Technical Advisory Mission to Ecuador

Technical Advisory Mission to Ecuador, 27 September to 9 October 2009

Brief Summary:

UN-SPIDER successfully conducted a Technical Advisory Mission to Ecuador. The mission was conducted with
the support of experts from INPE, Brazil, and CONAE, Argentina, and with two staff from UN-SPIDER. The
mission was coordinated at the national level with the National Secretariat for Risk Management, the Pro-Tempore
Secretariat of the V Space Conference of the Americas, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador.
The Mission benefited from the regional workshop conducted by UN-SPIDER a week earlier, as during the
workshop many Ecuadorian agencies made presentations displaying how they were using space-based information
for a variety of purposes targeting all phases of the disaster management cycle.

Lessons Learned

Ecuador is fairly well advance in the use of information for a variety of purposes. In addition, the recently-elected
government is promoting a more efficient management and use of information to ensure a more transparent and
efficient use of government funds for public works; and has recognized the need to target disaster-risk
management in a profound way:

• Two weeks before the mission was conducted, the government highlighted the profile of risk management by transforming the Technical Secretariat of Risk Management to a National-level Secretariat, at the level of a
  Ministry. Synergies among many agencies under the umbrella of the National Secretariat for Risk
  Management are allowing for a more efficient coordination in activities targeting all phases of the disaster
  cycle.
• The National Secretariat for Planning, SENPLADES, has established the National System for Territorial
  Information, which is promoting the establishment of standardized Spatial Database Infrastructures to ensure
  compatibility and easy exchange of information among agencies. In addition, SENPLADES is channelling
  financial resources to many agencies to assist them in upgrading quality standards in the acquisition,
  processing, and dissemination of information.
• For more than 30 years the Armed Forces of Ecuador have operated both the Military Geographical Institute
  and the Remote Sensing Center CLIRSEN. CLIRSEN is recognized by many government agencies for its
  contributions to promote the use of space-based information for a variety of purposes.

The mission allowed UN-SPIDER to gain knowledge on the scope of activities conducted by Ecuador regarding
the use of space-based information for disaster reduction, and will serve as a complementary example to the three
missions which were previously conducted to African countries.

Follow-Up

• Follow-up support to Ecuador through mobilization of staff of institutions visited to regional and international workshops conducted by UN-SPIDER.
• Facilitate training activities as indicated in the work programme to staff from institutions visited in Ecuador, in order to strengthen the capacities of institutions to access and make use of space-based information to support the full disaster management cycle.