Hydrometeorological Disasters and Climate Change

Dr. A. Giriraj has held the position of Researcher at International Water Management Institute (IWMI) since 2011, prior to which he worked as a disaster / remote sensing specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) based in Nepal. He has more than 10 years of expertise in the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems to provide accurate broad-scale data to make decisions about environmental conditions, with an emphasis on natural resources, natural disasters and water availability. He has applied RS data in developing conceptual designs, methods and through improved statistical data interpretation. Has sound knowledge of satellite image processing and analysis of thematic areas, modeling land-cover, ecological niche modeling; statistical analyses; and geographic information system analyses, and has published well over 40 international scientific articles and 5 research books in wide thematic areas using remote sensing data for wider outreach and dissemination.

Dr. P.K. Joshi has held the positions of Associate Professor and Head of Department of Natural Resources at TERI University, New Delhi, India, since 2007. He is trained originally as an environmentalist, and then as an ecologist, developing skills in remote sensing and GIS. Prior to joining TERI University, Dr Joshi spent a decade with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on secondment from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Dehradun. He was also adjunct faculty to Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asian and the pacific (CSSTEAP), an UN affiliated institution, Dehradun. His research contributions have been recognized by the Indian Academy of Sciences (INSA) and NASI (National Academy of Sciences India) through the award of their highly prestigious Young Scientist Medal (2006) and Young Scientist Platinum Jubilee Award (2009). He has published more than 50 papers in peer reviewed journals, and is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, the International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, the Open Conservation Biology Journal and the Himalayan Journal of Zoology and Environment.

Dr. T.P. Singh is working as Associate Professor at the Symbiosis Institute of Geoinformatics (SIG) based in Pune, India. Dr. Singh has vast experience in the use of geospatial applications in natural resources and environmental sciences. He is working on the use of spatial data in preparation of early warning detection and several operational systems for mobilizing readiness information for decision makers to quickly respond to disasters. He has published several international research papers and a number of books in several disciplines.

Dr. Shirish Ravan is currently working as Head of Office, Beijing at the UN-SPIDER, UN office for Outer Space Affairs (UN-OOSA) HQ based in Vienna. He is playing an important role within the UN in creating a platform for space-based information for disaster management and emergency response. He has previously worked for several organization including the Maharashtra Space Application Centre and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). He has published several research papers and books in the field of natural resource monitoring and assessment.