UAV photogrammetry image of Loubiere, Dominica, showing damage caused by Hurricane Maria courtesy of Toby Meredith, copyright University of Portsmouth
The Society is pleased to be considering a proposal for its first Professional Practice Group: a network for professionals and others interested in the field of Disaster Risk Management.
The group seeks to bring together risk-focused professionals from across disaster risk reduction, re/insurance, humanitarian, governmental and academic sectors, to promote best practice and uncover latent geographical knowledge, skills and practice they have in common.
The group is being proposed by Society Fellows and Chartered Geographers: Tina Thomson (Willis Towers Watson) and William Forde (CoreLogic) as co-Chairs; and Matt Foote (Willis Towers Watson), Chris Ewing (Aon) and Richard Teeuw (University of Portsmouth) as co-Secretaries. Society staff will support the group’s administration and activities.
Through tailored events and sharing best practice, the group aims to develop a community of professional geographers who use geographic information and approaches for disaster risk management in their day jobs or in extra-curricular activities. Areas of interest may include:
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Hazards, assets, exposure and data
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Disaster preparedness and risk reduction
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Event monitoring and post damage assessment
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Communicating and understanding risk
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Use of geographic information and geospatial technologies
The group also wants to support the development of early careers professionals into the risk management sector by recommending best practice and requirements for geographers entering the workplace.
If you are interested in receiving further information about the Disaster Risk Management Professional Practice Group, or are a Fellow wishing to support its formation, please get in touch at professional@rgs.org.