Regional and National Capacity Development for Hazard Monitoring, Early Warning and Decision Support: Semi-Annual Program Performance Report #4

The program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through grant 720FDA19GR00018. Implementation achievements during the semi-annual reporting period from October 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, include regional coordination efforts. The AHA Centre, a key partner in the program, continued work-from-home operations and remained engaged on project activities through teleconference meetings and email correspondence. A joint InAWARE and DMRS Handover Ceremony was held on January 26, 2021, with over 70 stakeholders in attendance. The DMRS system was enhanced with two upgrades, providing improved functionality, including asset tracking and addressing identified bugs. Additionally, the Command Post system was upgraded, and virtual training was delivered to AHA Centre staff to build capacity for managing user accounts and adding/updating data layers in DMRS. Regional capacity development efforts included the completion of the DMRS eLearning course development and testing. Preparations are underway for the migration of the platform and course materials to AHA Centre servers. The AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Program Training, which was planned for 2021, has been postponed due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. Monitoring and evaluation efforts during the reporting period included in-kind contributions from OCD and BNPB, totaling over USD 6,000. The AHA Centre also paid approximately USD 7,500 in annual fees for Amazon Web Services DMRS hosting fees. Event monitoring was severely impacted by COVID-19, with event feedback expected in the next reporting period. Member state-specific activities included coordination efforts with BNPB in Indonesia. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, BNPB maintained operations and remained committed to the project. A joint InAWARE/DMRS Handover Ceremony was held on January 26, 2021, with BNPB leadership in attendance. System development efforts included two InAWARE upgrades, providing enhanced functionality, including asset tracking and addressing identified bugs. InAWARE data development tasks were completed, including integration of various data sources, such as the LAPAN Fire Danger Rating System and the BMKG aviation meteorological station. Training sessions were delivered to Bangka Belitung BPBD staff and 148 BPBD staff across Indonesia's 34 provinces. Virtual Command Post training was also delivered to 11 PUSDALOPS staff to build capacity for adding layers from map services. The program's accomplishments against objectives and indicators include the completion of DMRS upgrades, the development of the DMRS eLearning course, and the delivery of training sessions to various stakeholders. The program's planned activities for the upcoming semi-annual period include the migration of the DMRS platform and course materials to AHA Centre servers and the delivery of training sessions to additional stakeholders.