Report of PPRD South workshop on “GIS for Civil Protection” available for download

The EU-funded Programme for Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Natural and Man-made Disasters (PPRD South) has made available on its website the report of the workshop on "Geographical Information Systems for Civil Protection" (GIS) it held last March.    

A press release said the training workshop, held at the Italian Civil Protection Department (DPC) in Rome, was the first action targeted to staff-level officials in the framework of the PPRD South "prevention and preparedness" activity package. The event brought together 24 officials working in the field of disaster risk information management from almost all the PPRD South Partner Countries.

During the training workshop the participants were introduced to the key concepts of GIS and the basics for the development of the PPRD South Web GIS and were guided through the utilization of web-based solutions for collaborative geographical information management..

The workshop conclusions and recommendations highlight that, although attendants had different level of expertise and personal expectations, their feedback is generally positive. The programme was considered relevant with their job position and role in their organisation. Nevertheless the participants stressed some aspects that should be carefully considered by the PPRD South Programme during the further development of the PPRD South Web GIS and the planned involvement of the PPRD South Partner Countries in the set up of this information sharing tool.

The objective of the €5 million PPRD South programme is to develop and reinforce the prevention, preparedness and response capacities of civil protection services in the Euro-Mediterranean region through increased institutional cooperation between the EU and the Mediterranean partner countries.