
Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are neural networks that can process images and identify objects within them. Although these methods of machine learning have been around for a long time, it was only within the past 10 years that the error…
What is Compound Flooding? When it comes to flooding in Oceania, the conversation is often dominated by the danger of sea level rise, as this has become one of the defining characteristics of climate change in the region. However, flooding…
With nearly sixty percent of total disaster-related deaths — more than two million since 1970 — the Indo-Pacific is the most disaster-prone region in the world. This number should not come as a surprise considering the region’s massive population, the…
The Kingdom of Tonga, situated along the South Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire,” is exceptionally vulnerable to natural disasters including earthquakes, cyclones, floods, and volcanic eruptions. So much so that the 2018 WorldRiskIndex ranked Tonga as the second most disaster-prone…
Our team had the intent to investigate the true state of Oceania’s Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) efforts. But what seems like a clear topic, quickly turned into a complex web of strategies, policies, and programs that all relate to DRR…
Informal settlements are growing throughout the world. Their exact locations and populations are difficult to determine, however, given their inherently spontaneous and sporadic nature. Informal settlements are also uniquely vulnerable to environmental hazards, as they often consist of poor quality,…
(This blog post completes my three-part series on France’s role as a stakeholder in our considerations of grand strategy. You can find part 1 here and part 2 here.) What are the French stakes in disaster risk reduction in Oceania?…
We live in an age of information. Every day, we are collecting even more data that gives us more insight, and when combined with the modern computation power, helps us improve our understanding of our world. Indices leverage this information…