An Open Data and Citizen Science Approach to Building Resilience to Natural Hazards in a Data-Scarce Remote Mountainous Part of Nepal

Binod Prasad Parajuli,Uttam Pudasaini,Wei Liu,Sumit Vij,Jonathan Paul,Puja Shakya,Prakash Khadka,Preshika Baskota,Wouter Buytaert,Roniksh B.C.

doi:10.3390/su12229448

Abstract

The citizen science approach has gained momentum in recent years. It can enable both experts and citizen scientists to co-create new knowledge. Better understanding of local environmental, social, and geographical contexts can help in designing appropriate plans for sustainable development. However, a lack of geospatial data, especially in the context of developing countries, often precludes context-specific development planning. This study therefore tests an innovative approach of volunteer citizen science and an open mapping platform to build resilience to natural hazards in the remote mountainous parts of western Nepal. In this study, citizen scientists and mapping experts jointly mapped two districts of Nepal (Bajhang and Bajura) using the OpenStreetMap (OSM) platform. Remote mapping based on satellite imagery, capacity building, and mobilization of citizen scientists was performed to collect the data. These data were then uploaded to OSM and later retrieved in ArcGIS to produce a usable map that could be exploited as a reference resource for evidence-based decision-making. The collected data are freely accessible to community members as well as government and humanitarian actors, and can be used for development planning and risk reduction. By piloting in two communities of western Nepal, we found that using open data platforms for collecting and analyzing location-based data has a mutual benefit for researchers and communities. Such data could be vital in understanding the local landscape, environmental risk, and distribution of resources. Furthermore, they enable both researchers and local people to transfer technical knowledge, collect location-specific data, and use them for better decision-making.

Highlights

Nepal is exposed to a multitude of recurrent natural and human-induced hazards [1,2,3]
We conclude that local capacity building on digital mapping and emerging technologies through a citizen science approach holds rich potential to benefit both scientific researchers and citizen scientists by co-leveraging scientific expertise and local knowledge
This will considerably reduce the time and effort required by mapping experts, and benefit citizen scientists through knowledge transfer

Summary

Introduction

Nepal is exposed to a multitude of recurrent natural and human-induced hazards [1,2,3]. Lack of adequate and scientific data is a major hindrance to effective decision-making and community-based resilience building [8]. Open data, in this context, are crucial to strengthening the impact of resilience-building efforts [9]. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) defines community resilience as an ability to “resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt, transform, and recover” after an exposure to hazards. They emphasize the prevention of damage to the essential structure and quick recovery [12]. There has been increasing effort over the past few years to leverage open data and innovation to build climate and disaster resilience [9]

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Discussion

Conclusion