Natural-Hazard-Related Web Observatory as a Sustainable Development Tool

Abstract

Using the Internet and wealth of data and knowledge available on the Web, so-called web observatories have been developed in the last decade—in very different fields of use. The article discusses the use of such observatories to support the implementation of sustainable development at different scales. The focus is on landslides as risk to society, and since they are related to water and soil, a web-based observatory on natural hazards, including landslides, can draw upon water- and soil-related observatories that are used worldwide as a sustainable development tool. A new landslide observatory may support major global initiatives to adapt to climate change. The Observatory’s vision, structure and use can be built upon the experiences gathered by developing a global water observatory for smart water management, using Artificial Intelligence tools. UNESCO Chair on Water-related Disaster Risk Reduction of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and the UNESCO International Research Institute on Artificial Intelligence at the Institute Jožef Stefan, Slovenia, have joined efforts and knowledge to develop a new global web observatory (tentatively first as the Landslide Observatory) to be used by different stakeholders when implementing global climate adaptation policies and relevant European Union strategies. The information gathered on the internet is structured, and shown using geolocators for different regions and/or countries. For interpretation of world-wide web data, landslide expert knowledge is used.