Pacific Disaster Center and UH sign agreement to improve disaster management in Busan

Partnership to establish Korea's second-largest city as an international model

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
David Lassner, (808) 956-3501
VP for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
Posted: Jun 26, 2007


The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and the University of Hawaiʻi signed an agreement on June 25 with the Busan Metropolitan City and Pukyong National University to enhance the disaster management capabilities of Busan, Korea's 2nd-largest city.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed yesterday, the parties have agreed to work together in the areas of applied research, education and training programs, joint projects, and staff exchanges (e.g., public servants, students, and/or professors). The collaboration is intended to serve as a model for best practices in disaster management within Korea and beyond.

PDC will apply its capabilities in geospatial analysis and modeling to provide decision makers with timely and accurate information to support effective disaster management. This work with Busan will build on previous PDC relationships and projects developed with the governments of Thailand and Vietnam, as well as throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

ABOUT THE PACIFIC DISASTER CENTER
The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) provides applied information research and analysis support for the development of more effective policies, institutions, programs and information products for the disaster management and humanitarian assistance communities of the Asia Pacific region and beyond. In cooperation with regional and national disaster management agencies, the PDC supports and facilitate the innovative use of information, technology, and applied research to: promote proactive, rather than reactive, planning that includes hazard mitigation as a key element of sustainable development and to increase efficiency of operational organizations by introducing innovative, and appropriately scaled, information resources, tools, and analyses.

The PDC was established by the U.S. Congress in 1995 and is now managed by the University of Hawaiʻi under a cooperative agreement with the federal government. PDC's headquarters and primary staffing and facilities are in the Maui Research and Technology Park.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʻI
Established in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaiʻi is the state's sole public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 students from Hawaiʻi, the U.S. mainland, and around the world. For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu