With the aim of strengthening international cooperation in the prevention and management of natural disasters, Geosciences Barcelona (GEO3BCN-CSIC) welcomed a Japanese delegation of the Oita prefecture composed of representatives from the University of Oita and SAP Japan. This meeting took place in the context of the EDISON initiative (Earth Disaster Intelligent System & Operational Network), an information platform designed to integrate and analyze relevant data to prevent and mitigate natural disasters and respond effectively to emergency situations.
The visit served as a starting point to showcase the work of both GEO3BCN-CSIC and the delegation in the field of natural disasters, focusing primarily on common issues related to prevention, monitoring, and response to extreme natural events.
The visit is part of the 'EU-Japan Region-to-Region Innovation Cooperation (IURC Japan)' project, in which the Department of Research and Universities of the Generalitat participates with the Japan Plan. This European Union initiative aims to promote collaboration between Japanese and European regions in various areas, including research and innovation.
The GEO3BCN-CSIC leadership, consisting of Santiago Giralt, Adelina Geyer, and Jordi Ibáñez, participated in this meeting along with Arnau Folch, representing the 'Georiesgos y Cambio Global' challenge. The researcher from Geosciences Barcelona presented the DT-GEO and ChEESE 2 projects, initiatives that work to simulate and anticipate earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
On the Japanese delegation's part, Yoshihisa Tsurunari, head of the Education and Research Center for Disaster Risk Reduction and Redesign and Associate Professor at the University of Oita; Ryoichi Ogawa, head of the Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Division at the University of Oita; Atsunobu Yamamoto, CEO of Inspiration+; Akira Yoshida, CEO of SAP Japan, and Fujimani Ren, Ohga Yamato, Iguchi Shotaro, and Minami Taiga, students from the University of Oita, were in attendance.
Additionally, Monica Castellà, the Catalan government's delegate in Japan, and Aïda Díaz Sáez, in charge of the International Plan at the Department of Research and Universities, coordinated and organized the delegation's visit to GEO3BCN-CSIC.
