News Release: PDC to Provide Technical Assistance to Thai Government

KIHEI, HAWAII - The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) on Maui has announced the formal signing of a contract with Thailand's National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) to help develop the Thai Center's early disaster warning platform. The project--valued at $597,000 and funded through a U.S. Trade and Development Agency grant--will provide technical assistance to support the Center's capacity building and disaster warning needs.

"PDC is extremely proud to support Thailand's further development of disaster analysis and warning dissemination capabilities and to play a role in reducing future disaster impacts at the national level," said PDC Chief Operating Officer Ray Shirkhodai. "It is clear from last December's devastating Indian Ocean tsunami that this endeavor is extremely significant in terms of protecting lives."

The technical assistance will include deploying an "operations center technology platform," as well as tools to automate data collection, assessments, and notification systems and procedures. This includes developing a Geographic Information Systems map viewer, hazard event tracking and collaboration tools, and basic hazard modeling systems.

Assisting PDC in this project are Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), Lockheed Martin Information Technology (LMIT), and Sun Microsystems.

"Our goal is to develop an integrated architecture to augment the NDWC's early warning and decision support abilities," said Shirkhodai. "We are pleased to be partnering with three world-class leaders in the Information Technology industry to achieve our vision of fostering disaster-resistant communities in Thailand and other nations in the region."

The project is envisioned to compliment current efforts by the U.S. Agency for International Development to develop a comprehensive regional "Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System." The activities will be officially launched at an upcoming workshop in Bangkok this December.

This News Release was originally published by the East-West Center.

 PDC's recent grant award will provide technical assistance to Thailand's National Disaster Warning Center
to support the Center's capacity building and disaster warning needs. Above, PDC's Dr. George Buck (far right) and Stanley Goosby (fifth from right) with NDWC staff during a technical assistance visit to Bangkok earlier this year.