“Training on Disaster Data Collection and Analysis –Phase II completed”

National Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (#NDRC) facilitated second phase of “Training on disaster data collection and analysis” organized by Nepal Red Cross society and supported by DDRC and Red Cross Consortium (DIPECHO-8) at Chispani, Kailali from August 27 to August 30, 2016 to strengthen and enhance capacity of staff from District Emergency Operation Centre (#DEOC),District Administration Office (#DAO), District Development Committee (#DDC) and Municipal offices on collection of data and analysis of data for disaster management. Altogether 25 participants from these offices of Dang, Bardiya, Banke and Surkhet participated in the training.  The training was inaugurated by Chief District Officer of Bardiya Mr. Bishnu Bahadur Thapa anticipating meaning participation of all participants and tangible outputs of the training.

The training imparted skills on digitization, and geo-processing of maps received from various sources including google earth to prepare the maps into workable form in GIS. They learned skills to clip, intersect, merge and unite maps to prepare maps of desirable area and theme.  Along with those the session of GIS also included extraction of data from the GPS devices, its direct plotting into map facilitating to enhance efficiency of data collector and analyst. During the training participants gained hands on experience on collect disaster related data and using GPS devices which were later plotted in the maps. Training session of GIS was concluded with skills of cartography. Participants reflected the sessions as mentally exhausting, very delicate and responsible but fun at the same time. They were all satisfied for getting skills to prepare their district wise thematic maps for disaster management.

On the last day of the training, a brief training on use of excel for data analysis such as using pivot tables was conducted. This was accompanied by theory and practice of data visualization. The training sessions were facilitated by Mr. Chandra Bilas Bhurtel (ICT Consultant), Mr. Madhu Sudan Gautam (Senior Researcher), Mr. Dhruba Gautam (Senior Researcher) and Mr. Pratap Maharjan (Project Officer) from NDRC Nepal.

During the concluding session of the training the participants agreed that to be more confident on using GIS, they need to practice more, interact regularly and develop a strong database to prepare a well informing map. For the third phase of the training the participants were given assignment to prepare at least vulnerability maps of any of the VDCs of their respective district. Concluding the session, District President of NRCS Mr. Krishna KC thanked organizing and facilitating team for successfully making participants internalize use of GIS for preparation of hazard mapping, and imparting skills on preparing of the same along with use of excel for data analysis and GPS for accurate data collection. He requested the participants to use their skills in anticipated work and also share it to the other staffs in their respective offices and looked forward for completion of assignments before the third phase of the training.