Rio de Janeiro, 21 de setembro de 2018 – From September 11 to 13, Rio’s Pereira Passos Institute (IPP) hosted the II International Seminar on GeoData Programming (SIURB – Sistema Municipal de Informações Urbanas). The Consulate supported the participation of two U.S. specialists, invited by the City of Rio de Janeiro to participate in the event. The event attracted more than 250 participants interested in learning how the city is adopting a SMART city platform. The U.S. specialists detailed projects focused on environmental preservation and emergency preparedness leveraging satellite images and data modelling. Danielle Wood, a former NASA consultant and assistant professor in the MIT Program in Media Arts and Science, and Dalia Kirschbaum, Research Physical Scientist in the Hydrological Sciences Lab at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center have been developed strategic projects with the city and were invited to present results on their partnerships and expand further the existing collaborations. Dr. Woods presented her research on managing mangrove areas; Dr. Kirschbaum discussed the importance of satellite images to help predict rainfall-triggered landslides, much was mentioned on the improvements made since the rainfalls from 2010. This event follows-up a unique four-year partnership between NASA and the City of Rio de Janeiro.
