Consultant / World Bank, GFDRR

Nuala Cowan, DSc is a member of the Digital Earth Partnership (DEP) Team at the World Bank. As part of GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery), DEP supports World Bank clients, associated Bank task teams and project beneficiaries to create, access, and use localized Digital Earth data and services to enhance the outcomes of development operations. Before joining DEP Nuala was a member of the Open Data for Resilience (OpenDRI) at the bank. The open OpenDRI program worked with governments to embrace open-source tools and data, and supports local communities to play a greater role in risk management through projects like community mapping. Nuala was a core team member on the Open Cities Africa project, a cohort of 16 city teams, working toward the collaborative collection of disaster risk management data for their cities. Nuala is also research faculty at The George Washington University, Department of Geography, and is one of the co-leads on the Youth Mappers Project, a university consortium initiative funded by the Geocenter at USAID. Youth Mappers is an international network of student societies dedicated to harnessing the power of open geospatial technologies for disaster and development initiatives.