2018 Understanding Risk Forum

Check out the topics that will be covered.

Please note we are updating the agenda as we have information available from session leads and side event organizers. Thank you for your patience as we finalize the program.

Monday and Tuesday are reserved for side events – including training sessions, workshops, and stakeholder meetings organized by individual organizations – to set the dialogue before the main conference.

Monday, May 14

9:00 – 18:00                Side Event Day 1
Lunch provided at 13:00

Tuesday, May 15

9:00 – 18:00                Side Event Day 2
Lunch provided at 13:00

The Main Conference begins on Wednesday, May 16.

Wednesday, May 16

15:00 – 16:00              Opening Ceremony & Keynote Address

                                    Dara Dotz, CEO of FieldReady

16:00 – 16:30              Coffee

16:30 – 17:30              Ignites

                                    Five-minute rapid fire ‘pitch’ presentations about the technical sessions on Thursday and Friday

17:30 – 19:00              Cocktail Reception

Thursday, May 17

9:00 – 10:30                Resilience Dialogue – Artificial Intelligence: Panacea or doomsday? (plenary)

10:30 – 11:15              Coffee

11:15 – 12:45              Technical sessions (concurrent)

1. Satellites, machine learning and community intelligence: Flood risk data on the fly
2. Assessing and communicating risk to cultural heritage: The future of preserving the past
3. Communicating volcanic risk: Lava, eruptions and uncertainty
4. Human cognitive biases: The root of irrational risk decisions
5. Public policy in Mexico: Challenges and lessons learned (in Spanish)

12:45 – 14:30              Lunch

14:30 – 16:00              UR Story: Narrative and Risk (plenary)

• Gabriela Warkentin, Head, W Radio’s morning news (Mexico)
• Andrew Revkin, Strategic adviser for environmental and science journalism, National Geographic Society
• Georgina Ilie, Editor-in-chief, Romanian magazine Școala9 (New School)
• Dr. Raed Arafat, Romania Secretary of State, Head of Department of Emergency Situations, Ministry of Internal Affairs
• Enrique Acevedo, Anchor, Univision’s late-night news edition; Special Correspondent, Fusion Media Group

16:00 – 16:30              Coffee

16:30 – 18:00              Technical sessions (concurrent)

1. Selecting the best satellite-derived risk tool: Mining the sky for decision-making
2. Risk assessments in infrastructure planning: Learning from failure
3. Big data: Innovations in disaster risk financing
4. Learning from business risk analyses: Tying the knot

18:00 – 18:30              Reception

18:30 – 19:30              Performance by the Climate Music Project

Join us for a live performance by the Climate Music Project. The performance, Climate, was created to help audiences understand how our climate has changed in the last 200+ years, and what we might expect in the future. Climate was made by identifying four key indicators of climate change and assigning each of these a musical analog. The music is not generated by the climate data. Rather, this original composition is affected, and changed, by what the data prescribe. This will be a not to miss experience.

Friday, May 18

9:00 – 10:45                Technical sessions (concurrent)

1. Advances in drone technology: Flying robots
2. The future of risk modeling
3. Communicating earth observation data: A picture is worth a thousand actions
4. Early warning for early action: Forewarned and forearmed
5. Community engagement: Raising awareness and driving action

10:45 – 11:15              Coffee

11:15 – 12:45              Technical sessions (concurrent)

1. Risks in the digital age: Learning from cyber security
2. The risk information value chain: Data, science, narrative and action
3. Understanding cascading events: Earth, wind and fire
4. Small islands: Innovations in understanding risk
5. A conversation on Geoengineering: Altering the planet, envisioning risk financing mechanisms

12:45 – 14:30              Lunch

14:30 – 16:00              Technical sessions (concurrent)

1. Assessing urban flood risk: Going with the flow
2. Computer vision and machine learning: From cat videos to CAT modeling
3. Communicating risk: Approaches for parametric insurance
4. Learning from Mexico’s experience: From 1985 to 2017

16:00 – 16:30              Coffee

16:30 – 18:00              Closing Ceremony & Keynote Address

                                    James Balog, Founder and Director, Earth Vision Institute and Extreme Ice Survey

We pleased to offer a wide variety of topics at the fifth global forum. Links to the abstracts will be provided as they become available from the session leads.

