Disaster Risk Reduction Knowledge Service: A Paradigm Shift from Disaster Data Towards Knowledge Services

Earthquakes have caused tremendous damage in China and around the world; the Wenchuan earthquake that occurred in China 10 years ago is among the deadliest earthquakes in history. The importance of earthquake monitoring and seismic data analysis is now recognized in China. However, the effective dissemination of earthquake-related disaster risk reduction (DRR) knowledge to decision-makers and the public has not been adequately addressed. Under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Knowledge Centre for Engineering Science and Technology (managed by the Chinese Academy of Engineering) launched the Disaster Risk Reduction Knowledge Service in 2016. This service, based on the development of disaster metadata standards, was constructed to share disaster information and provide thematic knowledge services; it facilitates the integration and sharing of disaster data, disaster maps, expert opinions, institutional knowledge, research literature, and videos. A series of earthquake DRR knowledge services applications have been implemented using this knowledge service platform, including (1) a global earthquake daily distribution map service, (2) a spatiotemporal map of historical earthquakes in the One Belt One Road region, (3) a Wenchuan earthquake disaster relief knowledge service, and (4) a thematic knowledge service for disaster relief work and contingency planning during the Jiuzhaigou earthquake. In the long term, this system will support the conversion of disaster data into DRR knowledge and provide services for international organizations, government institutions, research and educational institutions, enterprises, and the general public.