Ron Eguchi and Shubharoop Ghosh attended the Understanding Risk (UR) Global Forum in Himeji, Japan

15 Jul 2024

UR 2024

ImageCat’s CEO and President, Ron Eguchi, and Vice President of Data Services, Shubharoop Ghosh, attended the Understanding Risk (UR) Global Forum held June 16-21, 2024, in Himeji, Japan. The UR24 Himeji was UR’s largest forum since it first convened in 2010 in Washington D.C. More than 1,700 experts from 135 countries gathered in Himeji to collaborate and share their knowledge of disaster risk management.

Ron moderated a session convened by ImageCat titled Symphony of Tradition and Innovation: Orchestrating Global Resilience in Diverse Communities. The session featured panelists Helen Crowley from the Global Earthquake Model Foundation, Shunichi Koshimura from Tohoku University, Laurie Johnson from Laurie John Consulting and Research, and Shubharoop Ghosh. While a broad range of topics were discussed, spanning multiple hazards from earthquake to tsunami, hurricane to wildfire, four key themes were addressed: Can AI help us predict the impacts of earthquakes better than the traditional models? What are some of the applications of Digital Twin technologies in disaster response and forecasting? What are some of the innovation values and challenges for community-scale recovery planning? And can we harness the power of earth observation and modeling to mitigate the growing risk of wildfire?

In addition to convening the session, ImageCat hosted a booth at the Expo which allowed for meetings and discussions with fellow conference participants. The Expo Area was built with the innovative paper and cardboard system developed by award-winning Architect Shigeru Ban with VAN (Voluntary Architects’ Network).

Left to right: Ron Eguchi, Shunichi Koshimura, Helen Crowley, Laurie Johnson, and Shubharoop Ghosh

Left to right: Ron Eguchi, Shunichi Koshimura, Helen Crowley, Laurie Johnson, and Shubharoop Ghosh