Plenaries

• Narrative and risk
• Disruptive technologies

Technical Sessions

• A conversation on Geoengineering: Altering the planet, envisioning risk financing mechanisms
• Advances in drone technology: Flying robots
• Assessing and communicating risk to cultural heritage: The future of preserving the past
• Assessing urban flood risk: Going with the flow
• Big data: Innovations in disaster risk financing
• Communicating earth observation data: A picture is worth a thousand actions
• Communicating risk: Approaches for parametric insurance
• Communicating volcanic risk: Lava, eruptions and uncertainty
• Community engagement: Raising awareness and driving action
• Computer vision and machine learning: From cat videos to CAT modeling
• Early warning for early action: Forewarned and forearmed
• Human cognitive biases: The root of irrational risk decisions
• Learning from business risk analyses: Tying the knot
• Learning from Mexico’s experience: From 1985 to 2017
• Public policy in Mexico: Challenges and lessons learned
• Risk assessments in infrastructure planning: Learning from failure
• Risks in the digital age: Learning from cyber security
• Satellites, machine learning and community intelligence: Flood risk data on the fly
• Selecting the best satellite-derived risk tool: Mining the sky for decision-making
• Small islands: Innovations in understanding risk
• The future of risk modeling
• The risk information value chain: Data, science, narrative and action
• Understanding cascading events: Earth, wind and fire

Description

The first two days of UR2018 are comprised of side events that set the dialogue before the main conference. These events are organized by individual organizations and include training sessions, workshops, and stakeholder meetings. UR2018 will have more than 40 side events. The events below are those that have been confirmed. 

Please note that all side events will be held at the Palacio de Minería where the main conference is, unless otherwise noted. Lunch will be provided at 1pm on Monday, May 14 and Tuesday, May 15.

Monday, May 14

9:00am – 10:00am: The Recovery Hub Knowledge Platform – Understanding Risk from the recovery perspective; GFDRR

9:00am – 10:30am: Synergizing technology and knowledge for safer and resilient schools; World Bank

9:00am – 11:30am: Informing decision-making in the face of adversity; GNS Science

9:00am – 11:30am: Partnering with at-risk communities to build up resilient DRM solutions: lessons learnt from Porto Alegre, Brazil; World Bank

9:00am – 1:00pm: Many small drops make a big flood – Global Flood Partnership; Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, Deltares, and Global Flood Partnership

9:00am – 6:00pm: InaSAFE for disaster management practitioners – From preparedness to response – a crash course; Kartoza, DM Innovation, and Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team

9:00am – 6:00pm: Understanding risk for financial resilience – Partnership Day; World Bank and GFDRR

9:00am – 6:00pm: SISRI Practitioners’ Network (continued from Sunday, May 13)

9:00am – 10:00pm: Interdisciplinary pressure cooker – Risk communication; Water Youth Network and GFDRR

10:00am – 11:30am: Report Launch: An innovation to Disaster Response – The Global RApid-post-disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) Approach; World Bank and GFDRR

10:45am – 1:15pm: Satellite earth observation in support of disaster risk management, Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)

11:00am – 1:00pm: Climate risk-sensitive planning of public investments: The Latin American experience; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

11:00am – 1:00pm: Importance of Numerical Models in Prediction of Extreme Events – A robust technique to ‘evaluate’ and ‘quantify’ the risk; RMSI

12:00pm – 1:00pm: Mind the Gap: Translating climate information into action for smallholder farmers; Mercy Corps

12:00pm – 1:00pm: Reducing flood risk on urban areas by using early warning systems; Sadeem

2:00pm – 3:30pm: Risk-informed decision-making for sustainable development; UN Development Programme (UNDP)

2:00pm – 5:00pm: The smallholder and the corporate lawyer (or how to include poverty and inequality considerations in risk assessments); GFDRR

2:00pm – 5:00pm: Comprehensive climate risk management: Dealing with climate-related loss and damage; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

2:00pm – 5:00pm: From space to finance – A new framework for Earth observation, humanitarian, and insurance sectors; NASA

2:00pm – 5:30pm: OpenDRI Serious Game; GFDRR

2:00pm – 6:00pm (continues onto Tuesday, May 15 all day): Towards climate resilience and the effective management of risk in the hydropower sector: Sharing good practice and promoting cooperation; Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and International Hydropower Association

4:00pm – 5:30pm: Top-down and bottom-up – Linking big data with local knowledge; SOS Children’s Villages International

4:00pm – 6:00pm: Using the data revolution in risk-based decision-making for infrastructure, University of Oxford

4:30pm – 5:30pm: The University of California’s Platform for Humanitarian Action and Resilience; University of California

4:30pm – 6:00pm: Risk information needs from the end user perspective – Concept-testing the Global Risk Assessment Framework in support of the implementation of the Sendai Framework and related SDG targets; UNISDR

Tuesday, May 15

9:00am – 10:30am: A global cost-benefit analysis tool for flood protection investment strategies; World Resources Institute, Institute for Environmental Studies, VU Amsterdam, Deltares and World Bank

