Climate Resilience and Disaster Management

Theme: Adapting Today, Thriving Tomorrow: Geospatial Solutions for Climate and Crisis

Seminar

01 May 2026

 
 

Agenda

0930 - 1030
Session 1: Advancing Global Resilience through Climate-Integrated Policy

Focus Areas

This session will examine how climate-integrated policy can strengthen global resilience in an increasingly complex, transboundary multi-hazard risk landscape. It will explore the role of advanced global climate risk modelling in enabling policy coherence across sectors and jurisdictions. The discussion will highlight the importance of interoperable geospatial systems to support evidence-based, cross-border decision-making. Finally, it will connect global frameworks such as the SDGs, Paris Agreement, and Sendai Framework to actionable strategies at national and local levels.
Peter Siegmund

Moderator

Peter Siegmund

Expert Climate
Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute - KNMI
The Netherlands

Jara Villanueva
Jara Villanueva

Lead of the Centre of Sustainability and Resilience
European Space Policy Institute (ESPI)
Austria

Jelle de Jong
Jelle de Jong

Executive director
WWF-Netherlands
The Netherlands

Jennifer Marlon
Jennifer Marlon

Executive Director
Yale University
USA

Leon Wijnands
Leon Wijnands

Head of Sustainability
ING Nederland
The Netherlands

Peter van der Werf
Peter van der Werf

Executive Director
Robeco
The Netherlands

1030 - 1130
Session 2: Disaster Management in a Multi-Hazard World

Focus Areas

This session will explore strategies for disaster management in an increasingly complex multi-hazard environment. It will examine geospatial approaches to Hazard, Risk, Vulnerability, and Capacity Analysis (HRVCA) to enable integrated and data-driven risk assessment. The discussion will highlight the role of early warning systems in strengthening preparedness, evacuation planning, and risk communication. It will also address community-level adoption of geospatial technologies and the use of spatial data and analytics to enhance post-disaster needs assessment and recovery planning.
Ihwan Rafina
Ihwan Rafina

Founder & Director
MosaiX BV
The Netherlands

Katie Grillo
Katie Grillo

GIS Web Technology Specialist
Cambridge IT Department
USA

Hannah Walters
Hannah Walters

GIS Analyst
Denver Water
USA

Dalia Marín-Gálvez
Dalia Marín-Gálvez

Director, Sibila Project
ANID
Chile

Vishal Thiruvedula
Vishal Thiruvedula

Vice President, Product
SatSure
India

1130 - 1300
Networking Coffee Break Followed by Lunch
1300 - 1400
Session 3: Planning for Extremes - Climate-Smart Cities & Infrastructure

Focus Areas

This session will examine how climate-smart planning can strengthen the resilience of cities and critical infrastructure against extreme events. It will explore CRZ and flood zone overlays as tools for climate-resilient urban zoning, alongside adaptation frameworks for coastal hazards and flood-resilient infrastructure. The discussion will address urban microclimate analytics and heat stress prediction to inform proactive planning. It will also highlight the use of digital twins, 3D terrain, and hydrological modelling to enhance the design and performance of urban drainage systems, transport networks, and energy grids.
Jeffrey A. Carney

Moderator

Jeffrey A. Carney

Professor
Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience (FIBER)
USA

Frans Keijzer
Frans Keijzer

Customer Solution Manager
TomTom
The Netherlands

Lisa Broekhuizen
Lisa Broekhuizen

Technical Director
Space4Good
The Netherlands

Dean Hintz
Dean Hintz

Team Lead - Strategic Solutions; Product Manager Open Standards
XML
Canada

Dean leads the Strategic Solutions team and serves as the Product Manager for Open Standards/XML at FME. He designs and prototypes data architectures and applications leveraging FME's spatial data transformation platform. As the product manager for open standards, Dean oversees FME's alignment with standards from organizations like OGC, INSPIRE, Building Smart, and NENA NG911. His work primarily focuses on sectors such as disaster response, environmental management, climate change, and various geospatial applications including GeoBIM, digital twins, and mapping of indoor and underground environments. Dean's expertise extends to building complex data integration and automation systems, and he actively contributes to pilots, working groups, and industry conferences.

John P Wilson
John P Wilson

Founder
USC Spatial Sciences Institute
USA

Dr. John P. Wilson is the Founding Director of the Spatial Sciences Institute and a Professor of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Population and Public Health Sciences, and Sociology at the University of Southern California. His research focuses on the modeling of human and natural systems and makes extensive use of GIS, spatial analysis, and various forms of environmental modeling. Much of this work is collaborative with the goal of improving our understanding of the factors connecting people, the environment, and their health.

Hrishikesh Ballal
Hrishikesh Ballal

Founder
Geodesignhub
Ireland

1400 - 1500
Session 4: Strengthening Disaster Management through Integrated Geospatial Systems

Focus Areas

This session will explore how integrated geospatial systems can enhance the effectiveness and responsiveness of disaster management. It will examine the use of AI, remote sensing, GIS, and Earth observation for real-time hazard detection and dynamic risk mapping. The discussion will highlight spatial decision-support tools, including UAVs and drones, to optimize emergency resource allocation and situational awareness. It will also address the role of mobile applications and multilingual alert systems in enabling timely last-mile communication and community action.
Jeff Hamerlinck

Moderator

Jeff Hamerlinck

Associate Director
University of Wyoming School of Computing
USA

Benedikt Gräler
Benedikt Gräler

Managing Director, Research
52° North
Germany

Samhita
Samhita

Founding CEO
Resilience AI
USA

Sonali Mishra

Co-Presenter

Sonali Mishra

Chief of Staff & Head of Partnerships
Resilience AI
India

Francesca Piatto
Francesca Piatto

Project Officer
European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC)
Belgium

Elena Field
Elena Field

GIS and Web Mapping Specialist
British Antarctic Survey
United Kingdom

Overview

The Climate Resilience and Disaster Management Summit convenes global stakeholders to advance solutions for climate adaptation and disaster response. Leveraging geospatial data, AI, and IoT, it explores real-time monitoring of floods, wildfires, cyclones and extreme events via satellite imagery, enhancing early warning and recovery. Urban adaptation strategies integrate nature-based solutions, like green roofs and wetlands, with resilient infrastructure to address rising seas and heatwaves. AI-driven predictive modelling and crowdsourcing optimize disaster management, ensuring equitable resource allocation. Financial tools, including parametric insurance and relief funds, bolster safety and adaptability. The summit bridges forecasting to action, aligning stakeholder goals with sustainable infrastructure, energy and carbon management for resilient urban ecosystems.

Glimpses from GWF 2025