Earlier this month, Roxane Bandini-Maeder, CEO and Co-Founder of Geoneon, travelled to Lao PDR for a field mission in Vientiane and the Attapeu Province. The visit was part of the ACER-SEA initiative, led by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC). Representatives from Geoneon, ADPC, SDC, the SDC Cooperation Office in Vientiane, People in Need, and both national and subnational authorities took part in the field visit.
The mission aimed to engage with stakeholders at all levels, validate the results of the flood susceptibility and exposure models Geoneon has been developing, and better understand local priorities. It also allowed the team to compare global data with high-resolution models directly on the ground.
One key focus was how geospatial technology can support the localisation of early warning systems while efficiently bridging the gap between global models and local realities —particularly for organisations like People in Need, who are working at the community level. The flood susceptibility and exposure maps are already proving valuable in identifying at-risk areas, sparking discussions around preparedness, and supporting collaboration between agencies.
The visit also highlighted a critical point: initiatives cannot function effectively in silos. Coordination remains a challenge, but initiatives like ACER-SEA are helping bring different actors to the table—and to the field.
At Geoneon, we are contributing to ACER-SEA in Laos by developing high-resolution, AI-powered models that can support early warning, long-term planning, and community awareness. These models are designed not just for analysis, but also for communication—helping to engage communities, guide interventions, and strengthen resilience.
Field missions like this one matter. They build trust, reveal practical needs, and remind us that technology only creates impact when it connects to the real world. They also give us a chance to listen, learn, and refine our work in partnership with those who use it.
We are proud to be part of this initiative and grateful to work alongside such dedicated partners—united by a shared goal of creating safer, more resilient communities.