9:00am – 10:30am: Community flood resilience – Can you measure it, yes you can! Experiences of using the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance Measurement Tool; Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance

9:00am – 11:00am: Open exposure, vulnerability and hazard data – the GFDRR-DFID Challenge Fund Round 2; Global Earthquake Model Foundation and GFDRR

9:00am – 11:00am: Satellite support for risk management in Haiti – an innovative example; Haiti CNIGS and Haiti Civil Protection Department, and CNES

9:00am – 11:00am: Report launch: Advancing disaster risk finance in the Caribbean; Developing targeted solutions for a recurrent problem; World Bank

9:00am – 12:00pm: MapWoW! in resilient asset management; MapWOW! by NepCol

9:00am – 1:00pm: Jurassic park: cascading impacts of failing critical infrastructure in Mexico City; Deltares, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, Tanzania Red Cross Society

9:00am – 1:00pm: DRR tools, standards and data exchange; Kartoza, DM Innovation and Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team

9:00am – 6:00pm (continuation from Monday afternoon): Towards climate resilience and the effective management of risk in the hydropower sector: Sharing good practice and promoting cooperation; Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and International Hydropower Association

9:00am – 6:00pm: Post Disaster Needs Assessment and Disaster Recovery Framework (PDNA/DRF) overview, GFDRR

11:00am – 1:00pm: City coastal resilience – How would YOU protect Africa’s coastal cities from climate change? World Bank

11:30am – 1:00pm: The Caribbean at the frontline of the war on climate change: Using natural hazard and infrastructure information effectively as part of a successful line of defense, INES Ingenieros Consultores, University of Leeds, University of Michigan and World Bank

11:30am – 1:00pm: Comprehensive climate risk management for resilient SMEs; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

11:30am – 1:00pm: Disaster risk reduction as child’s play; Loughborough University and University of Auckland

2:00pm – 3:30pm: Resilient Cultural Heritage: Building the Community of Practice through Risk Identification and Communication, World Bank and GFDRR

2:00pm – 3:30pm: Participatory mapping, social media, and the city: Citizen-generated data for risk identification and communication; Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, DM Innovation, Pacific Disaster Center, MIT Urban Risk Lab

2:00pm – 3:30pm: Is migration our future? People in the frontline of a changing world; UN Major Group for Children and Youth (UN MGCY), United Nations International Strategy on Disaster Risk (UNISDR), Overseas Development Institute (ODI)

2:00pm – 4:30pm: Lights – camera – risk-informed action: Making and using videos for effective communication of risks and good practices to address them; Independent and Loughborough University

2:00pm – 5:30pm: Twenty years since Mitch hit Central America: a “hard talk” about the state of DRM in the region and the challenges ahead; World Bank

2:00pm – 6:00pm: Design and risk communication for impact – Roadtesting the new GFDRR Framework and tools for the effective use of open risk data; Resurgence, Vizonomy and GFDRR

2:00pm – 6:00pm: Understanding risk from space; Satellite Applications Catapult

2:00pm – 6:00pm: Green walls: Using nature to manage nature’s risks; JBA, GFDRR and World Bank

4:00pm – 6:00pm: OpenStreetMap Data for Resilience & Mapathon; Development Seed, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, GFDRR

4:00pm – 6:00pm: Storytelling for safer communities, DoR Magazine

4:30pm – 6:00pm: Reaching the last mile: Challenges and lessons from early warning systems; Practical Action

4:30pm onwards: UR Showcase – Communicating risk through film; British Geological Survey

What is the difference between a side event and a technical session? A side event is simply a space that UR provides for organizations to independently develop and manage an event. The UR team has almost no involvement in the content of a side event, and only manages logistics for the side event days. Side events can be as long or as short as the organizer likes (provided there is space). A technical session is more ‘formulaic’ in that every technical session is 90 minutes long and must meet certain criteria of diversity and audience engagement. Technical sessions must also incorporate the theme into the session in some way. Usually there are usually ~50 side events over the course of two days and ~20 technical sessions during the main conference.

Are the side event days (Monday and Tuesday) considered part of the UR2018 Forum? Absolutely! The Forum is separated into two key parts: 1) side event days, and 2) the main conference. Side event days provide the crucial agenda setting that is needed to make the main conference a success.

Will the Forum be recorded or live streamed? The vast majority of the Forum (side events and technical sessions) will not be live streamed or recorded. However, we are working with local providers to assess the feasibility of these options for the plenaries.

Will there be interpretation available? We are unable to provide simultaneous translation during the plenaries and technical sessions, however, there will be some technical sessions (details forthcoming) that will be conducted in Spanish.

