Earth Institute Haiti Task Force

The Earth Institute Task Force on the Reconstruction of Haiti has been formed by Columbia University and the Earth Institute to coordinate technical advice to the government of Haiti, the United Nations (UN), and other organizations participating in the ongoing reconstruction efforts in Haiti.

The Task Force springs from the efforts of researchers at CIESIN and Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory to provide technical advice to the UN team in Haiti in the days immediately following the January 12 earthquake. It also builds on the existing CIESIN/Earth Institute relationship with the UNEP Post Conflict and Disaster Management Branch in support of the Haiti Regeneration Initiative, a long-term project to restore ecosystem services as a means of reducing poverty and enhancing resilience to natural disasters.

The Task Force is working to organize a network of experts and researchers across disciplines and sectors of the Earth Institute. Specific Task Force activities include regular communication across the University on Haiti reconstruction issues (e.g., e-mail, telecons, and this wiki); coordination of UN requests and follow-up actions; and provision of a forum for sharing ideas, information, and resources related to Haiti reconstruction and potential problems and risks.

The compilation of geospatial data on Haiti by CIESIN is ongoing. Data download is provided here but at present is limited to members of the Earth Institute community. Public access to two data catalogs, one describing spatial data and the other describing satellite imagery, is also provided here.

For additional information, please contact Scott Andrews, sandrews@ei.columbia.edu or Alex Fischer, amf2145@columbia.edu.

What's New

Data Catalogs (2) added 02/25/10