Development and validation of a geospatial model for monitoring indicators of the Sendai framework using the example of flooding in Ecuador

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) provides a concrete agenda for evidence-based policy for disaster risk reduction as a key component of the post-2015 global development agenda. However, the progress of implementing the seven Global Targets of the SFDRR at the national level via the monitor of a set of thirty-eight indicators is obstructed due to a lack of available, accessible, and validated data on disaster-related loss and damage, especially in developing countries. This weakens the accuracy, timeliness, and quality of the Sendai monitoring process. In the case of floods, which account for the highest number of people affected by hazards,[WY1]  there is a strong need for innovative and  appropriate tools for monitoring and reporting flood impacts.

The country of Ecuador and their validated national flood loss and damage database, which stretches back to 1970, is a stark counterpoint to the norm and serves as the case study for this research. In this research we develop a geospatial model approach, which combines earth observation-based information products with additional geospatial data to result quantitative measures for selected indicators of the SFDRR and validate them based on an existing database on flood loss and damage in Ecuador. Specifically, we build on automated  derivation of flood event characteristics from a full year of Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar data to assess flood hazard in Ecuador, and complement this with geospatial data on flood-related exposure and vulnerability to model selected indicators of the SFDRR in a spatially explicit way. The validation process of this geospatial model is conducted in reference to in situ loss and damage data related to flooding for the years 2017, 2018, and 2019. The derivation of information products is conducted in close collaboration with the National Service for Risk and Emergency Management of the Government of Ecuador, the country office of the United Nations Development Program, and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. It is thereby assured that the development and validation of this methodology is in line with the national and international approach of implementing the SFDRR.