ESRI presents CATHALAC/SERVIR in International Conference E-Mail
ESRI presenta CATHALAC/SERVIR en la Conferencia Internacional de Usuarios
 
San Diego, 13 July 2009. Leader in geographical information software ESRI features CATHALAC and SERVIR work at the 29th annual international user conference to an audience of over 12,000 participants. In order to demonstrate the use of geographical information systems (GIS) in responding to environmental challenges, ESRI President Jack Dangermond presented CATHALAC’s interpretation of NASA satellite imagery for monitoring potential red tide events in Central America. A wide variety of users—from universities to environmental and fishing agencies—have been counting on this information to remain alert to potential health problems.
 
CATHALAC Research Scientists Africa Flores and Eric Anderson participated in the week-long event to present on advances in environmental analysis and modeling as well as recent responses to natural disasters in the Mesoamerican and Caribbean regions.
 
In the Special Session on Humanitarian Affairs, Flores and Anderson explained how since its beginnings in 2005, SERVIR has worked together with diverse agencies and institutions in order to respond to twenty-four natural disasters, ranging from red tides, to fires, hurricanes, floods, landslides, and earthquakes. Supported by USAID and NASA, CATHALAC is also hosting workshops related to GIS and disaster management in each of the CAFTA-DR countries. These workshops focus on improving communication and attention to extreme events by providing training in the management and analysis of satellite images, and their integration with national and regional datasets.
 
In the climate change and water resource management session, they also introduced a new study on “Climate Change Impacts at the Watershed Level in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean,” which aims to tell us how climate change could affect surface water quality and availability in the region. These initiatives aim to strengthen SERVIR and establish it as a regional environmental observatory.
 
Presentations given by SERVIR-Mesoamerica staff:

Impacts of Climate Change at the Watershed level in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
[Download PDF – 3.18 MB]

About SERVIR
[Download PDF – 11.4 MB]