Decision making in disaster risk reduction across different levels Bonn, 10-11 December 2014

1. Enabling knowledge for disaster risk
reduction in integration to climate change
adaptation: brief project presentation
Scira Menoni
(on behalf of Polimi team: Fabrizio Amarilli, Funda
Atun, Francesco Ballio, Maria Pia Boni, Grazia
Concilio, Bruna De Marchi, Daniela Molinari, Ouejdane
Mejri, Giulia Pesaro, Pierluigi Plebani, Juergen
Weichlesgartner)
Decision making in disaster risk reduction across
different levels
Bonn, 10-11 December 2014

2. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
INSTITUTION Country Role in the project
Politecnico di Milano Italy
Coordinator, responsible for KMS framework and the Po
and the Umbria living labs
Harokopio University Greece
Responsible for mapping knowledge in the private sector and
civil society and understanding challenges connecteed to the
financial crisis
Development Workshop France (NGO)
France Responsible for mapping knowledge across all cas studies and
for the Vietnam living lab
University of Salzburg (PLUS) Austria
Responsbile for the first deliverable on barriers and bridges in
knowledge sharing and for the workshop with networks
UNU-EHS International (Germany)
Responsible for analysis of uncertainty in risk mitigation and
cca and for the workshop among stakeholders in public
administrations
Universitè de Savoie France
Responsbile for analysing the situation in France and the final
conference
Adelphi Germany
Responsible for the legisletters and the workshop among
stakeholders in public administrations
Center of Research and Higher Studies on Social
Anthropology (CIESAS)
Mexico
Responsible for a seminar to be held in Mexico and for
providing the perspective of developing countries in all areas of
the project
TiConUno Italy
Responsible for dissemination through WebTv and Radio 24
Italy
EURAC Italy
Roland Nussbaum ONRN, France
Francesco Puma Po Riverbasin Authority
Andrew Maskrey ISDR
Maria Patek Ministry of Environment, Austria
Rene Nijenhuis OCHA
Spain
Responsbile for the Lorca living lab and for understanding and
mapping knowledge among scientific communities
Advisory Board
Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de investigaciones
Cientificas (CSIC)
The project consortium and the Advisory Board

3. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
White, G., Kates, R. & Burton, I. 2001. Environmental Hazards 3(3): 81-92
Knowing better and losing even more: the use of knowledge in
hazard management.
.
Why? This the starting point of the project
Failure in land
use and urban
planning
Increase in
exposed
population
(demographic
trend), assets,
goods
Process of
urbanization, the
majority of human
population living in
urban areas
Climate
change and
related
hazards

4. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
What are the underlying reasons for failures and blockages?
Failure in land
use and urban
planning
Poverty, marginal
areas are
occupied in
dangerous zones
Obstacles to climate
change mitigation
and adaptation
Poor emergency
planning and
preparedness
Lack of
competence of
some decision
makers on risk
issues (urban
planners)
Economic value
of hazardous
location, private
interest in
developing Failure of
coordination
among different
agencies and
governmental
levels Knowledge
and learning

5. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
What can we do to enable knowledge and learning in our project?
What has been done insofar?
Create opportunities
for knoweldge
exchange and sharing
in workshops and
seminars
Knowledge
and learning
Analyse the flow of
knowledge and
information across
stakeholders in
different case studies
Constructing
opportunities for
testing and developing
knoweldge together
with stakeholders in
Living Labs
Conceptualizing a
Knowledge
Mnagement System Developing advanced
communication tools for
selected audiences
Agreeing on how
interdisciplinarity can be
implemented to construct
problem framing

6. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
Playing games and working with stakeholders in coordination actvities.
Looking at how the work of networks in drr and cca contribute to share and create
knowledge across borders, stakeholders,
volunteers
Wokrshop in Bolzano, where the Flood
Control game was played; meeting with
networks representatives in Salzburg

7. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
Mapping knowledge flows among different social groups and within each social group…

8. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
Understanding the challenges of risk prevention and mitigation in times of
financial crisis..that becomes also institutional, social, and political

9. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
Understanding the challenges of risk prevention and mitigation given
institutional and legal uncertainties. This was a crucial issue for the two
Madrid national seminars
scientific
legal
societal
institutional
Models, data, real time models
Unexpected tasks, needing
negotiation
trust
Conflict of competences
Source: De Marchi B., “Uncertainty in Environment Emergencies: A Diagnostic Tool”.
J. Contingencies and Crisis Management 3(2) : 103–112, 1995.
In a very relevant study that has been developed by one of the guests in Madrid, made for CIMA
Foundation and the Italian Civil Protection it is suggested that a much stronger knowledge
exchange should occur also with judges and lawyers to make them aware about the high levels of
uncertainty (in particular the scientific uncertainty) in order to better assess responsibilities of
public servants dealing with sometimes very hard decision making

10. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
Real life laboratories: cases where we are actively interacting and involved in decision
making processes and can suggest to test ongoing developments and results of the
Know-4-drr project.
Living Lab
Living labs are constituted by case studies that provide a unique opportunity to
interact with stakeholders on the topics brought by the project. The do not serve
as observational arenas, but permit a much stronger involvement of project
partners in given activities to be agreed upon with institutional stakeholders.
Thanks to the special links that some of the partners have established with
stakeholders of the living labs, it will be possible to experiment some tools and
methods that will be proposed by KNOW-4-DRR.
The living labs will provide material for in depth analysis and representation of
how enhanced exchange and co-production of knowledge across some or all of
the social groups may occur or is hampered in different contexts. The cases
consist of a well balanced sample of different scales at which decisions are
made (national, interregional, and local) and where therefore different
stakeholders from all social groups considered in the knowledge management
framework are involved. Three living labs will be carried out during the
project: the Vietnam case, the Po Riverbasin case in Italy, and the Lorca
Municipality case in Spain. Learn more about these living labs in the following
boxes.

11. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
The Lorca living lab, Spain, working together with the local Municipality and highschools
to enhance understaing of risks and mitigation in an area that has been hit consequently by
and earthquake and then by a flood.

12. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
The surveys, community meetings and workshops held since august 2013 until October
2014 in the provinces of Thua Thien Hue and Quang Binh track and discuss the evolution
of communication, communication channels and the efficiency /inefficiency of
information transfer and the development of knowledge for disaster risk reduction and
in recent years, for a better understanding of the ways one can interact/act on climate change
and adaptation to climate change.
What? How? DIKW Pyramid
Legislation
changes
New laws & revised codes reflect changing risk
environment & the recognition of the need to adapt to
coastal risks, realities and vulnerability
Better information > new
knowledge;
Lessons being learned >
wisdom feeds back to improve
information
Information
delivery
Increased use of TV provides hazard warning
information + films on safer houses;
Mobile phone messages also used;
But, locally, loudspeakers & visits still important
More varied delivery:
Information delivery precision
improves > helps build
knowledge
Traditional knowledge >
wisdom in doubt!
Capacity
building
Various forms of training and information provision,
addressing :
 Technical skills (national/provincial);
 Financial services (new safe house loans package);
 Flood & storm control committees : test internet &
real time weather data;
 Local builders & leaders: fast 1 day safer house
theory + practice training;
Publications national & provincial: (“Atlas of house
vulnerability & strengthening”) + handbooks
Information provided >
generates knowledge through
seeing & doing:
 In formal training
 In collaborative work
experience
Awareness
raising
campaigns
 Simple messages (e.g. prevent typhoon damage);
 Engage local/non local artists + actors & children;
 Use/develop a variety of local, traditional, theatre
& concert based communication to deliver
messages (ex. Film by child actors: “the stubborn
builder” http://www.dwf.org/en/media-
gallery/detail/1326/1996
 Cartoon strips; mobile street displays
 Crowd pulling events (sport etc.)
Clearer Information delivered;
impact studies indicate this
leads to knowledge followed by
action
Uncertain impact
Large audiences/some generate
memorable knowledge
Awareness
&
application
 Provinces/Commune know that preventive
strengthening is viable
 Poor families see, experience & believe that safer
houses are possible
Knowledge;
Knowledge > some wisdom
 Families borrow to strengthen (targeted loans); but
lack of budget a brake
 Convinced families strengthen house spontaneously
Knowledge, leads to action &
some wisdom (experience)
 Commune/Province & GOVT acceptance - shift from
ridicule to conviction.
Knowledge
Early
warning
Alerts achieve improved precision and delivery; but
message not always understood; but door to door visits
still important
Better information, at local
level not always producing
knowledge

13. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
The Po Riverbasin Authority is organising a series of meeting called «public
participation forum», the last one being open to all universities wishing to
collaborate in idenitifying key issues for the Flood Risk Management Plan. We are
working with them to improve the risk assessment
methodologies that have been used for the deadline
of 2013.

14. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
In the Umbria living lab we are working together with the Regional Civil
Protection to develop tools for post-flood damage assessment, integrating
compensation and risk assessment needs, with the aim of advancing in
accountability and prioritirization of recovery and reconstruction
EVENTO
2-3 g
20 g
90 g
Acquisizione ecografico
-Mappa edifici
-Vulnerabilità edifici
Identificazione edifici alluvionati tramite scheda
anagrafica
-Identificazione edifici alluvionati
Rilievo dei danni tramite scheda completa
-Danni diretti
-Danno indiretti
Autocertificazione - Perizia
-Valore economico danno
Comune
Cittadino (tramite
comune)
Protezione Civile
Regionale
Rilievo opzionale
-Danni diretti
-Danni indiretti
Valutazione valore economico danni indiretti
-Valore economico danno indiretto
6 m
12 m
Valutazione valore economico edifici esposti
-Valore economico edificiCentro di Competenza
Verifica rimborsi
-Danni diretti
Sectors Scale Aspects Type of damage Tool/data
Event local/regional hazard
regional/CNR/Tevere
River Basin/other
People (victims, evacuated) local loss direct and indirect
Regional Authority and
interviews
Lifelines regional
loss and
functionality direct and indirect
Regional Authority,
lifelines provideers
Public facilities
provincial/
regional
loss and
functionality direct and indirect
Regional, provincial
and local authorities
Agricolture
regional/large
scale loss direct
Regional/associations/
others
Industrial plants local
vulnerability
and loss direct and indirect
Local authorities,
Regional authorities,
direct surveys
Residential buildings local
vulnerability
and loss direct and indirect
Local authorities,
direct surveys
Natural environment local/regional loss
direct (?) and
indirect
Regional authorities,
Parks, others

15. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
With the Knowledge Management framework we wish to understand how some of
the knowledge that is developed in the living labs can be made shared, and open
to further developments by other stakeholders perhaps in other fields..

16. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
Conceptual level Implementation level Knowledge sharing
E-R diagrams, Tagging Information and
Ontologies to be defined through
experts and stakeholders
consultation but also to be enriched
Labelling documents, maps, making
explicit their semantic level
Knolwedge that is available in different
forms, pdf, maps, word, any type of
document, writen, visual, different
Experts in the domain, not just
scientists
Stakeholders, all actors relevant in
the case study at stake, in the living
lab
Final users (also those who are not
familiar with the case studies who
wishes to share the information and
the knowledge
Moving from questions to ideas and suggestions regarding how such KMF should look like and
to what extent we can demonstrate its utility in living labs…

17. Prof.
xyz
Know-4-drr
I would like to thank Yvonne Walz, Joerg Szarzynski from
UNU and Philip Bubeck from Adelphi for having organised
this workshop and made it possible.