What is the Pressure Cooker event? How can I apply? The Pressure Cooker applications are now closed. We received an amazing amount of interest. You can read more about this innovative event for young professionals at UR here.

Agenda and logistics

When can we expect to see the full program? The preliminary agenda is available now. Abstracts for technical sessions, side events and plenaries will be posted as they become finalized and available. Subscribe to the UR newsletter, follow UR on Twitter, and join the UR LinkedIn Group to make sure you don’t miss any announcements!

Where is UR2018 being held? UR2018 will be in a beautiful post-colonial palacio in the heart of historic Mexico City: Palacio de Minería. All side events and main conference activities will be here unless otherwise noted. 

When are the side event days? When does the main conference start? The side event days are on Monday, May 14 and Tuesday, May 15. The main conference begins the afternoon (15:00) of Wednesday, May 16 and runs until the closing ceremony on Friday, May 18. Technical sessions occur on Thursday, May 17 and Friday, May 18. See the agenda.

I see “Ignite presentations” on the agenda on Wednesday night. What are they? Ignites are fast-paced presentations designed to keep the audience engage. Representatives from technical sessions have 5 minutes to “pitch” the audience their session on the opening night to get them to come to their technical session the following days. But 5 minutes goes by quickly because there are 20 slides that auto-rotate every 15 seconds. Ignites are a tradition at UR Forums and can be best thought of as a performance, rather than a lecture.

How long are side events? Side events are anywhere from 1 hour to 2 days, depending on your request and allocation.

When are the side events?  The side events will happen on Monday, May 14 and Tuesday, May 15.

Will the side event be live streamed or recorded? We will not record or live stream any side events.

Travel

Is there any funding for travel? Unfortunately there is no funding from UR for travel. But I see the “Sponsor me” category on registration? This is designed to waive registration fees for attendees, but unfortunately we cannot sponsor people to travel to the event.

Where should I stay? We recommend staying within walking distance to the Palacio de Minería (the venue) because traffic in Mexico City can be problematic. The Palacio is located in the heart of the Historic Center (Centro Histórico) and is near to many hotels. The UR team is working on securing discounts at local hotels and we will update this information accordingly. Link to OpenStreetMap; link to Google Maps.

Do you have a logistics note we can reference? We are working on pulling together a logistics and security note, so we appreciate your patience. We will update this information when we have a document to share.

Registration

When does registration open? Registration is open now!

Why is UR charging a registration fee this time? Previous events have been free. Due to increasing demand for participation and rising costs, UR2018 is asking attendees to register paying a small fee. This fee will provide lunch, coffee breaks and a cocktail reception to all attendees during the conference. By asking participants to pay a fee, the UR team has a better understanding of who will actually come, making our numbers more accurate and ensuring that minimal food is wasted. UR does not want the registration cost to be a barrier to entry. Understanding Risk is committed to identifying and reducing risks posed by disasters, and, specifically, ensuring that vulnerable countries develop resiliency through the knowledge sharing that takes place at UR. If you are not able to pay the registration fee, there are instructions in the registration portal if you would like to request a waiver.

Technical session leads

Agenda and logistics

How long are the technical sessions? 90 minutes long.

When are the technical sessions?  The Technical Sessions will happen on Thursday, May 17 and Friday, May 18. Actual timing will be announced on the website and via email.

How can I blog about my session? We encourage you to write a blog post to give your session visibility and encourage people to attend. Recommended length is ~700 words, or 1-2 pages in a document, but this isn’t a strict limit. Tell the story behind your session: explain what the challenge is, why the topic is important, and what’s new about it. Give people a compelling reason to attend, and explain what the audience will take away. Use visuals like photos where possible. Drafts due by March 15th. Posts will appear on the UR website and UR twitter. We encourage you to explore other channels to cross-post and promote your session as well.

Will the session be live streamed or recorded? We will not record or live stream any technical sessions.

What equipment can I expect to be provided for my session? We will provide wifi, projector/screen or LCD tvs, and laptops for presentations. If you require anything further, please ask, but we may not be able to provide.

Ignites

When are the Ignite presentations? Ignite presentations are on the afternoon / evening of Wednesday, May 16.

Am I required to do an Ignite? No, this year we are changing things up to minimize the amount of time dedicated to Ignites (2 hours was too long in the past). Thus, we will select the 10 most engaging Ignites.

How will selections be made? Each session lead who would like to do an Ignite will be required to provide a video of their Ignite by April 20, 2018. Determinations about who will present will be made by May 2.

