Geoneon is proud to be contributing to the ACER-SEA initiative—a regional effort led by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)—to enhance climate resilience and disaster preparedness across Southeast Asia.
This week, Geoneon participated online in a key Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting hosted at ADPC Headquarters in Bangkok. The meeting was led by Philippe Brunet, Head of the SDC Regional Thematic Hub, and brought together SDC experts, regional partners, and technical teams to review project progress and explore long-term sustainability and impact.
What Is ACER-SEA?
Launched in 2024, the ACER-SEA program—Addressing Climate and El Niño-related Risks in Southeast Asia—aims to improve how countries prepare for climate shocks by strengthening access to reliable, high-resolution risk data and applying it to real-world decision-making.
Southeast Asia faces increasing exposure to hazards such as floods, droughts, and landslides, many of which are exacerbated by El Niño events. The project is focused on developing and testing innovative risk analytics in Lao PDR and Indonesia, with the goal of scaling successful approaches across the region.
Geoneon’s Role
Geoneon is advising ACER-SEA on how to apply AI and geospatial intelligence to climate hazard and vulnerability analysis. Our contributions focus on two demonstration activities:
1. Flood Susceptibility and Exposure Mapping in Southern Laos (Attapeu Province)
Geoneon is developing of a flood susceptibility and exposure model in collaboration with ADPC, People in Need (PIN), and SDC, as part of the Laos pilot under ACER-SEA. The project is designed to support early warning system design by identifying where flooding is most likely to occur—and which buildings and communities are at risk.
The initial pilot focuses on Attapeu Province, a flood-prone region in southern Laos, with the aim of expanding the methodology to other high-risk areas across the country.
At the core of the modelling approach is SynxFlow, a GPU-accelerated 2D shallow water simulation engine that allows us to simulate overland flood behavior under both extreme and realistic rainfall conditions.
Key elements of the project include:
- Use of open-source and globally available datasets, such as Copernicus GLO-30 / FABDEM elevation, CHIRPS rainfall, and Sentinel-2 land cover
- Initial exposure assessment by intersecting building footprints with simulated flood depths
- Planned integration of vulnerability and demographic data to better guide sensor placement and early warning priorities
- A focus on providing scalable, repeatable, screening-level insights to complement local fieldwork and planning processes
This pilot is not only a technical test but also a collaboration platform to:
- Validate model assumptions
- Gather feedback from regional partners
- Demonstrate how data-driven tools can accelerate preparedness and inform decisions on monitoring infrastructure deployment
Geoneon is proud to support this effort to make early warning systems smarter, faster, and more targeted.
2. AI-Enhanced Vulnerability Mapping in West Sumatra (Indonesia)
Geoneon, in collaboration with ADPC and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) under the ACER-SEA program, is leading a pilot project to enhance vulnerability mapping for disaster risk reduction in West Sumatra Province, Indonesia.
The initiative focuses on improving the resolution, accuracy, and usability of Indonesia’s Kawasan Rawan Bencana (KRB) framework—government-designated zones for disaster risk planning—by integrating AI and Earth Observation (EO) technologies.
Key components of the project include:
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High-resolution satellite imagery (Sentinel-2, Maxar) and AI-driven models to map key vulnerability indicators
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Enhanced spatial datasets for social, physical, economic, and environmental vulnerability, aligned with BNPB Regulation No. 2/2012
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Development of prototype vulnerability maps for selected districts
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Hands-on training and capacity building for government agencies, local universities, and civil society partners
Examples of technical enhancements include:
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Social Vulnerability: Object-based population mapping using AI-derived building footprints to improve accuracy over coarse national grids
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Physical Vulnerability: Building count and classification models to assess exposure and structural risk by settlement type
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Economic Vulnerability: Use of NDVI and land cover proxies to estimate productive land tied to agricultural GDP
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Environmental Vulnerability: Updated forest, swamp, and mangrove classifications using high-res EO data for ecological risk assessment
The project aims to deliver:
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Improved vulnerability maps for 2–3 selected indicators
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A scalable, documented methodology consistent with national KRB standards
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Strengthened local capacity and institutional collaboration
By addressing known limitations in current risk data, this pilot supports more targeted disaster planning, preparedness, and investment decisions in high-risk areas of West Sumatra—and offers a model for scaling to other provinces in Indonesia.
Collaboration for Regional Impact
Geoneon joins a dedicated community of practice led by ADPC and SDC, working alongside:
- National and local government agencies
- Regional climate and disaster experts
- Technical specialists across Southeast Asia
The recent PAC meeting highlighted progress on both pilot activities and emphasised the importance of building scalable and sustainable tools for climate resilience.
With intensifying climate risks, Southeast Asia urgently needs science-based tools that are locally relevant, technically robust, and easy to use. ACER-SEA is leading the way by linking innovation and policy through active partnerships and technical support.
Geoneon is honoured to contribute AI and Earth observation expertise to this transformative initiative—and we are committed to advancing data-driven solutions for climate action in the region.
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