National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) for Resilient Territorial Development: Building a National Disaster Risk Register (DRR) for Serbia

In recent decades the number and intensity of the natural and man-made hazards have been persistently increasing, continuing to undermine the efforts invested in achievement of the sustainable development. In order to prevent the new risk disasters, reduce the existing ones, and enhance territorial resilience by decreasing the exposure and vulnerability of the people, communities, economies and countries, UN has adopted in 2015 an action-oriented Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction for the effective disaster risk management, from global to local level. Due to then triggered needs for the various risk maps and, generally, for geospatial information for the Sendai Framework implementation, UN-GGIM has introduced in 2018 the Strategic Framework on Geospatial Information and Services for Disasters to lead the countries worldwide in production and distribution of the quality geospatial data and services, which are required for the timely decision-making and efficient coordination of operations in all phases of disaster risk management cycle. Among the other leads, one of the main guiding principles for implementing this strategic framework in any country directs to the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), as a reliable platform for building a common database and infrastructure for quality and interoperable risk-related geospatial data and services. Since NSDI is usually administered by the national mapping agencies, the Republic Geodetic Authority has got a critical role in establishment of the national Disaster Risk Register and related infrastructure in Serbia for all national stakeholders’ data gathering and analysis towards the common understanding of the disaster events. Despite there are more functionalities and elements yet to be developed in future, the current Disaster Risk Register and its infrastructure already confirm advantages of the multi-hazard and multisectoral approach to the disaster risk reduction and territorial resilience development.