areas of cadastral, land and geographic information systems, land administration, spatial data infrastructures, disaster management, urban planning including informal settlements, building resilience of vulnerable groups after disaster and natural resource management.
Cosponsored with the Harvard Graduate School of Design MDes Risk and Resilience Lecture