Is there an Ignite rehearsal? Must the Ignite presenter attend the rehearsal? The main, in-person rehearsal will be on Tuesday, May 15. It is required that the presenter attend the rehearsal if s/he wants to present on Wednesday.

Do you have any helpful hints on delivering a great Ignite? Absolutely! Download the UR2018 Ignite guide. Practice is key!

Content

What are some interactive tools that can be used to poll the audience? We have experience working with Mentimeter or PollEverywhere

Deadlines

Download the Guide for Session Leads

Side event organizers

If I am involved in a side event (either as an organizer or as a speaker) do I have to pay the registration fee? Yes, we are only waiving fees for speakers / organizers of the main conference. Your registration fee includes catering for all five days and access to the main conference (Wednesday, May 16 – Friday, May 18).

What role does the UR team have in organizing the content of the side event? The UR team has no role in planning, organizing or managing the side event. The UR team only will support the side event from a logistical perspective.

What equipment can I expect to be provided for my session? We will provide wifi and a projector/screen or LCD TVs (depending on the room). You must provide your own laptop and any other equipment you need.

How can I get my abstract and other information about my side event on the UR2018 agenda? There is a deadline for Feb. 16 for content to be uploaded promptly. For any information we receive after this time, we will do our best to attend to it ASAP, but may be a bit delayed.

Is there funding for participants? No, unfortunately we do not have any funding for participants.

Do side event organizers have to do an Ignite presentation? No, the Ignite presentations on Wednesday afternoon are reserved for the technical session leads. However, we have found that Ignites are a fun, dynamic and engaging way of communicating content to an audience, and is an encouraged format for events. Download the UR2018 Ignite guide.

What are some interactive tools that can be used to poll the audience? We have experience working with Mentimeter or PollEverywhere

Are you organizing a session or side event? All FAQs are above or on individual webpages: technical session leads and side event organizers. 

We looking forward to welcoming you in Mexico City! Please see below for helpful logistics information on accommodation and the venue. We will be updating information on a rolling basis including information about travelling to and around Mexico City.

Green Conference Guidance

Participants and guests are urged to respect the environmental, cultural, social and historical values of the local community. Among other specific actions, the conference venue will be set to 25 degrees celsius to reduce the use of air conditioning. We therefore recommend that participants do not wear suits and ties, but instead opt for business casual or traditional attire for warm climates.

Participants and guests are also encouraged to calculate their carbon emissions at Carbon Fund and to off-set the equivalent amount at https://offset.climateneutralnow.org/register

When offsetting, we encourage you to mention under “reason for purchase” #UR2018 and to post about the offset on social media using #UR2018 and #GoGreen.

Accommodation

Given the extensive amount of traffic in Mexico City, we strongly encourage all attendees to stay in accommodation near to the venue (Palacio de Mineria) in Centro Histórico (historic center). There are numerous hotels around the area.

Please know that May is high season for tourism in Mexico City. We recommend that you book your hotel as soon as possible in order to ensure that you can be as close to the UR2018 venue as possible. 

The World Bank Group security team has approved the following hotels from a security perspective and a seismic perspective:

• The Meridien
  • Le Meridien is offering a discounted rate for UR attendees of USD $129 + 19% tax. The rate includes buffet breakfast, a free pass to the “Rufino Tamayo” museum, free gym access, complimentary coffee, among other perks. Please use code “UR2018” when booking online at https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/UR2018 Note that cancellations cannot be refunded if you use this code, as per hotel policies.
• Fiesta Inn Centro Histórico
• Hilton Reforma
• NH Hotel Centro Histórico
• City Express Alameda
  • The City Express Alameda has provided a discounted rate for UR attendees of MX $1,130 including breakfast plus tax (~US$60). Please use code “UR2018” when booking via telephone (+52 55 5017 8900 ext. 1192) or email (cealm.ventas1@cityexpress.com.mx)
• Fiesta Americana Reforma

Venue

The Palacio de Minería is located in the historic center of Mexico City near to many beautiful old buildings and attractions. It was built between 1797 and 1813 by Valencian Spanish sculptor and architect Manuel Tolsá. It opened in 1813 to house the Royal Seminar of Mines. Today it is run by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and its Continual and Distance Education Division. Please note that the Palacio is a continuously operating school and you may at times see students around the venue, although many of the classes are in the evening.

Read the stories behind the Understanding Risk 2018 sessions.

• Flying robots: Using UAVs to Understand Disaster Risk
• A Picture is Worth 1,000 Actions
• Must disasters cascade like dominoes?
• Communicating Volcanic Risk: Lava, Eruptions, and Uncertainty
• Go with the flow – Adaptive management for urban flood risk
• ‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past.’ -William Faulkner